Why does tap water often smell like chlorine?
Drinking water has to be protected from microrganisms and contaminants that can enter the water through the pipelines that transport it to households. This happens by means of disinfection with various disinfection agents, chlorine being the most widely used one. Chlorine is a very effective disinfectant, which is used to kill any harmful bacteria that might be present in the water source. The amount of chlorine that is used is based on the amount of water that is treated, the amount of contaminants that must be controlled and the time it takes for the water to reach the first house. Chlorine levels are usually low, but in some rural areas there are more dangers to drinking water and the levels of chlorine that are used are a bit higher. People can than smell it when they tap water. When one’s tap water smells like chlorine it does not mean a danger to the people that drink it. Chlorine levels used in drinking water are not high enough to form a serious threat to anyone’s health. If th
