# They've put chlorine in my bloody bath water! **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [December 21, 2003, 9:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/theyve-put-chlorine-in-my-bloody-bath-water/220370 "2003-12-21T21:39:28Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 18\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Kurdt\_Kobain](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/258eb7/32.png) [@Kurdt\_Kobain](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kurdt_Kobain)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2003, 9:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/theyve-put-chlorine-in-my-bloody-bath-water/220370/1 "2003-12-21T21:39:28Z")
Or something similar. Oh, and yes, haha, I can see that the water probably needs chlorine if it’s bloody, to get rid of a easy joke. The water in the tap always has tasted funny. Hard to place, some sort of chemicals most likely. Just doesn’t taste right, especially in comparasion to bottled water. Drinkable, barely. Now, I go to turn on my bath. The water starts flowing. It smells a little off. No big worries, my sense of smell has always been a little off. Then I step in. This is not the normal bathwater. It feels as if I’ve somehow managed to get bitten by mosquitoes all over for every second I’m in it. Exactly what stepping into a chlorinated pool is for me. Ick, ick. Thanks, Hydro Company. Now I need to get that horrible chrolinated feeling off of me. Oh wait, I can’t Because the only avaliable option is… the same water I used for my bathwater. What the fuck am I supposed to do, bathe in bottled water? Fuck you, Hydro Company. The water was good the way it was. Now my two sources of free water(in the sense I’m not paying 1.50 a pop per 591ML) both fucking suck. ---
**Author:** ![Airman\_Doors\_USAF](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e36b37/32.png) [@Airman\_Doors\_USAF](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Airman_Doors_USAF)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2003, 9:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/theyve-put-chlorine-in-my-bloody-bath-water/220370/2 "2003-12-21T21:58:54Z")
Given that chlorine is toxic, I would venture to guess that they didn’t chlorinate your water. Imagine the lawsuits if they chemical-burned some guy’s eyes. Perhaps you meant _fluorination_, but that’s old news and certainly wouldn’t result in funk on you when you took a shower. Of course, barring a cite, I may just be talking out of my butt. Wouldn’t be the first time. ---
**Author:** ![Early\_Out](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/6f9a4e/32.png) [@Early\_Out](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Early_Out)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2003, 10:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/theyve-put-chlorine-in-my-bloody-bath-water/220370/3 "2003-12-21T22:03:34Z")
Um, **Airman** , virtually every municipal water system in the U.S. uses chlorine to kill bacteria in the water. Sometimes, they pump in a bit more to act as a sort of “shock treatment” for the supply pipes. Also, in some areas, run-off from roads can get a lot of road salt into the water supply, necessitating some extra treatment (we get our water from the Potomac, and about 2-3 days after a major snowfall upstream, our water smells weird). ---
**Author:** ![Early\_Out](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/6f9a4e/32.png) [@Early\_Out](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Early_Out)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2003, 10:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/theyve-put-chlorine-in-my-bloody-bath-water/220370/4 "2003-12-21T22:04:52Z")
And what do you think they put in swimming pools? ---
**Author:** ![Airman\_Doors\_USAF](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e36b37/32.png) [@Airman\_Doors\_USAF](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Airman_Doors_USAF)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2003, 10:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/theyve-put-chlorine-in-my-bloody-bath-water/220370/5 "2003-12-21T22:05:40Z")
Really? Hmmm…you learn something new every day. I’ve never noticed before, though, not to the extent described in the OP. ---
**Author:** ![Airman\_Doors\_USAF](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e36b37/32.png) [@Airman\_Doors\_USAF](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Airman_Doors_USAF)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2003, 10:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/theyve-put-chlorine-in-my-bloody-bath-water/220370/6 "2003-12-21T22:07:17Z")
I know what they put in swimming pools, and I know that my eyes have never burned like they do after swimming simply by taking a shower. ---
**Author:** ![Kurdt\_Kobain](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/258eb7/32.png) [@Kurdt\_Kobain](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kurdt_Kobain)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2003, 10:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/theyve-put-chlorine-in-my-bloody-bath-water/220370/7 "2003-12-21T22:07:46Z")
Yeah, chlorine isn’t toxic. Just REALLY FUCKING ANNOYING. At least to me. How the hell do any of you swim in it? 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Revtim](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/revtim/32/1042_2.png) [@Revtim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Revtim)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2003, 10:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/theyve-put-chlorine-in-my-bloody-bath-water/220370/8 "2003-12-21T22:12:52Z")
Sometimes the they “shock” it as **Early Out** noted, if some contamination is detected. It could be that your city found some nastines, **Kurt**. Likely, you’d like whatever the chlorine is killing even less! ---
**Author:** ![Early\_Out](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/6f9a4e/32.png) [@Early\_Out](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Early_Out)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2003, 10:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/theyve-put-chlorine-in-my-bloody-bath-water/220370/9 "2003-12-21T22:20:30Z")
Go to [this website](http://www.fcwa.org/story_of_water/html/clean.htm) and click on the “See a treatment plant in action” button. Note the “disinfection” stage at lower left. The amount of chlorine used is only a fraction of what gets dumped into a pool, of course. ---
**Author:** ![InternetLegend](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/internetlegend/32/13154_2.png) [@InternetLegend](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/InternetLegend)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2003, 7:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/theyve-put-chlorine-in-my-bloody-bath-water/220370/10 "2003-12-22T07:54:17Z")
Call the water company to complain. It’s possible that someone made a mistake or that there’s been a malfunction in the system. If enough people raise a stink about it, they might just change it for you. ---
