The introduction of chlorine to our water supply has been hailed as one of the most important achievements of our modern civilisation. There is no doubt that chlorinated water saves lives.

There is, however, much concern about the harmful effects of chlorine. New evidence suggests that the addition of chlorine to our municipal drinking water may affect our health, especially in the long-term.

Approximately 15,000 chlorine-based chemicals exist for use in our society today and all of these chemicals are toxic. This includes elemental chlorine, the chemical used to disinfect our water.

Chlorine in tap water poses a real danger. Elemental chlorine is extremely reactive and it combines with other natural compounds to form toxic by-products such as THMs (Trihalomethanes) and chlorinated hydrocarbons. TTHMs (Total Trihalomethanes) are a by-product of drinking water disinfection. These chlorine by-products trigger the production of free radicals in the body, causing cell damage, and are highly carcinogenic.

Chlorinated hydrocarbons include dioxin, which is known to be extremely toxic. The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has declared dioxin a human carcinogen. The full article about dioxin can be read by going to the EPA website: http://www.epa.gov/safewater/dwh/c-soc/dioxin.html.

In the short-term, dioxin can cause liver damage, weight loss, wasting of glands important to the body's immune system. In the long-term, exposure to dioxin has the potential to cause a variety of reproductive effects, from reduced fertility to birth defects and cancer.

"Although concentrations of carcinogenic chlorine by-products are low, it is precisely these low levels that cancer scientists believe are responsible for the majority of human cancers in the United States". The Environmental Defense Fund.

It isn't uncommon to find more chlorine in drinking water than is recommended safe for your swimming pool. Eye and nose irritation as well as stomach discomfort can result if your water contains chlorine levels well in excess of the EPA's standard.

Showering in chlorinated water strips the natural protective barrier from your hair and skin, because chlorine bonds with the proteins in the hair, skin and scalp. This causes your hair to become rough and brittle and and possibly lose color. Your skin can dry out resulting in an itchy, flaky scalp. Chlorine is also the biggest trigger of Eczema.

Other Harmful Effects Of Chlorine:

• Chlorine gas is a potent irritant to the eyes, the upper respiratory tract, and the lungs.

• Chlorine is also suspected to contribute to hardening of the arteries, the primary cause of heart disease.

• Low levels of chlorine cause tickling and itching of the nose and throat, coughing, respiratory irritation, and headaches.

• Moderate levels of chlorine exposure cause mucous membrane irritation, skin irritation and severe burns.

• Acute chlorine poisoning causes chest pain, vomiting, dypsnea, cough, toxic pneumonitis, pulmonary edema and death.

Methods of water disinfection other than chlorine do exist, including ozone and UV radiation. At present, these methods are still considered to be too costly to implement on a large scale for municipal water supplies. For the moment, therefore, chlorine is considered to be the best option to disinfect our drinking water.

Although chlorine is present in the water that reaches your tap, this does not mean you actually have to drink chlorinated water. A high quality, yet easily affordable home water filter will allow you to drink chlorine and contaminant free water for a few cents per gallon.