Key Points/Overview
According to the CDC, chlorine dioxide is added to drinking water to protect people from harmful bacteria and other microorganisms. EPA recognizes chlorine dioxide use as a drinking water disinfectant, and it is included in WHO’s Guidelines for Drinking-water Quality.
In medical settings, chlorine dioxide gas can be used to help sterilize equipment, surfaces, rooms and tools. It should not be used to treat diseases or ailments.
In its pure form, chlorine dioxide is a hazardous gas, but most people are not likely to be exposed to air containing dangerous levels of chlorine dioxide as it rapidly breaks down in air into chlorine gas and oxygen.
For workers who use chlorine dioxide, OSHA regulates the level of chlorine dioxide in workplace air for safety.
Uses & Benefits
Powerful Disinfection in Water Treatment
Chlorine dioxide is a disinfectant. When added to drinking water, it helps destroy bacteria, viruses and some types of parasites that can make people sick, such as Cryptosporidium parvum and Giardia lamblia. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) regulates the maximum concentration of chlorine dioxide in drinking water to be no greater than 0.8 parts per million (ppm).
Industrial/Manufacturing Uses
Chlorine dioxide chemistry is used in a wide variety of industrial, oil and gas, food and municipal applications:
Food and Beverage Production
Chlorine dioxide can be used as an antimicrobial agent in water used in poultry processing and to wash fruits and vegetables.
Paper Processing
Chlorine dioxide is used to chemically process wood pulp for paper manufacturing.
Medical Applications
In hospitals and other healthcare environments, chlorine dioxide gas helps to sterilize medical and laboratory equipment, surfaces, rooms and tools. Researchers have found that at appropriate concentrations, chlorine dioxide is both safe and effective at helping to eliminate Legionella bacteria in hospital environments. Legionella pneumophila bacteria can cause Legionnaires’ disease, a potentially deadly type of pneumonia.
Chlorine dioxide is not a cure or treatment for medical ailments, including but not limited to autism, HIV, malaria, hepatitis viruses, influenza, common colds, and cancer. Claims that the ingestion of chlorine dioxide, often advertised as “Miracle Mineral Solution” or MMS, will cure these or other ailments are false. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) advises MMS should not be consumed.
Safety Information
Chlorine dioxide is used to disinfect drinking water around the world. According to U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, chlorine dioxide is added to drinking water to protect people from harmful bacteria and other microorganisms. EPA recognizes chlorine dioxide use as a drinking water disinfectant, and it is included in the World Health Organization’s (WHO) Guidelines for Drinking-water Quality.
In its pure form, chlorine dioxide is a hazardous gas but most people are “not likely” to breathe air containing dangerous levels of chlorine dioxide as it rapidly breaks down in air to chlorine gas and oxygen. For workers who use chlorine dioxide, the U.S. Occupational Safety and Hazard Administration (OSHA) regulates the level of chlorine dioxide in workplace air for safety. OSHA has set a Permissible Exposure Limit (PEL) for chlorine dioxide at 0.1 parts per million (ppm), or 0.3 milligrams (mg) per cubic meters (m3) for workers using chlorine dioxide for general industrial purposes. OSHA also has a PEL for chlorine dioxide for the construction industry. Chlorine dioxide is always made at the location where it is used.
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