What is dangerous chlorine for humans. Is chlorine dangerous in water after settling and boiling

Chlorine, one might say, is already a constant companion of our Everyday life. Rarely in which house will there not be household products based on the disinfecting effect of this element. But at the same time, it is very dangerous for humans! Chlorine can enter the body through the mucous membrane respiratory system, digestive tract, skin. You can poison them both at home and on vacation - in many pools, water parks, it is the main means of water purification. The effect of chlorine on the human body is sharply negative, it can cause serious dysfunction and even death. Therefore, everyone needs to be aware of the symptoms of poisoning, first aid methods.

Chlorine - what is this substance

Chlorine is a gaseous element yellowish color. It has a sharp specific odor - in gaseous form, as well as in chemical forms, which implies its active state, is dangerous, toxic to humans.

Chlorine is 2.5 times heavier than air, so in the event of a leak it will spread along ravines, the spaces of the first floors, and along the floor of the room. When inhaled, the victim may develop one of the forms of poisoning. We will talk about this further.

Symptoms of poisoning

Both prolonged inhalation of vapors and other exposure to the substance are very dangerous. Since it is active, the effect of chlorine on the human body manifests itself quickly. The toxic element affects the eyes, mucous membranes and skin to a greater extent.

Poisoning can be both acute and chronic. However, in any case, if assistance is not provided in time, it threatens death!

Symptoms of poisoning with chlorine vapor can be different - depending on the specifics of the case, the duration of exposure and other factors. For convenience, we have delimited the signs in the table.

Degree of poisoning	Symptoms
Light. The safest - passes on its own, on average, in three days.	Irritation, redness of the mucous membranes, skin.
Average. Required health care And complex treatment!	Violation heart rate, shortness of breath, pain in the area chest, lack of air, profuse lacrimation, dry cough, burning sensation on the mucous membranes. Most dangerous symptom-consequence- pulmonary edema.
Heavy. Resuscitation measures are needed - death can occur in 5-30 minutes!	Dizziness, thirst, convulsions, loss of consciousness.
Lightning. Unfortunately, in most cases, help is useless - death occurs almost instantly.	Convulsions, swelling of the veins on the face and neck, respiratory failure, cardiac arrest.
Chronic. Consequence frequent work with a substance that contains chlorine.	Cough, convulsions, chronic diseases of the respiratory system, frequent headaches, depression, apathy, cases of loss of consciousness are not uncommon.

This is the effect of chlorine on the human body. Let's talk about where you can get poisoned by its poisonous fumes and how to provide first aid in this case.

Poisoning at work

Chlorine gas is used in many industries. You may well get a chronic form of poisoning if you work in the following industries:

Chemical industry.
Textile factory.
pharmaceutical industry.

Vacation poisoning

Although many are aware of the effect of chlorine on the human body (of course, in large volumes), not all saunas, swimming pools, and entertainment water complexes strictly monitor the use of such a budget disinfectant. But its dosage is very easy to accidentally exceed. Hence the chlorine poisoning of visitors, which happens quite often in our time.

How to notice that during your visit the dose of the element in the pool water is exceeded? Very simple - you will feel a strong specific smell of the substance.

What happens if you often visit the pool, where they violate the instructions for using Dez-chlor? Visitors should be alert constant dryness skin, brittle nails and hair. In addition, swimming in highly chlorinated water, you run the risk of getting mild poisoning element. It manifests itself the following symptoms:

cough;
vomit;
nausea;
V rare cases pneumonia occurs.

Poisoning at home

Poisoning can also threaten you at home if you have violated the instructions for using Dez-Chlor. A chronic form of poisoning is also common. It develops if the housewife often uses the following means to clean up:

Bleachers.
Preparations designed to combat mold.
Tablets, washing liquids, which contain given element.
Powders, solutions for general disinfection of the premises.

Effects of chlorine on the body

The constant impact of even small doses of chlorine (the state of aggregation can be any) on the human body threatens people with the following:

Pharyngitis.
Laryngitis.
Bronchitis (in acute or chronic form).
Various diseases skin covers.
Sinusitis.
Pneumosclerosis.
Tracheitis.
Visual impairment.

If you have noticed one of the ailments listed above, provided that you have been constantly or once (cases of visiting the pool also applies here) were exposed to chlorine vapor, then this is a reason to contact a specialist as soon as possible! The doctor will prescribe complex diagnostics to study the nature of the disease. After studying its results, then he will prescribe treatment.

