Most people associate chlorine in their homes with swimming pools and bleach.
What they may not realize is that chlorine is a vital component of nearly every aspect of everyday life. As the eleventh most abundant element on Earth, chlorine combines with other chemicals to form compounds that make pharmaceuticals, plastics and hundreds of other items. It induces chemical reactions that produce other useful materials such as nylon and paint. Thousands of Everyday Uses All the way to the tap Chlorine and chlorine-based compounds are used by 98 percent of all public water supplies that are disinfected. Chlorine is the only water disinfectant that purifies all the way to the tap and is partly responsible for the 50 percent increase in Americans' life expectancy this century.