What damage can be done to the lungs/respiratory system by high levels of Chlorine gas from swimming pools?
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Former Member
I'd like to hear a chemist chime in here, but my understanding is the concentration of elemental chlorine gas in a pool's atmosphere is going to be pretty close to nil. Chlorine compounds, yes, but chlorine, no. It's so reactive it doesn't stay in its elemental form for long. Now I also know that some tiny fraction of molecules are going to crack apart in water - even tap water has some free H and OH ions in it. Whether chlorine ions get produced in the pool and if so how long they remain as ions when the reach the air is what I'm not sure of.
I'd like to hear a chemist chime in here, but my understanding is the concentration of elemental chlorine gas in a pool's atmosphere is going to be pretty close to nil. Chlorine compounds, yes, but chlorine, no. It's so reactive it doesn't stay in its elemental form for long. Now I also know that some tiny fraction of molecules are going to crack apart in water - even tap water has some free H and OH ions in it. Whether chlorine ions get produced in the pool and if so how long they remain as ions when the reach the air is what I'm not sure of.