First aid for poisoning

Chlorine is a gas that is very dangerous to inhale, especially in large volumes! With an average, severe form of poisoning, the victim should immediately receive first aid:

Whatever the state of the person, do not panic. You should first of all pull yourself together, and then calm him down.
Take the victim to Fresh air or in a ventilated room where there is no chlorine vapor.
Call as soon as possible ambulance.
Make sure that the person is warm and comfortable - cover him with a blanket, blanket or sheet.
Make sure that he breathes easily and freely - remove tight clothes, jewelry from the neck.

Medical care for poisoning

Before the arrival of the ambulance team, you can help the victim yourself using a number of household and medications:

Prepare 2% solution baking soda. Use this liquid to wash the victim's eyes, nose, oral cavity.
Put Vaseline in his eyes or olive oil.
If a person complains of pain, pain in the eyes, then in this case, a 0.5% dicaine solution would be best. 2-3 drops for each eye.
For prevention, they also impose eye ointment- synthomycin (0.5%), sulfanilic (10%).
Albucid (30%), zinc sulfate solution (0.1%) can be used as a substitute for eye ointment. These drugs are instilled into the victim twice a day.
Intramuscular, intravenous administration injections. "Prednisolone" - 60 mg (intravenously or intramuscularly), "Hydrocortisone" - 125 mg (intramuscularly).

Prevention

Knowing how dangerous chlorine is, what substance has an effect on the human body, it is best to take care of reducing or eliminating its negative impact on your body in advance. This can be achieved in the following ways:

Compliance sanitary norms at work.
Regular passing medical examinations.
The use of protective equipment when working with chlorine-containing drugs at home or at work - the same respirator, tight protective rubber gloves.
Compliance with safety regulations when working with the substance in an industrial environment.

Working with chlorine always requires caution, both on an industrial scale and in households. You know how to diagnose yourself for signs of substance poisoning. Assistance to the victim must be provided immediately!

Chlorine as an element of the periodic table was discovered back in the 18th century by a chemist Karl Scheele. For the greenish-yellow color, the substance was called "chlorine". In Russia, this name did not take root, a shorter and more understandable “chlorine” spread. What are its benefits and harms and how does it affect the body?

The most important source of chlorine is rock salt. In ancient times, it helped the ancestors to extend the shelf life of the meat of the killed game and fish. However, not only this valuable chlorine. With the development of medicine, people have learned that this substance is involved in metabolic processes in the body and is essential for normal digestion. It is it that helps to retain fluid in the tissues, due to which the body does not dehydrate and does not lose moisture. When its dosage is changed in one direction or another, a person begins to get sick: his limbs and face swell, pressure jumps, his heart works intermittently. Chlorine is responsible for the health of erythrocytes - red blood cells.

Almost all daily allowance A person receives chlorine from salt, food and chlorinated tap water. Maximum allowable dose of this substance is 7000 mg. If a person does not drink unpurified water and consumes a minimum of salt, for example, sits on a salt-free diet, a lack of chlorine may occur in his body. Increased acidity can aggravate the situation. gastric juice, at which the need for chlorine increases, as well as excessive physical activity. Sports make a person sweat, as a result of which chlorine is excreted with sweat and its amount in the body falls below the maximum permissible level.

In case of violation acid-base balance a person may lose hair and crumble teeth. Dehydration affects more than just work. internal organs, but also on appearance: the skin ages dramatically and becomes wrinkled. Such a person feels a loss of strength, appetite and weakness. He is constantly sleepy, unable to concentrate, and suffers from memory lapses.

The lack of chlorine in the body can lead to the intake of certain medicines- laxatives, diuretics, corticosteroids, etc. An increasing decrease in the concentration of this element can lead to coma and even death.

But it is with chlorinated water, which causes an excess of chlorine in the body, that scientists attribute the general deterioration in people's health. Cases of heart disease, cancer and dementia have increased worldwide. Although the proportion of patients with liver and kidney cancer is only a small percentage of total number sick, more than 80% of those suffering from diseases immune system owe this to chlorinated water. Negative influence of this element are tested by the respiratory organs, and the toxins contained in drinking water, with which chlorine is not able to cope, cause disorders at the genetic level.

Especially dangerous are chlorine vapors, which in high concentrations can cause burns of the throat and esophageal mucosa, respiratory failure. The risk group includes people working in hazardous industries - in the textile and chemical industry etc.

