Significance of Use
The chlorination of water supplies and polluted waters is used mainly to destroy or deactivate disease-producing microorganisms. Chlorine also serves to improve the quality of drinking water, as it reacts with ammonia, iron, manganese, sulfide, and some organic substances. Nevertheless, high amounts of chlorine will produce adverse effects like the formation of compounds that are potentially carcinogenic (e.g. chloroform) or harmful to aquatic life (e.g. chloramines). It remains essential to control the amount of added chlorine in order to fulfill the primary purpose of disinfecting while also minimizing any adverse effects.