Nancy speculated why chlorine is harmful in drinking water.  Well, quoting
from my "Consumer's Dictionary of Cosmetic Ingredients" (which I will keep
under the 200 word copyright limit), it says:
 
  "The chlorine used to kill bacteria in drinking water may contain
  carcinogenic carbon tetrachloride, a contaminant formed during the
  production process.  Chlorination has also been found to sometimes form
  undesirable "ring" compounds in water such as toluene, xylene, and the
  suspected carcinogen styrene - they have been observed in both the
  drinking water and waste water plants in the Midwest.  Chlorine is a
  powerful irritant and can be fatal upon inhalation.  In fact, it is
  stored in military arsenals as a poison gas.  A National Cancer Institute
  study published in 1987 studied bladder cancer in people who have been
  drinking chlorinated surface water for 40 or more years."
 
The book also notes that chlorine is toxic both to the skin, and upon
inhalation.  The inhalation tolerance for chlorine is about one part per
million in air.
 
Source:  "A Consumer's Dictionary of Cosmetic Ingredients", by Ruth
Winter, M.S.
 
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[Posted in FML issue 2315]