**Author:** ![Jimmy\_Quasar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/a3d4f5/32.png) [@Jimmy\_Quasar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jimmy_Quasar)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2003, 9:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/theyve-put-chlorine-in-my-bloody-bath-water/220370/11 "2003-12-22T09:19:35Z")
I believe most water utilities are moving to, or already have moved to using chloramine in their water supplies as it doesn’t dissipate over time as chlorine tends to. Go to any place that sells ornamental fish and you’ll see dechlorinators and dechloraminators by the gallon for sale. [Marginally relevant link about chloramine, but mostly in relation to reef aquaria.](http://reefkeeping.com/issues/2003-11/rhf/feature/index.htm) Oh, and since this _is_ the Pit: Fuck chlorine and stuff! ---
**Author:** ![Gravity](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gravity/32/14322_2.png) [@Gravity](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gravity)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2003, 5:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/theyve-put-chlorine-in-my-bloody-bath-water/220370/12 "2003-12-22T17:20:50Z")
My city water has always been (what I would consider) over-chlorinated. The smell is terrible. I can cook with it and bathe with it, but I can’t drink it straight without gagging. Luckily a Brita pitcher makes it yummy. ---
**Author:** ![sarclmbr](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/54ee81/32.png) [@sarclmbr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sarclmbr)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2003, 8:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/theyve-put-chlorine-in-my-bloody-bath-water/220370/13 "2003-12-22T20:27:38Z")
InternetLegend has something there. . . cities tend to go for the cheapest alternative when required to clean/protect/bring back from the dead water and chorine normally is that. Our city used to use only chlorine but moved to UV after most of the people in the town complained. You and your neighbors might be getting the brunt of it depending on how close to the pumping station you are. The smell/taste normally dissapates as the water moves farther and farther through the system. ---
**Author:** ![obfusciatrist](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/4af34b/32.png) [@obfusciatrist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/obfusciatrist)\ **Post date:** [December 23, 2003, 12:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/theyve-put-chlorine-in-my-bloody-bath-water/220370/14 "2003-12-23T00:04:12Z")
Maybe I’m misreading the post, but it appears to me that the OP is saying that the tap water was always chlorinated, but the bath water was not (at the end he says his “two sources” of free water now suck). Wouldn’t it be awafully strange for the bath and other taps to be on different water lines? Or am I just misreading the OP? ---
**Author:** ![robby](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/robby/32/11048_2.png) [@robby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/robby)\ **Post date:** [December 23, 2003, 12:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/theyve-put-chlorine-in-my-bloody-bath-water/220370/15 "2003-12-23T00:10:53Z")
First off, as others have stated, chlorine is commonly added to public water systems to kill bacteria. Most water systems are required to maintain a residual concentration of chlorine at the tap farthest from the treatment plant. (As the chlorine reacts and oxidizes organics, its concentration decreases as the chlorine itself is reduced.) If you are near the treatment plant itself, you will thus be exposed to higher chlorine concentrations. There are upper limits to chlorine, as well, of course. Also, chlorine is certainly toxic. That’s how it kills bacteria. In high enough concentrations, it is toxic to people as well. **Kurdt** , if you are reacting to your tap water as you describe, you should contact your water company. If you are unhappy with their response, contact the appropriate regulatory agency. I suppose there is also the possibility that you are experiencing an allergic reaction to acceptable chlorine concentrations. If this is the case, you may be out of luck. Your only other alternative is well water or bottled water. The water company is not going to stop disinfecting the public water supply just because of you. BTW, some water supply utilities do use ozonification or UV irradiation to disinfect water, but this is not very common. > [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Airman Doors, USAF \* > **…Perhaps you meant _fluorination_, but that’s old news and certainly wouldn’t result in funk on you when you took a shower.** **Airman** , you’re thinking of _fluoridation_, involving the addition of fluoride ion. _Fluorination_ would involve the addition of fluorine, a substance far more toxic than chlorine. ---
**Author:** ![Bill\_Door](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/50afbb/32.png) [@Bill\_Door](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bill_Door)\ **Post date:** [December 23, 2003, 12:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/theyve-put-chlorine-in-my-bloody-bath-water/220370/16 "2003-12-23T00:55:04Z")
Depending on your climate, your water supply may very well come from a dimictic body of water, that is, one which “turns over” once in the spring and once in the fall. Water becomes more dense as it cools, reaching its maximum density at around 39 deg F, then lowers in density. When the cold water on top reaches a density greater than the water below, an entire body of water can invert in a matter of hours. This usually makes the water quite murky and foul tasting as organic material from the bottom mixes with the rest of the water. Municipalities add additional chlorine to the water during this period to oxidize the organic matter. Or maybe you’re just sensitive. ---
**Author:** ![PunditLisa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/4af34b/32.png) [@PunditLisa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PunditLisa)\ **Post date:** [December 23, 2003, 11:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/theyve-put-chlorine-in-my-bloody-bath-water/220370/17 "2003-12-23T23:19:38Z")
Get ye to a pet store and buy a little bottle of dechlorinator. It’ll be in the fish section. 3 drops per gallon of water so it lasts forever. Happy bathing! ---
**Author:** ![byter](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e480ec/32.png) [@byter](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/byter)\ **Post date:** [December 24, 2003, 2:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/theyve-put-chlorine-in-my-bloody-bath-water/220370/18 "2003-12-24T14:08:29Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by PunditLisa \* > \*\*Get ye to a pet store and buy a little bottle of dechlorinator. It’ll be in the fish section. 3 drops per gallon of water so it lasts forever. \*\* You might want to reduce it to 2 drops when the gills become noticeable.