The EPA authorizes the use of chlorine dioxide to treat municipal water and has set an enforceable drinking water standard (MRDL) for Chlorine Dioxide at 0.8 milligrams per liter (mg/L).
It is up to the water treatment facility and distribution system to monitor the levels of chlorine dioxide to maintain a safe concentration of chlorine dioxide. Exceeding the approved level of chlorine dioxide can cause a health concern and the water distribution system may be held responsible for placing the public at risk.
Such was the case in 2016 when the Peoples Water System in Donaldsonville, Louisiana was called on the carpet by the state for having chlorine dioxide content in municipal water in excess of what was legally limited “as safe” by the EPA.
An immediate “DO NOT DRINK THE WATER” order was issued by the Louisiana Department of Health, and People’s Water was ordered to stop using chlorine dioxide to treat the water immediately.
The report for exceeding the enforceable limit was not made by Peoples Water, so they were determined to be at fault for not reporting the exceedance.
In addition to not drinking the water the public was ordered not to use tap water to make juice and formula for young children and for pregnant women until an all-clear was issued by the Louisiana Department of Health.
Don’t Let This Happen to You
How to Test Chlorine Dioxide
Whether using chlorine dioxide for municipal water treatment systems or industrial applications it is reasonable and prudent to maintain quality control over the saturation levels of chlorine dioxide. This is also true for non-commercial uses of chlorine dioxide.
Test Strips for Non-commercial Use
For instance, simple test strips can be obtained from pool and hot tub suppliers or even on Amazon. Simply dip them in the sample that you are testing and check the color of the strip against the color indicator on the bottle to establish the concentration of the sample.
Commercial Testing of Chlorine Dioxide
Besides lab testing where ion chromatography is conducted by separating out ions in solution, there are methods of testing in the field for testing water, such as portable colorimetric and electrochemical types of testing for chlorine dioxide, as well as other methods.
Digital Chlorine Dioxide Testers
There are more digital forms of testing for chlorine dioxide. Like the Chlorine Dioxide Portable Photometer in the $200-range by Hanna Instruments. and color disc testers, such as Hach’s Chlorine Dioxide Color Disc Test Kit, Model CLD-2 affordable $150-range. Then there is the,
Palintest Chlorine Dioxide
Digital Palintest chlorine dioxide testers are available in a broad range of types and styles depending on your application and range in price from $750 for a basic model to over $5,000 for a more advanced digital testing kit.
Chlorine Dioxide Attributes
Chlorine dioxide is absorbable internally via the intestines. Administered orally, peak efficacy is reached within an hour. Any ingested chlorine dioxide and its metabolites are eliminated via the excretory system within 72 hours, though is not excreted via the lungs.
As a disinfectant chlorine dioxide quickly destroys bacteria, viruses, and Giardia, and is also effective against Cryptosporidium.
ClO2 also improves taste and odor, destroys sulfides, cyanides, and phenols, controls algae, and neutralizes iron and manganese ions.
As a biocide, chlorine dioxide is effective at concentrations as low as 0.1 ppm (parts per million) and over a wide pH range.
Chlorine dioxide is ten times more soluble in water than chlorine, even in cold water.
Unlike iodine, chlorine dioxide has no adverse effects on thyroid function.
The term “chlorine dioxide” is misleading because chlorine is not the active element. Chlorine dioxide is an oxidizing, not a chlorinating agent.
Chlorine dioxide penetrates the cell wall and reacts with amino acids in the cytoplasm within the cell, killing the microorganism.
The by-product of this reaction is chlorite, which is harmless to humans.
Chlorine dioxide is available in convenient two-part preparations for on-site disinfection of water, such as Natural Antibacterial Cleaner Solution (NACS).
