Every person entering a swimming pool will contaminate the water. Half a liter of swimming pool water is absorbed by the human body every hour. In this way, swimming exposes you to a wide range of potentially harmful contaminants. Pools can be effectively disinfected by Spa bath ozone treatment instead of chlorine and other chemical based solutions. Ozone offers better results as compared to the other treatments.

Almost everywhere in the world, chlorine is still commonly used as the primary disinfectant for a long period of time, to ensure the safety of users. However, alternative technologies are becoming more popular now as a result of the disadvantages of chlorine.  

Ozone for Spa Bath

Ozone for spa bath is the most preferred alternative among many others. Hotel and resort swimming pools are treated with ozone by many businesses today. When chlorine reacts with urine and perspiration in water, it produces ammonia and halomethanes. Halomethanes have a high rate of cancer-causing potential. In water, halomethanes and ammonia cause irritation to the eyes and nose as well as causing bleaching of hair and other skin problems.

As a result of the chlorine reaction, halomethanes are formed as a byproduct and ammonia, the most common irritant, is reduced by the addition of ozone. Swimming in water treated with ozone is pleasant and bacteria free. Additionally, ozone also kills all the pathogens found in water, and controls the growth of algae and other bacteria. Ozone acts as a micro flocculant, which further improves the filtration of water with the flocculating agent added in. As a result, the water becomes crystal clear and less turbid.  

Ozonized water is so crystal clear that it looks like a healthy, bluish-green, clear, fresh, soft, sparkling body of water.

Utilizing ozone has the advantage of being unstable, converting back to oxygen and leaving no residual toxicity. However, for pool water treatment applications, once the water has been disinfected, the water is re-disinfected after a few hours, sometimes less, depending on how often the water is changed. 

Most of the time, ozone is used as a primary disinfectant in these systems, while chlorine is used as a residual disinfectant to prevent bacteria from proliferating. It is common practice to maintain residual chlorine levels of 0.5ppm at the pool water inlet and 0.2ppm at the pool water outlet regardless of the additional disinfectants used in pool water treatment. Pool water’s 0.5 ppm and 0.2 ppm levels are kept at these levels by adding ozone to the water.  

Health Risks of Chlorine

A common health hazard associated with chlorine is exposure to various allergies. Children who regularly swim in chlorinated pools may be at greater risk for allergies and asthma, according to new research. As adults, chlorine exposure has been linked to a variety of health problems, including bladder cancer and rectal cancer. It has also been linked to coronary heart disease in adults.

Asthma

There is an increased risk of asthma in children when exposed to chlorine, probably through nitrogen trichloride (NCI) (3) – a byproduct of chemical reactions between ammonia and chlorine that damages respiratory thin tissue and increases lung disease risks. According to researchers at the Catholic University in Belgium, frequent visits to chlorinated pools are associated with a higher risk of developing asthma in young children.

Chlorine Treated Water for Pregnant Women

Women throughout pregnancy enjoy swimming for a variety of reasons, including that it eases pregnancy symptoms, helps them maintain their muscle strength, and helps relieve the strain of bearing weight. The EPA reports that pregnant mothers should not use chlorinated pools due to the presence of toxic chemicals such as chloroform, which is formed by the reaction of chlorine and organic matter in the pool, according to the United States Geological Survey.

Bladder Cancer

Through inhalation and dermal absorption, chlorine by-products associated with bladder cancer have been linked to various diseases. Researchers from the American Journal of Epidemiology looked at whether swimming in pools exposed people to trihalomethanes (THMs) could increase their risk of developing bladder cancer. It was found in the study that those who regularly consumed chlorinated water were 35 percent more likely to develop bladder cancer than their counterparts, while swimmers who regularly used chlorinated pools were 57 percent more likely to develop bladder cancer.

Chlorine Causes Corrosion

Due to a reaction with nitrogen-containing compounds (sweat and urine), chlorine-based chemicals used to disinfect pool water produce Chloramines. A chloramine solution can form when chloramines are deposited on metal surfaces. The condensate from decomposing the chloramines forms corrosive solutions in the atmosphere. These aggressive chloride-bearing compounds accumulate on the surface of over-water surfaces when condensation followed by evaporation occurs repeatedly. Metal corrosion in swimming pools is usually caused by these compounds.

The on-going maintenance and operating costs are reduced with Ozone over the life of the pool. It can significantly reduce these costs. In addition to corroding ventilation systems and destroying pool liners, chlorine is known for destroying pool infrastructures. This problem is not present with ozone. You can also check out our blog post on ozone vs chlorine.

Other Benefits of Using Ozone Over Chlorine

• Ozone works on a wide pH range of water.
• Ozone is the strongest oxidizing agent & disinfects water very quickly. Such as, ozone is much more faster than chlorine.
• Ozone reacting with pool water does not create harmful by-products.
• Ozone oxidizes organic impurities present in water, such as swimmers’ urine and sweat.
• A pool’s water becomes sparkling clear when ozone is introduced to remove color and odor.
• Ozone also has the property of micro floatation.
• Odors associated with chlorine and chloramine are eliminated
• Environmental or health effects are negligible
• Improvements in filtering and coagulating capacity. In this way, coagulants are less likely to be used and less backwashing is required of the filter
• As water quality improves, water consumption can be reduced

Bottom Line

Swimming pools can be oxidized by ozone efficiently. Chlorine and other chemical disinfectants must be replaced with ozone. Clean, odorless and healthier pools are ensured with ozone, resulting in no eye or skin irritation. At Ozongenerators, we specialize in designing and manufacturing ozone generators that are safe and environmentally friendly for swimming pools. Check out our best ozone generators for swimming pools here.