Is there anything more important than your health? Think about it! Money. Well, everyone wants money. If possible, lots of money. But, would you change your health for money? Love, peace, happiness, knowledge, professional progress… nothing is worth more than your health and, at the same time, all depends on it.

Chemistry knows that very well and works constantly to develop products that preserve and strengthen our health. And this does not refer only to products that clearly have this scope such as medicinal substances and vitamin supplements. There are many other products that, for years, have been silently reducing the risks to human health without being noticed by many people. In water treatment, for instance, several chemical products are being used to guarantee that this liquid, essential to life, comes to us free of impurities and microorganisms. Chlorine is one of those. This inorganic chemical element, used in many production processes of important raw materials, is also one of the most important bactericides used in water treatment for human consumption. Without the chlorine it would be virtually impossible to guarantee the supply of pure water, free, for example, of the Vibrio cholerae and fecal coliform bacteria, for the small, medium and larger towns. But do you think that its participation stops here? Ask any person who takes care of a home what is one of the most used products for house cleaning: bleach, that is, sodium hypochlorite. A solution with low concentration of chlorine, this product, developed in 1820, besides having the bleaching function, is highly efficient in the elimination of microorganisms.

So efficient that it is also indicated for the washing of greens and vegetables. It is enough to dissolve a minimum quantity in the washing water to guarantee an efficient cleaning. Do you want more data? Remember the kids playing in the swimming pool? That transparent, refreshing water is maintained like that thanks to the application of several chemical products, among which, the chlorine will certainly be present, for obvious reasons. After all, we all know that health is the most important thing in this world. All the rest comes later.

Text: Luiz Carlos de Medeiros (Mtb 12.293) English version by Joe Vianna (translat@mvpisp.com)