Do you drink bottled water regularly? Then I’m sure you have a clear idea about bottled water – ultimate guide. But have you ever wondered if bottled water has chlorine in it? Is it good for your health? I’m pretty sure it’s the question you’re secretly dreading.
Chlorine is good for health. Think I’m exaggerating? Read through this article, and you’ll have your answer. I’ve also shown you the advantages and disadvantages of chlorine and some top bottled water brands with no chlorine. So, without further ado, let’s get into the show.
Does Bottled Water Have Chlorine?
Almost all bottled water is purified and disinfected before being packed and sealed. There are two ways to do that. Bottlers either follow reverse osmosis or use disinfectants like chlorine. That’s why almost all bottled water contains chlorine. However, some bottled water does not contain chlorine.
Chlorine is a disinfectant mainly used in public swimming pools to make them clean and disinfected. But drinking water also contains chlorine in a specific quantity. Its primary responsibility is to keep water safe from various bacteria and other impurities. However, the amount of chlorine in water should be regulated.
Too much chlorine in water has health implications. Most bottlers source water from municipal tap water. And in most places, municipalities use chlorine to disinfect the water. The safe chlorine amount for drinking water is 4 milligrams per liter or 4 parts per million. Tap water also contains this amount of chlorine.
Those bottled water collected from tap water also contains this amount of chlorine. Since bottled water remains in the bottle for a long time, bacteria like E. Coli and Salmonella can make water infected. But chlorine does not allow these bacteria to grow in bottled water or community tap water.
Does Tap Water Have Chlorine?
Community tap water provided by municipalities comes with a particular amount of chlorine that, on the one hand, keeps the water safe and, on the other hand, does not cause any harm to our bodies. I have been reading data from municipalities across the country and found that all of them mix chlorine in the water to keep it safe.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention CDC, the safe level for chlorine in drinking water is 4 mg per liter or four parts per million. This amount of chlorine won’t let bacteria grow in the drinking water. Community tap water involves a colossal pipeline; not all are equally clean.
So, if tap water is not chlorinated, there is a good chance it will become affected by various particles and bacteria. On the other hand, the regulated use of chlorine in drinking water won’t cause any harmful effects on your health. But remember, an abundance of this chemical can cause harm to younger children and adults with less immunity.
Does Bottled Water Have Less Chlorine Than Tap?
We have learned that both tap water and bottled water have chlorine. But you might wonder which source of water contains more chlorine. I found that tap water typically contains more chlorine than bottled water. There is a particular reason for that.
Most bottled water is collected from municipal tap water. So, it should contain the same amount of chlorine as tap water. But often, that’s not the case because some bottlers use further purification or distillation. As a result, the amount of chlorine either becomes lower or removed entirely.
Again, bottled water collected from various other natural sources also goes through various purification processes like reverse osmosis, distillation, etc. According to my findings, even if bottlers use chlorine for disinfecting the water, it is often less than tap water.
Bottled waters often contain 0.05 to 0.61 milligrams of chlorine per liter. At the same time, most tap water contains 4 milligrams per liter. So, it’s clear that bottled water has less chlorine than tap water, which is not a good thing.
Do Your Drinking Water Options Have Chlorine In Them?
Having chlorine in drinking water is a good thing. But the whole chlorinated process should be strictly regulated. Because as much as this chemical component is good for keeping the water uncontaminated, having too much chlorine in drinking water can be fatal. It can cause many health issues.
However, since chlorine is a disinfecting chemical, most municipalities use it as a bacteria killer for community tap water. It can protect water from bacteria like E. coli and Salmonella. So, after chlorinating, the chances of bacteria attack in tap water go to zero.
But the amount of chlorine in tap water does not exceed 4 milligrams per liter or 4 parts per million. The local government strictly regulates this amount. Again, bottled water also contains some chlorine. Some bottled waters directly come from municipal tap water. So, they have an almost similar amount of chlorine in them.
But some bottlers collect water from various natural sources and add some chlorine to the water for long preservation and protect them from bacteria and other impurities. Large containers of workforce drinking water also contain chlorine to keep them clean.
Is Chlorinated Water Safe To Drink?
I’ve heard many people saying chlorine is not suitable for consumption. But this is not entirely true. Chlorinated water is safe for drinking. But the US Environmental Protection Agency has given a clear guideline on how much chlorine you should consume with your drinking water.
