Chlorine in wastewater treatment

There must be the adequate treatment of wastewater for effective disinfection. Moreover, chlorine is one of the most used chemicals as a disinfectant since it inactivates the target organisms through oxidation. This paper, therefore, seeks to discuss the application of chlorine in the waste water treatment facility. Overview of the process Wastewater treatment refers to the process of converting the longer needed water or rather the unsuitable water for use to be discharged back to the environment for safe use. Wastewater is understood to be full of harmful microorganisms and toxins such as chemicals and bacteria. For instance, chlorine is a more cost-effective method of treatment compared to ozone disinfection. Besides, it is an effective and reliable method of treating pathogenic organisms; and has such a flexible control of dosing.

Moreover, chlorine is capable of eliminating particular noxious odors during disinfection. Ozone disinfection during wastewater treatment refers to the process of purifying the waste water to the level where it can no longer cause harm and infective diseases for plants, animals and humans that get into contact with the water. Nonetheless, there are challenges in the application of chlorine in waste water treatment. Recognition of hazards and routes of entry Chlorination of wastewater may lead to several harmful impacts if not well handled or chlorine residuals left in the water for a long time. It does not only affect the human organs and organ systems, but it as well caused several diseases on the human body. All these hazards can only be understood with proper discussion on the recognition of the routes of entry into the human body.

Employees in companies that constantly handle chlorine are at high risk of experiencing the harmful impact of chemical exposure to their body. The risks from wastewater contamination pose a massive risk to the consuming population and must be constantly guarded. Although there would be natural decomposition processes to reduce the level of pathogens through predation massively, decay and dilution, the increased human population as well as the regular discharge of effluent into the country’s receiving water sources have largely reduced the natural capability of the natural self-purification. Therefore, it is essential to disinfect the effluents before their discharge into the receiving water bodies. Disinfection to inactivate or remove microorganism is an essential aspect of ensuring prevention of downstream users from contracting different waterborne diseases such as typhoid, cholera and dysentery.

Evaluation of hazards The dangers of chlorine on an individual or on the general population can only be understood based on the life exposure level and its danger on that exposure level. Chlorine is considered to be one of the most toxic chemicals, that must be handled with a lot of care to ensure minimization of chlorine exposure to human. Sampling from a tap should ensure that water is first allowed to flow for about five minutes to obtain the needed sample. Moreover, there should be pretreatment of sample containers to remove elements of chlorine, while plastic containers should not be used in sampling to avoid the exertion of appreciable demand of chlorine (Gerrity et al. In case of glasses in sampling, there should soaking of glass in a dilute bleach solution for an hour or so.

Control of hazards and best practices According to Gikas (2017), there are particular regulations put in place by the U. S environmental protection Agency and the Occupational Safety and Health Administration to ensure adequate protection o employees and the general population from the ingoing exposure. Chlorine is found in certain areas within the campus premises. For instance, chlorine is found in an aqueous sodium hypochlorite solution which is a bleach. The chemical is found in the laundry sections of the college and used for brightening and whitening clothes. Moreover, the bleach not only disinfect the surfaces suspected of pathogens but it is as well used for removing stains. However, there is no need for an alarm since it is never a dangerous level of exposure.