Chloramine is a substance used by several municipal water companies to decontaminate water by replacing simple chlorine. In fact, chloramine is produced by the combination of chlorine and ammonia.
There are three inorganic chloramines in water: monochloramine, dichloroamine and trichloramine. Monochloramine is stable in drinking water at a pH level of between 7 and 9. If the chlorine concentration is increased and the pH is reduced, the problematic dichloroamine and trichloramine are formed. Both dichloroamine and trichloramine are less effective in decontamination than monochloramine. For this reason, water supply companies are trying to ensure that only monochloramine is used for disinfection and only at levels that are defined as safe.
Why chloramine instead of chlorine?
Chloramines remain more active in water than chlorine. In other words, if your drinking water has to travel a long distance before reaching your tap, the effectiveness of chlorine as a disinfectant is greatly reduced compared to chloramine.
It is also reported that chloramine generates fewer chlorine decontamination byproducts, including total trihalomethanes (TTHM) such as chloroform, haloacetic acid (HAA5), chlorite, bromate and others. These decontamination byproducts are a natural result of organic disinfectant disinfectants.
Is exposure to chloramine safe?
Patients undergoing hemodialysis should take care to limit exposure to chemical disinfectants such as chloramine or chlorine. Cases of haemolytic anemia caused by chloramine have been reported in patients. People with liver or kidney disease and people with urea cycle disorders may be at increased risk of ammonia toxicity from chlorinated water consumption.
There are also concerns that bath and hydromassage vapors contain volatile chemicals that can cause respiratory irritation in case of inhalation. Prolonged exposure to chloramine may damage the mucous membranes, making the lungs more susceptible to allergens and infections. Some people have reported cases of skin reactions ranging in severity from rashes, itching to cracking, cracking, peeling and swelling of the skin. Chloramine has also been known to exacerbate skin conditions such as eczema and psoriasis.
How can I filter chloramine from my water?
Chloramine is more difficult to filter with respect to chlorine than a simple carbon filter as it does not have the surface required to absorb it. In this case the solution brings a multi-stage filter or a reverse osmosis filter.