Chlorine and water treatment?
Chlorine has been added to municipal water for a very long time and this is due to its disinfectant property. When chlorine is added to water it kills bacteria, viruses and other microorganisms that cause disease, by forming a bonds with and destroying the outer surfaces of bacteria and viruses. There are a few problems with the use of chlorine and the most obvious being the characteristic taste and odour of the water treated with chlorine. The other problem was discovered in the mid-1970s when it was found that when chlorine was added to water it would react with whatever was in the water and this was good in terms of bacteria and viruses. However when chlorine reacts with organic matter such as decayed leaves a byproduct known as trihalomethanes (THM) is formed, the problem with THMs (e.g. chloroform) is that they may be carcinogenic (cancer forming).
