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Introduction
A lot of time, energy, thought, and chemicals are put into the pool before, you, the swimmer, can safely jump in. In fact, all those things are absolutely necessary, for "swimming pools are excellent places for the growth of pathogenic microorganisms and a poorly disinfected pool exposes us to a number of hazards caused by viruses, fungi and bacteria” (2). Therefore, the water needs to be filtered, the pH kept in balance, total alkalinity and calcium hardness monitored, and chlorine frequently added all so the pool is kept clear and clean. There are even some chemicals, such as iron, that you have to keep out of the pool in order to avoid it reacting with the chlorine and causing stains (3). All these things are interconnected and effect each other differently. However, if done correctly, "majority of these pathogenic micro-organisms cannot survive more than 30 seconds” (4). So how exactly does chemistry keep us all safe when it comes to jumping into the pool?
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A Youtube video on the basics of swimming pool chemistry, may need to turn on subtitles (5)
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