According to EPA, chlorine should be maximum of 4 milligrams per liter in drinking water. Within this range, chlorine won’t cause any long-term health hazards. Chlorine as a disinfectant kills bacteria, viruses, and other microorganisms from water and makes it safe for drinking.
In the community tap water system, chlorine works very effectively to keep water safe and uncontaminated as it goes from the water treatment plant to the consumer’s tap. In the water treatment plant, chlorine combines with naturally occurring organic matter, forming disinfection byproducts that can affect long-term health hazards.
That’s why EPA has set the limit of the byproducts; if that is maintained, you will have no problem in the future.
What Does Chlorine Do To Your Body?
According to my discussion, it’s clear that our drinking water has chlorine, whether it’s community tap water or bottled water. The amount is within the safe range for drinking and won’t cause any health damage. But drinking water is not the only way to get exposed to this chemical substance.
Your shower water also has chlorine. And while taking a bath, it can vaporize and get into your body. Also, you can get exposed to this chemical while swimming in a swimming pool. So, chlorine can enter your body through breathing, swallowing, and skin contact.
Excessive chlorine can cause various health hazards. Among routes of exposure, inhalation of chlorine causes the most harmful effects. It also depends on the amount of chlorine and how long you are exposed to it. However, chlorine exposure can cause the following diseases.
Pulmonary Edema: breathing too much chlorine causes fluid-build in the lungs, known as pulmonary Edema.
Airway Irritation: You can feel irritation in your airway while inhaling excessive chlorine, which can cause difficulty breathing.
Cough: Too much chlorine can cause cough, wheezing, and chest tightness. Your throat can become soar as well.
Irritation: Exposure to a high level of chlorine can cause eye irritation as well as skin irritation.
What Are The Advantages And Disadvantages Of Chlorinated Water?
Clearly, chlorine in the right amount has many benefits, and an excessive amount has many disadvantages. In this part, I’ll show you the advantages and disadvantages of chlorine.
Here are the Advantages:
- Kills bacteria and viruses in tap and bottled water.
- Reduces the possibility of recontamination.
- Complete residual protection against contamination.
- Protects from diarrheal diseases.
- Cleans the water.
Here are the disadvantages of chlorinated water:
- Chlorine changes the taste of water.
- Changes the smell of your water.
- Not equally effective in killing bacteria and viruses in all water sources.
- Requires constant maintenance and close measurement of amount.
- Provides low protection against protozoa.
The benefits of chlorinated water are seemingly clear. And now that you know the disadvantages, I hope you will be extra careful from now on not to use too much chlorine or stay away from the sources of excessive chlorine.
Is There Chlorine In Bottled Spring Water?
Spring water is famous bottled water that is collected from underground aquifers. These aquifers are generally located below the earth’s natural water level. Bottled spring water is collected from the opening of the spring on the ground surface. So, it’s a natural source of water.
It contains various minerals, including potassium, calcium, magnesium, etc. But natural spring water does not contain chemicals like chlorine and fluoride. That’s why this water tastes pretty good and has no bad smell. But that doesn’t mean bottled spring water does not have any chlorine.
You will find a small amount of chlorine in bottled spring waters. The amount is around 0.61 mg per liter. But it can vary based on various brands. Bottlers add this small amount of chlorine to protect the water from bacteria, viruses, and other particles.
Does Bottled Sports Water Have Chlorine?
Many bottled water has electrolytes like sodium and potassium added to them. These bottled waters are called sports waters. You regain strength pretty fast by drinking them. That’s why they are also called smart water.
Apart from providing extra energy, this bottled water also helps you digest food fast, cushion your joints, improve your heart rate, reduce constipation, etc. But you won’t find any chlorine in bottled sports water or smart water. That’s because sports water is vapor distilled.
After vapor distillation, water contains no chemical substances, including chlorine. That’s why there is no chlorine in bottled sports water. But they are rich in other minerals and have a pretty good nutritional value.
What Is The Best Water For Kidneys?
I have searched for the best drinking water source for the last few days, especially for the kidneys. You might think I have come up with bottled water. But you might become surprised knowing that tap water is the best option for drinking water, and it will keep your kidneys safe.
