POOL CHEMICALS: THE PROBLEM
Most pools and spas depend on chemicals to sanitize them. Traditionally, chlorine
has been in use for more than 40 years to create “safe pools”. However, it is increasingly
being known that during typical chemical disinfection, chlorine and other chemicals
react with organic matter to form hundreds of new chemicals- disinfection byproducts
such as chloramines, that have been linked to redness and burning of eyes, skin
irritation, asthma, allergies and even cancer. New studies show that your swimming
pool may turn out to be dangerous water. Some have even compared the risks of pool
chemicals to those of second hand smoke
“Chlorine and Chloramines are known to cause burning of eyes, skin irritation, and
even asthma.”
Ultraviolet or UV is being recognized as a safer, more cost effective and environmentally
friendly alternative to traditional chlorination and has become the preferred choice
for swimming pool treatment worldwide. Internationally, the pool industry is moving
to UV and one of the best disinfection systems available in the market today is
the WWR UV disinfection system. With regard to pool sanitation, the World Health
Organization (WHO) states that “Lower free chlorine concentrations may be health
protective when UV is used”.
“UV is recognized as the safer, more cost effective treatment worldwide.”
HOW DOES UV WORK?
UV systems emit high intensity germicidal light that alters or disrupts the DNA
or RNA of targeted organisms such as algae, bacteria, viruses, cysts and protozoa.
The highly concentrated electromagnetic energy also destroys organic matter, eliminating
the formation of dangerous chlorine by-products called chloramines, the frequent
cause of burning and redness of eyes, skin irritation, asthma, and allergies. For
more information on how the UV technology works, check out this post on UV Technology
and Water Disinfection.