It should be borne in mind that chlorine enters the body not only with drinking water, but also through the skin during bathing, and the amount of toxins entering the bloodstream in this way increases by 10-20 times.

Every person should know about the symptoms of an excess of chlorine in order to seek help from a doctor in time. These include an acrid dry cough, a feeling of dryness and irritation in the mouth and throat, headache, pain in the eyes, causing increased lacrimation, heaviness in the stomach and frequent colds with an increase in temperature.

Infections in water are a problem that for a long time remained unsolvable until, at the beginning of the 19th century, they came up with effective method water disinfection. Chlorine was used as a disinfecting agent, which to this day is a fairly convenient and cheap way to disinfect tap water. So, after chlorination, water becomes more or less clean from microorganisms, which allows a person not to worry about possible negative consequences.

However, having solved the problem with pathogenic bacteria, we are faced with another, more dangerous reality. As you know, chlorine is an unsafe substance, and if it enters the body, it can provoke the development of many pathological processes.

pool infections - truth or fiction?

Not only tap water is chlorinated, but also pool water. It should be said that for disinfection in public swimming pools are treated with particular severity, because if this is not done, then you can easily pick up some kind of infection. Then, if the water in the pools is chlorinated, then can it harm us, because we don’t drink it.

What can you get in a swimming pool?

Of course, it is not a fact that you will develop these diseases, but forewarned is forearmed. Infectious diseases and ways of infecting them when visiting the pool:

warts- it is viral, mostly benign in the form of a node. After exercising in the pool, they may well form. If your skin is broken, then you can become infected not only by contact with a sick person and the objects that he used, but also by stepping on the place where he stood. The risk of infection increases with a decrease in immunity and heavy sweating legs.

Nail fungus (onychomycosis)- a very common disease that is difficult to treat and reappears repeatedly. In most cases, these are the legs and feet. It is difficult to catch a fungus in the pool. But around him it is very possible. To avoid this, be sure to wear slippers in the pool and shower.

Hepatitis A- it's infectious acute illness liver disease caused by the hepatitis A virus. It can be transmitted through food and water that are contaminated with the virus. In pools in which there are violations of sanitary standards, and in those where water flows poorly, it is quite possible to get infected. Because the hepatitis A virus lives in contaminated water, never allow it to enter your mouth while diving.

Bacterial dysentery- it's sharp infection. The source of infection is a sick person, as well as microbial contamination of food and water. Therefore, it must be borne in mind that infection can occur when water in pools enters the mouth. This disease is manifested by the following symptoms: nausea, fever, vomiting, diarrhea and convulsions.

Giardiasis is an infection that occurs mainly with a lesion small intestine And allergic reactions. Although the source of infection can be a person, soil, products infected with giardia cysts, giardiasis is still considered a disease of dirty water. It is quite possible to catch this disease through pools, as well as with the ingress of contaminated water into your body.

infectious conjunctivitis- it causes swelling of the mucous membrane of the eye, which in turn disrupts the nutrition of the cornea, causing its damage. Bacterial conjunctivitis occurs when pool water is not sufficiently purified. Therefore, always make sure that the water in which you swim is not cloudy.

How to choose a pool during pregnancy?

During pregnancy, when many loads are contraindicated and physical activity must be chosen with care, the pool is one of the few options to actively move around with health benefits. But, it is better not to go to the first available pool for pregnant women.

You should choose a place where there is high-quality chlorination and there will be no danger to the health of mother and baby. And better, the so-called "specialized option" - group lessons for young mothers.

Swimming pool preferably with running or sea water. On courses or in the pool, you will be asked for a certificate from a doctor - treat this with understanding.

When choosing an instructor, pay attention to how he conducts classes. If the instructor only distributes general commands, almost without looking at how they are performed - this is not the best option. A good instructor will try to pick up individual program for each future mother and be sure to follow how correctly you will perform this or that exercise.

very severe toxicosis (which is accompanied by indomitable vomiting);
risk of miscarriage;
uterine bleeding;
systematic cramping pain after exercise;
preeclampsia;
eclampsia;
tuberculosis in the acute stage;
systemic diseases blood;
chronic appendicitis;
diseases in acute period;
infectious diseases.

Rules for personal hygiene in the pool

Infectious diseases can be avoided by adhering to the lungs, and then visiting the pool will only bring you benefits and health:

Wearing slippers to the pool- all germs are usually found on tiles near the water, as well as in showers, so to avoid fungi, it is better to always have rubber shoes with you. From the room in which you undress and the water you need to go in flip-flops or slippers, which are best brought from home.

