Ozone (O3) is a very effective disinfectant that can be used in swimming pools to replace chlorine and bromine containing sanitizing chemicals. When ozone is used in swimming pool water treatment, water quality can be significantly improved and cost savings can be achieved in the long run compared to other swimming pool treatments.
Swimming pool water pollution is mainly caused by swimmers. This makes it a very dynamic pollution, depending on the number and type of swimmers. Swimming pool pollutants can be divided into three categories: microbial, insoluble pollutants, and dissolved pollutants.
Every swimmer carries a host of microorganisms such as bacteria, fungi and viruses. Many of these microorganisms can be pathogenic and can cause disease.
Undissolved pollutants consist primarily of visible floating particles such as hair and dander, but also include colloidal particles such as skin tissue and soap residue.
Dissolved contaminants may include urine, sweat, eye fluid and saliva. Sweat and urine contain water and also contain ammonia, urea, creatine and amino acids. When these substances are dissolved in water, they do not harm swimmers. However, when these compounds react with chlorine in swimming pool water, incomplete oxidation can lead to the formation of chloramines. This causes so-called chlorine gas, which irritates the eyes and respiratory system. In many cases, stable compounds can be formed that can only be removed from swimming pool water by reaction with water.