Bottled water is not as consistent and reliable as community tap water. Besides, tap water is often more regulated than bottled water. Government officials are constantly regulating tap water, but that’s not the case with bottled water. As a result, tap water is safer.
It has all the necessary elements in the correct quantity. That’s why the nutritional value is pretty good as well. You will get chlorine, fluoride, and every other thing in tap water. So, no wonder it will keep your kidneys safe.
Does Bottled Water Contain Chloramine?
There are two ways to disinfect drinking water, and municipalities use them to provide clean drinking water at an affordable cost. Chloramination is one of the ways to disinfect drinking water. This is the process of adding chloramine to drinking water to protect it from bacteria and viruses.
Chloramine is a chemical concoction containing chlorine and ammonia. It is mixed with drinking water to a safe level so that it kills the pollutants but does not create any harm to our bodies. So, you may find chloramine in community tap water. But generally, you won’t find it in bottled water.
Bottlers mostly use chlorine as disinfectants for their water. So, it’s less likely that you will find chloramine in bottled water. However, chloramine has a less distinctive taste and smell than chlorine.
What Bottled Water Has No Chlorine?
Most common bottled waters are either purified water or distilled water. These are readily available and less expensive. But bottled waters like spring water, alkaline water, etc., are collected from natural sources and are more expensive.
Distilled and purified bottled waters generally do not contain any chlorine; even if they do, the amount is minimal. We know that water distillation is a vaporized process that removes any chemicals, particles, and substances from the water. So, if the water contains chlorine, the process will remove it too. That’s why you won’t find any chlorine in distilled water.
On the other hand, reverse osmosis also removes most of the chemicals and particles from the water, and purified water comes through this process. That’s why purified water contains zero or very little chlorine.
Chlorine Free Bottled Water Brands
Some bottled waters have no chlorine or very little chlorine in their formula. If you want to drink dechlorinated water, then any of the following bottled water will be a good choice.
So, here is a list of chlorine-free bottled water:
| Bottled Water Name | Level Of Chlorine |
| Ozarka 100% Natural Spring Water | No Chlorine |
| LIFEWTR Premium Purified Water | No Chlorine |
| Nestle Pure Life Splash | No Chlorine |
| Glaceau SmartWater Water | No Chlorine |
| Evian Natural Spring Water | No Chlorine |
| Aquafina Water | 0.5 mg/L |
| Essentia Bottled Water | No Chlorine |
| Perfect Hydration Bottled Water | No Chlorine |
| CORE Hydration | No Chlorine |
| JUST Water | No Chlorine |
Does Boiling Water Remove Chlorine?
We often think that boiling water will ultimately make it safe for drinking. But that’s not the whole truth, and you’ll discover that soon. Boiling water only removes solid particles and bacteria. But there might be many harmful chemicals in the water, and you cannot remove them by boiling.
Excessive chlorine, excessive fluoride, lead, etc., can be dangerous for drinking water. But boiling water with lead will only make them consolidated and more dangerous. However, boiling water can remove chlorine. You will have to boil water for at least 15 minutes.
After that, you won’t find any chlorine in your water. So, if your water has excessive chlorine, you can reduce the amount or altogether remove it by boiling.
How Do You Get Chlorine-Free Water?
If you do not like the taste and smell of chlorine in your drinking water, there are ways you can remove it with a few easy processes. I’m listing some of the processes here.
Boiling: Boiling is the fastest way to remove the taste and smell of chlorine from your tap or bottled water. You will have to boil the water for 15 to 20 minutes and then store it in a clean container.
Water Filter: There are two types of chlorine filters, one is permanently attached to filter the whole household water, and the other is installed with the faucet or jugs. These filters can effectively remove chlorine from your drinking water.
Leaving Water To Stand: Chlorine is lighter than air. That’s why if you leave a container full of water for 24 hours, the chlorine will evaporate in the water, and your water will become dechlorinated.
Water Distillation: Water distillation is another way to remove chlorine from your drinking water. This process vaporizes the water and returns to liquid when cooled down. In the process, chemicals like chlorine, fluoride, etc., will be removed.
Final Thoughts
We are at the finish line, but the bottom line is chlorine is good for your health if used in the correct quantity. But if you drink or come in touch with excessive chlorine, you might get sick. I’m sure everything is crystal clear. Never hesitate to ask for information about chlorine from your local tap water authority, and always check your water bottle label.
