Chlorine obsolete?

[bradjo]

Speaking of training Dr. Weil's field of expertise is in Integrative Medicine with some secondary knowledge of community health (which doesn't really cover water treatment more than passing mention).

So I really wouldn't give his opinion about pools any more weight than I'd give anyone else's with a good college education who did some research while putting in their own pool.

If I were looking for definitive water treatment information I'd look for a publication by a Ph.D. in Environmental Engineering with a subspecialty in Water. Those are hard to find so I have to listen to you guys!! LOL
Jo

[chem geek]

The specific irritant that caused the problem, according to the article, was trichloramine (NCl3) which is the smelliest of the chloramines. The chloramine that is put into drinking water for disinfection is monochloramine (NH2Cl) and has much less of an odor and is much less hazardous. These chloramines collectively are what are measured as "Combined Chlorine" in your chlorine test kit (along with chlorinated organics) so these indoor pools were not regularly maintaining their pools properly and they probably had poor air circulation as well.

My guess is that they let the chlorine levels get too low relative to bather demand (i.e. they didn't keep the chlorine to ammonia ratio high). Also, for indoor pools it would be good to use a non-chlorine shock (monopersulfate, peroxymonopersulfate or MPS -- Dow trade name Oxone) to oxidize organics and ammonia before chlorine has a chance to produce chloramines. At least that's the theory. From what I've been told, indoor pools are a bear anyway you look at it.

Richard