#bc it relies on dissociating NaCl molecules into chlorine gas and sodium | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

antique-symbolism · 1 year ago

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In the very brief time that I was in Pool School (reading the CPO manual), I learned that the skin and eye irritation as well as the strong smell of chlorine is not largely due to chlorine levels, but to chloramine levels, that is, the chemical product of chlorine + ammonia (in sweat, urine, saliva, etc).

This explains why the YMCA has the exact same chlorine parts-per-million reading as the little neighbourhood pool I work at, but the Y always makes me itch and makes my whole bathroom smells like a pool when I hang my suit in there to dry.

#chlorine is actually pretty complicated #there's like six different types and there's a difference between 'free chlorine' and 'combined chlorine'#and then there's a whole alternate disinfectant you can use with bromine instead #and then there's salt pools which are chlorinated but it's a whole different thing #bc it relies on dissociating NaCl molecules into chlorine gas and sodium #and then there's cyanuric acid most pools add to stabilize the chlorine...#i guess it isn't shocking that maintaining a clean swimming environment requires Actual Chemistry #but I found it fascinating personally #the (life)guardian

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