One of the problems associated with the use of such areas by people is the increase in the number of infections caused by bacterial biofilm. Disinfectants are used as a way to control the amount of biofilm growth. One of the types of bacteria that can grow in pools and spas is Pseudomonas aeruginosa , a common water-based pathogen.
Chlorination is currently a standard method of pool and spa disinfection.
However, it has several drawbacks, and a bromine is often used as a substitute. This study examined the efficacy of both bromine and chlorine in the removal of biofilm in a rotating disk reactor. The concentration of disinfectant was also varied to determine the effect of varying the treatment concentration. Protein analysis was also used as a measure of efficacy. The log reductions in the number of viable bacteria cells showed that bromine is at least as, if not more than, effective as chlorine in biofilm removal.