What kind of chemicals do we put in our drinking water?

Answer 1

In the US it's mostly chlorine, although in Europe ozone is often preferred. These are added as disinfectants to kill bacteria and viruses through chemical oxidation. Water treatment plants will sometime add coagulant first (such as alum, an aluminum-based salt) to help clarify the water - this also helps with disinfection.

People often worry about chemicals in drinking water - wondering whether they are harmful. For instance, chlorine can react with trace amounts of material in water from decayed leaves to form "trihalomethanes" - and these "disinfection by-products" pose a cancer risk. However this has to be weighed against the far more serious and immediate risks posed by harmful bacteria and viruses in water if it is not disinfected. Thousands of people die everyday by drinking microbially-contaminated drinking water - by comparison the number of people dying from chemical contamination resulting from water treatment is extremely small, if any at all.

Answer 2

We, meaning humans?

In a private cistern or deep well, few chemicals are ever added. Small surface water sources (public and private) almost always add chlorine (as gas or as bleach).

Other chemicals may be added to reduce turbidity (Acrylamide is often used), heavy metal (like lead) and hardening metals (like magnesium or calcium).

Some public systems add fluoride as a dental health precaution.

For a very complete resource for both drinking and waste water additives, check out the site below:

Answer 3

Hi. Chlorine, fluorine, and a new disinfectant that I can't think of at the moment.

Answer 4

It would probably be easier to say what we don't put in our drinking water.

Answer 5

in the us we put chlorine and floride

Answer 6

salts and stuff to prevent bacteria from growing...

Answer 7

fresh from the sewer

Answer 8

chlorine