Dispelling the Notion of Chlorine Necessity for Water Purification through Experiments

Experiments conducted by scientists at Lund University in Sweden disproved the need to use chlorine to purify water.

The journal Npj Clean Water points out that when chlorine is not used to purify water, the number of bacteria that absorb most of the microorganisms present in the water increases in water samples without chlorine, but are harmless and do not pose any danger to human health.

As you know, the process of water purification includes several stages, using various filters and ultraviolet rays, after which chlorine is added. Since 2020, the city of Varberg has stopped adding chlorine to the water after installing new filters that effectively prevent the passage of harmful microorganisms from lakes and groundwater.

For six months, the research team took water samples before and after stopping the use of chlorine. The entire local microbiome was determined based on bacterial DNA. A year later, the researchers analyzed the fresh samples to look for changes in the microbiome.

The results showed that on the third month without chlorine, the number of some types of bacteria sharply decreased, but on the other hand, the number of predatory bacteria of the Bdellovibrio type, which do not pose a danger to humans, but eliminate other other microorganisms, increased. These bacteria could previously hide in the biological membrane.

Based on these results, experts concluded that it is possible to obtain safe and clean drinking water without the use of chlorine. Trials have not shown an increased risk in humans, but more testing and research will be needed to get full definitive results.

Source: Linta. EN