Rinse in the shower- before entering the pool, even if you took a shower in your own bath before leaving the house.

Proper clothing- visit the pool in sports closed swimsuits, rubber caps, and always take special goggles for diving.

Bring your own towel- in the pool you will definitely be offered it, but there is no guarantee that after the next use it has been washed with sufficient disinfection. Pathogenic fungi tend to survive simple washing, but they also migrate to nearby towels.

Always take a shower after class- Rinse thoroughly skin folds and the spaces between the fingers, especially the toes.

Verified Places- visit indoor pools, and only with good disinfection.

Every day, while taking a shower, washing, washing our hair, we arrange stress for the body. After all, most of us, for hygiene purposes, use ordinary tap water, the content of bleach in which is often beyond the “harmlessness” mark.

What is harmful chlorine in terms of external influence on the body, and how to deal with it, this article will tell.

The effect of bleach on the human body

Fortunately, the concentration of bleach in tap water not so big to Negative consequences appeared from the first application. However, at regular use such water for hygiene (on average 2 times a day) bleach, affecting the skin, hair and human body, in general, leads to a number of negative consequences.

Effects of bleach on hair

Hair is most often the first to react to the high content of bleach in tap water. The main "signals" negative reactions hair can become:

Increased hair loss
Increased dryness and "fluffiness"
Dehydration and dullness (dyed hair quickly loses color, as bleach "eats away" the paint)
Fragility of hairs and split ends

Effects of chlorine on the skin

Skin irritations are also one of the main indicators of high levels of chlorine in the water. For most people, skin reactions may include:

Increased dryness and flaking
Poor reaction to moisturizers
early aging and appearance age spots, as well as mimic and age wrinkles
Redness and itching
Feeling "tight"
Sharp reactions (irritations) to the usual cosmetics

If you are one of those people prone to dermatitis, skin diseases, allergies, the reaction to water with high content bleach may appear after the first contact ( severe itching, "weeping" spots, eczema).

The effect of bleach on the body as a whole

In addition to local hair and skin reactions, chlorinated water can cause much more serious problems with health. With regular long-term contact, bleach can cause:

Oncological diseases
Pulmonary diseases(including asthma)
Exacerbations of allergies
Exacerbations of psoriasis

Also, compounds of chlorine with other substances contained in tap water can cause food poisoning(with regular swallowing) and intoxication of the body as a whole.

How to protect yourself from chlorine exposure

Today, in many countries of the world, including Ukraine, the issues of replacing the use of bleach as the main method of disinfection with more modern and gentle ones - ozonation and disinfection with ultraviolet light - are being actively discussed. However, as long as water with bleach is flowing from our taps, the problem remains relevant.

There are two ways that can significantly reduce the harm from exposure to bleach on the body:

Installation of special filters

This method is the most convenient, although quite expensive. Its advantage lies in the fact that by fixing the filter on the faucet, you get almost the same uninterrupted flow of water as before, but almost without bleach.

The main disadvantage of this method is that the device itself and replaceable filters cost a lot of money. And since the volumes of passing water are quite large, then the filters will have to be changed often.

Settling of water

The second method is more economical, but it is unlikely to suit most of us, as it is very labor intensive. The method consists in collecting water in large containers, letting it stand for at least 48 hours. This will cause most of the chlorine in the water to evaporate and make it usable.

This method can hardly be called convenient. After all, you will practically stop using the usual tap, and all hygiene procedures you will have to do it by heating the water in advance and using the good old ladle.

The undeniable advantage of this method is its cost. Or rather, its absence. After all, you will not have to bear any additional expenses, except for the usual payment for water. In addition, regular follow-up this method, will inadvertently lead to more economical use of water.

Take care of yourself. Be beautiful and healthy!

Auto: Natalia Kay

Chlorine is a well-known chemical element in the form of a yellow-green gas with a characteristic pungent odor, indicated in the periodic table as CI. This non-metal contains two atoms. The most famous chemical hallmark chlorine is its explosiveness and the ability to quickly ignite organic compounds(paper, wood and even sugar).

CI can react with almost any liquid except sulfuric acid. That is why it is a lubricant that is used when pumping chlorine. Unfortunately, ordinary household waste contains enough chlorine-containing materials that, when burned, form toxic dioxides.

