The main source of information for this fact sheet is EPA's Drinking Water Criteria Document for Chlorine, Hypochlorous Acid and Hypochlorite Ion . In addition, persons breathing air around these industries may be exposed to chlorine. Exposure to chlorine may also occur through drinking water and swimming pool water, where it is used as a disinfectant.
Accidental releases are another potential source of chlorine exposure.
Chlorine is extremely irritating to the skin and can cause severe burns. Acute animal tests, such as the LC 50 test in rats and mice, have shown chlorine to have high acute toxicity. Animal studies have reported decreased body weight gain, eye and nose irritation, and effects on the respiratory tract, liver, and kidney from chronic inhalation exposure to chlorine. Other studies have indicated that exposure to chlorine, via inhalation, may alter disease resistance in animals, with higher incidences of emphysema, pneumonia, and tuberculosis reported. No adverse effects on growth, lifespan, or fertility were reported in rats exposed to 100 ppm chlorine in their drinking water for their entire lifespan, over seven generations.