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Water Filtration Expert Demonstrates How Fast the Chlorine From Tap Water Gets Absorbed Into Our Skin

He explained that although chlorine disinfects the tap water from harmful chemicals, it ends up becoming toxic itself for the skin.

BY GREEN MATTERS STAFF

PUBLISHED 1 DAY AGO

A woman washes her hands in the kitchen sink, close up. (Representative Cover Image Source: Getty Images | Dougal Waters)

Water from rivers, reservoirs, and lakes gets mixed up with elements like particles of rocks, as well as with the menagerie of chemicals and metals that reside in these rocks, becoming unfit for human consumption. Herein water treatment facilities step in. They pump this water into their ponds and then carry out several processes to disinfect and purify it, mainly using chlorine. Whilst purifying the water of many toxic chemicals and pathogens, this chlorine soon ends up becoming a threat itself. In a 2012 YouTube video, an official of EWS Water (@ewswater) explained how quickly this chlorine is absorbed by the human skin, triggering a variety of problems.

Cropped shot of woman's hand filling a glass of filtered water right from the tap in the kitchen sink at home (Representative Image Source: Getty Images | Photo by D3Sign) — Woman filling a glass of filtered water right from the tap in the kitchen sink at home (Representative Image Source: Getty Images | D3Sign)

Established in 1987, EWS (Environmental Water Systems) develops has been developing advanced water filtrations for home and commercial usage in the United States. The video description explains that, in the United States, almost 100% of tap water contains chlorine. This chlorine can disrupt the wellness of the body by triggering several problems such as skin irritation, itchy eyes, and mucous membranes.

Cropped shot of young woman scratching her forearm with fingers (Representative Image Source: Getty Images | Photo by Maria Fuchs) — Cropped shot of young woman scratching her forearm with fingers. (Representative Image Source: Getty Images | Maria Fuchs)

In this video, a member of EWS is seen giving an “eye-opening demonstration of chemicals in your tap water.” He took a jug of unfiltered tap water and poured it into two glass beakers. He then carried out an “OTO (Ortho-toluidine) test” to show the presence of chlorine in this water. While keeping his hand dipped in one of the beakers, he squeezed 10 OTO drops into the other beaker. The water in the beaker instantly turned yellow. “This is turning yellow, the evidence of chlorine,” he said. The presenter then removed his hand and repeated pouring the OTO drops into it. Surprisingly, the water didn’t turn yellow this time. So where did all the chlorine go? “While I was testing this glass for 10 seconds, all that chemistry went into my skin and hands. The evidence is clear,” he added.

A child cups a small stream of slow flowing water from a single tap, Selective focus. (Representative Image Source: Getty Images | Photo by Umesh Nagi) — A child cups a small stream of slow flowing water from a single tap, Selective focus. (Representative Image Source: Getty Images | Umesh Nagi)

“There are 80,000 unstudied and unregulated chemicals in our tap water,” he said, and elaborated, “This is a simple demonstration of what happens when you take a shower or simply wash your hands. Those chemicals get absorbed quickly, readily, and completely into our skin, causing all sorts of health issues, from as simple as brittle hair and dry skin, to respiratory issues and even cancer.” As he said, FilterBaby explains that even though chlorine removes harmful pathogen microorganisms and toxic chemicals from the tap water, it ends up becoming toxic itself in the long run. Not only does it rip away the layers of natural oils from the skin and hair, but also poses a variety of serious skin issues whose symptoms may reveal themselves only when it’s too late.

Chlorine tablets - commonly used to sanitize swimming pool water. (Representative Image Source: Getty Images | Petegar)

However, the MN Department of Health says that the mostly, the amount of chlorine in the tap water is too small to penetrate the skin and make its way inside the body. Only people whose skin is too sensitive may experience some rash or irritation, but otherwise, the chances of chlorine causing any significant damage to the skin are very rare. Despite this, prevention is always better than cure. So, EWS recommended the viewers use water filters to erase chlorine and all the contaminants that may become any possible causes of health damage.