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TOXIC
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Chlorine Health Hazard
Information
Acute Effects:
- Chlorine is a potent irritant in humans to the eyes,
the upper respiratory tract, and the lungs. Several studies have
reported the following effects: 0.014 to 0.054 ppm: tickling of the
nose; 0.04 to 0.097 ppm: tickling of the throat; 0.06 to 0.3 ppm;
itching of the nose and cough, stinging, or dryness of the nose and
throat; 0.35 to 0.72 ppm: burning of the conjunctiva and pain after 15
minutes; above 1.0 ppm: discomfort ranging from ocular and respiratory
irritation to coughing, shortness of breath, and headaches.2
- Higher levels of chlorine have resulted in the
following effects in humans: 1 to 3 ppm: mild mucous membrane
irritation; 30 ppm: chest pain, vomiting, dypsnea, cough; 46 to 60 ppm:
toxic pneumonitis and pulmonary edema; 430 ppm: lethal after 30 minutes;
1,000 ppm: fatal within a few minutes.1
- Chlorine is extremely irritating to the skin and can
cause severe burns.1
- Acute animal tests, such as the LC50 test
in rats and mice, have shown chlorine to have high acute toxicity.3
- EPA's Office of Air Quality Planning and Standards,
for a hazard ranking under Section 112(g) of the Clean Air Act
Amendments, considers chlorine to be a "high concern" pollutant based on
severe acute toxicity.4
Chronic Effects (Noncancer):
- Several studies in the older literature reported that
chronic exposure to chlorine concentrations of around 5 ppm caused
respiratory complaints, corrosion of the teeth, inflammation of the
mucous membranes of the nose, and increased susceptibility to
tuberculosis in workers.5
- Animal studies have reported decreased body weight
gain, eye and nose irritation, and effects on the respiratory tract,
liver, and kidney from chronic inhalation exposure to chlorine.2
- Other studies have indicated that exposure to
chlorine, via inhalation, may alter disease resistance in animals, with
higher incidences of emphysema, pneumonia, and tuberculosis reported.2
References
- U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
Hazardous Substances Data Bank (HSDB, online database). National
Toxicology Information Program, National Library of Medicine, Bethesda,
MD. 1993.
- E.J. Calabrese and E.M. Kenyon. Air Toxics and Risk
Assessment. Lewis Publishers, Chelsea, MI. 1991.
- R.D. Morris, A. Audet, I.F. Angelillo, T. C.
Chalmers, and F. Mosteller. Chlorination, Chlorination by-products, and
cancer: A meta-analysis. American Journal of Public Health,
82(7):955-977. 1992.
- U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Ambient Water
Quality Criteria for Chlorine. EPA 440/5-84-030. Office of Water
Regulations and Standards, Washington, DC. 1985.
- American Council of Government of Industrial
Hygienists (ACGIH). Documentation of the Threshold Limit Values. Fourth
Edition. Cincinnati, OH. 1986.
Products that remove chlorine and other contaminants from
your water:
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