Chlorine has been used in the past as the most common drinking water additive to keep the water free of the microbiological organisms that may find their way inside the holding water reservoir or other waterway infrastructure.

However the problem with chlorine is that it leaves chemical residue that may leave an after taste in the water as well as creates other problems if the treated water is to be used for applications other than drinking and cooking.

Drinking Chlorinated Water – The Risks

Chlorinated drinking water may have dangerous levels of chloramines and other chemical byproducts if directly injected into a fish tank or other body of water where increased levels of ammonia are commonly found.

The other potential danger of chlorinated water is that some research suggests that when chlorine and humic acid interact a by-product group of mutagenic substances (halogenated) could possibly represent a significant genetic or carcinogenic risk to the human population (Source: Mutagenic By-Products from Chlorination of Humic Acid by John R. Meier, H. Paul Ringhand, W. Emile Coleman, Kathy M. Schenck, Jean W. Munch, Robert P. Streicher, William H. Kaylor, and Frederick C. Kopfler, published in: Environmental Health Perspectives Vol. 69, pp. 101-107, 1986).

Humic acid is one of the major components of humic substances[1] which are dark brown and major constituents of humus soil organic matter that contributes to the soil’s chemical and physical quality, and are also precursors of some fossil fuels. They can also be found in peat, coal, many upland streams, dystrophic lakes and ocean water (source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Humic_acid).

Since so much of city and municipal clean water ends up being used in other applications the question of the interaction of the chlorine with the humic acid and mutagens that find their way back into our water shed and from there into the food chain, should be further investigated.

Ozone as an Alternative to Chlorine in Drinking Water

Ozone is just as effective in inactivating the potential biological micro organisms that may find their way into municipal drinking water. Furthermore, ozone is effective in also killing  microbiological organisms that cannot be destroyed by chlorinating it (cysts such as Guardia lamblia and Guardia muris that are very resistant to chlorination). For more information on the biological sanitizing capabilities of the ozone in comparison to the biological sanitzing capabilities of chlorine please read the article: Use of ozone for waste water treatment: http://www.ozmoticsinsider.com/2008/11/use-of-ozone-for-waste-water-treatment/

Other Benefits of Using Ozone in Drinking Water

Unlike chlorine, ozone will not leave any post treatment residue and therefore the taste of water treated with ozone is very pure and refreshing. Ozone will also oxidize many other trace elements such as iron and sulfur which had been typically associated with the fresh water after taste.

In addition to biological micro organisms sterilization and the oxidation of the trace organic substances in drinking water, ozone will also help keep bottled water fresh and eliminate the stale water taste that is commonly reported if the bottled water is kept to long between bottling, distribution and finally … consumption. Many sources report that bottled water treated with ozone stays pure and after taste free for as long as a year or longer thereby increasing its shelf life.

The Disadvantages of Ozone Used In Municipal Drinking Water

One of the disadvantages of ozone compared to chlorine in treating municipal drinking water is that ozone leaves no safeguard against the re-growth or re-contamination of purified water. Unlike chlorine which has a much larger half-life and can stay as a trace element in the chlorinated water (therefore eliminating the need to re-treat the water) ozone will vacate the treated water quickly and completely leaving it pure and trace contaminants free. It is, however,  also susceptible to the accidental re-contamination should the contaminant find its way into the treated water body after it has been ozonated.

Using Ozone To Treat Drinking Water – Conclusion

Because of the inherent risk of the re-contamination, ozone may not be ideal as a sole treatment medium for large city and municipal drinking water delivery networks but it still can be incorporated as a primary treatment mechanism while chlorine could be added only as a preservative (in the maintenance stage of the drinking water delivery infrastructure). By eliminating the chlorine as a primary treatment agent for treating drinking water, the amounts of trace chlorine that finds its way to our tap water and from there to all other applications that the common municipal tap water supply is being used for, we are eliminating all risks that chlorine is associated with.

Furthermore, the introduction of ozone into the municipal drinking water treatment and processing, the final product (the water that finds the way to the consumer’s taps) will also be free of  microbiological organisms that are resistant or difficult to treat with chlorine only (cysts, etc.).

For the application of ozone in the water bottling industry, the addition of ozone before the treated water is to reach the batch processing is of a great benefit. The ozonated water will taste more pure (no after taste, discoloration or contamination) and will stay pure longer therefore enhancing the quality of the product and the overall satisfaction the end-user will have with the ozonated bottled water product versus the product where ozone has not been used.

If you have an application that requires drinking water treatment and need help sizing a unit please contact an Ozmotics representative at 1-877-386-3763.