Chlorine is a key biogenic component, so it is part of all living organisms. Chlorine ions have optimal size to penetrate the cell membrane. Among other things, this substance promotes the release of hydrochloric acid in the human stomach, so that the proteolytic enzymes of gastric juice can function normally.

What is useful chlorine

Chlorine is actively used in various areas of industrial activity. Consider the main ones:

used in the production of bleach, drugs, poisons, fertilizers and hydrochloric acid;
used to produce titanium, tin and silicon;
used in the production of final building, household and industrial products;
used for the manufacture of plastic elements and rubber.

In addition to household products, this element is actively used in the manufacture of explosives, as well as freon (a cooling element in refrigerators).

Chlorine has also proven to be an excellent bleaching agent (in this case it is used in liquid form). It perfectly cleans wood, linen and cotton, but is absolutely unsuitable when working with silk and wool. When bleaching such "sensitive" materials, CI simply corrodes them.

Another area in which chlorine is used is food industry. In this case, the substance can be identified by the corresponding E925 number.

How poisonous is the combination of chlorine and organics

Chlorine has a huge list properties and is an absolutely universal substance. However, such a component is not at all harmless in cases where it reacts with certain products. Chlorine itself is completely safe, but as soon as it reacts with a liquid, such chlorinated water can easily be poisoned. Therefore, it is highly recommended not to drink tap water. If you use unboiled water (add it to a dish or tea), then chlorine is completely mixed with organic matter and causes dangerous chemical reactions V human body. In the process of such compounds, plant estrogens (which are useful in themselves) completely change their phytochemical composition, leading to undesirable consequences.

In Japan, they even came up with special term"Mutagen X", which denotes the toxicity of a substance in the process of interaction with organic components. "X" in this case demonstrates the fact that completely this phenomenon not yet studied. There is indisputable evidence that this mutagen causes cancer. thyroid gland and suppression of the immune system.

Finnish scientists also came to the conclusion that a completely unexplored element exceeds in harmfulness all known by-products chlorination. If we imagine that only pure water, without additives in the form of chlorine, then when using such a liquid or using it in dishes, it would bring only benefits to the body.

So how much do you need to drink or eat food with organic impurities to get poisoned?

Surprisingly, nothing is enough. Even the smallest dose of chlorine can cause great damage to the body if it reacts with a small portion of food.

Chlorine renders pernicious influence both on the foods that we eat every day (vegetables, fruits, herbs, tea, etc.), and on medical preparations, various nutritional supplements.

Undoubtedly, CI is added to running water in order to neutralize harmful bacteria, which may provoke most dangerous diseases such as cholera, typhoid fever and dysentery. Despite the fact that no one has heard of such ailments for a long time, the danger of their occurrence still exists. The only salvation from deadly diseases is the purification of water with chlorine. By the way, the first such treatment of running water took place in 1985 in New York.

It is worth noting that chlorinated water is dangerous not only when taken internally, showers and baths are also dangerous. Particles of the substance calmly penetrate the skin, as a result of which a person experiences itching and some dryness of the skin. And if you like to “steam” in the shower, then you risk inhaling harmful substances along with hot steam. The consequences of such water procedures may become bronchitis or asthma.

Experts recommend avoiding the use of chlorinated water whenever possible. To do this, you should purchase filters and special nozzles for a shower head. And, of course, the main rule is not to drink. raw water from the tap.

How does chlorine affect the human body?

In gaseous form, chlorine becomes extremely dangerous. In order to get irritation of the mucous membrane, only 0.0001% of this substance in the air is enough. The main symptoms of intoxication of the body:

heat,
vision problems,
dry cough,
chest pain,
elevated levels of leukocytes in the blood.

Longer exposure to chlorine leads to lack of appetite, pulmonary edema and convulsions. After that, patients have catarrhs of the upper respiratory tract.

If the concentration of CI increases to 0.1%, then a severe cough appears, from which a person can suffocate and die.

Among other things, it should be borne in mind that chlorine is a strong carcinogen that causes cancer and pulmonary tuberculosis.

Inhaling chlorine concentrate, a person can get a burn of lung tissue.

Summing up, we can say that CI is both useful and extremely harmful substance. With the right concentration, nothing will threaten your life, otherwise you risk your health. To permanently get rid of doubts, it is recommended to conduct an environmental impact assessment and determine the amount of chloride vapors in the room.