Chlorine - Natural Disinfectant

Chlorine exists in the form of a salt(chloride) in the human body. It is present mostly in the extra cellular fluid.
Chlorine is a greenish-yellow poisonous, gaseous element with a suffocating odor. In the body it is mostly present as sodium chloride or common salt, which performs various essential functions.

Functions of Chlorine in the Body

• Chloride is essential for the proper distribution of carbon dioxide and the maintenance of osmotic pressure in the tissues.
• It is necessary for the manufacture of glandular hormone secretions. It prevents the building of excessive fat and auto intoxication.
• Chloride regulates the alkali-acid balance in the blood.
• It works with potassium in a compound form. Potassium chloride is also essential for the production of hydrochloric acid in the stomach, which is needed for proper protein digestion.
• It is involved in the maintenance of proper fluid and electrolyte balance in the system.

Sources of Chlorine

Chloride is found in barley, wheat, and other grains and pulses, green leafy vegetables, and fruits like melon, and pineapple.
The chloride that we take is mostly in the combined form of sodium chloride. Hence the foods that contain large quantities of sodium also contain chloride in the same proportion and vice versa.

Chlorine Deficiency Symptoms

• Deficiency of chloride can occur when sodium chloride is restricted during the active phase of general edema or hypertension. The symptoms produced are the same as those which occur with sodium chloride deficiency.
• Excessive loss of salt from the body due to perspiration can result in heat cramps.
• Deficiency may lead to loss of hair and teeth.
• It may also result in impaired digestion of foods and derangement of fluid levels in the body.

Healing Properties of Chlorine

Chlorine is widely used in disinfecting water for drinking. It is also used in swimming pools. Taken in the form of eusol which contains hypochlorus acid, chlorine is used to disinfect chronic ulcers, but this usage is limited because its action is stopped by the presence of excessive organic matter.
Salt intake during summer should be sufficient to meet the body’s requirements as there is excessive vomiting and diarrhea due to heat.

Precautions

The fumes of chlorine are poisonous. After a patient has apparently recovered from exposure to chlorine gas, he may develop lung oedema and become seriously ill. In such a case the appropriate treatment is administration of oxygen. Chlorine is used for bleaching, and some household bleaches which contain hypochlorites give off chlorine to produce their effect. It they are swallowed, the stomach, gullet, and mouth can be seriously irritated.

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