Swimming Pool Disinfection

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.