# Some facts on water and Chlorine.



## Compnerd7 (Jun 18, 2012)

Earlier I posted a thread on if it was safe or not to take a Tegu in a swimming pool. A few issues arose whether or not it was safe for someone to take a Tegu in a swimming pool. Some controversy arose, and more questions were raised. So, I have spent some time testing and researching to answer these questions. 

First off, 4 people were contacted as consultants to this "hypothesis"; a well respected exotic pet veterinarian, a biologist who works at a zoo handling reptiles, a reptile shop owner, and a pool man. Almost all were unanimous in their answers, some more detailed then others, and with the variety of people I talked to I got to see 4 different view points.

*Chlorine as an element:*

I am going to start out by saying that Chlorine is a very unstable element, and Chlorine levels can change rapidly in any pool of water. The bonding between the two atoms is relatively weak. UVB / UVA breaks down Chlorine from a liquid to a gas or breaks apart the neutrons / protons+ of the element. That's why you can leave water out in the sun for a few days and rid it of Chlorine. Chlorine is a natural element found on this planet, not a poison, and is found in many places you wouldn't expect it to show up, including Salt. It becomes toxic when it is refined, and concentrated. So there are many acceptable levels of Chlorine both in nature, and in captivity. The flip side of that is there is also UNACCEPTABLE levels of it.

*Levels of Chlorine vs. Human / Animal interaction:*

There are different levels of Chlorine that affect different organisms depending on it's concentration. I am only going to go over acceptable levels on humans, and Tegus. 3ppm ( parts per million ) is acceptable for humans to swim in, with some risk. If you were to shower afterward this would eliminate that risk. It is the same for Tegus. Due to the fact that Tegus are Semi-Aquatic lizards, their skin is designed in such a way to be water resistant, but is also water permeable. So they will absorb whatever is in the water after a long periods of time, as will a humans. However, Tegus can handle higher toxicity then we can because of their hardened beaded scales, and a layer of skin. 


*Tegus in a Chlorine treated pool:*

As was stated above, a 3ppm is a maximum safe consecrate for a Tegu to swim in. That doesn't mean that I recommend you allow your Tegu to swim in the maximum level. A safe level would be 2.3 or lower. I prefer to to let levels in my pool to drop to 2ppm or lower just to be on the safe side. Another factor to consider is if your Tegu is getting out of the water and sunbathing for periods of time, He/She will burn off what Chlorine that is on it's skin, and thus allowing it to stay in the pool for longer. If your Tegu stays out of the water and drys off for more then 30 - 45 minutes, he will be free of Chlorine. A misnomer about washing your Tegu with a hose after it swims also comes up. Most drinking water contains Chlorine, and ALL water from a city treated water source has Chlorine in it. I just tested my tap water about 20 minutes, and it had a 1.7ppm of Chlorine. So if you take your Tegu in a pool with a ppm of 2, then rinse it off with a ppm of 1.7, that doesn't really do much. If you would like to be on the very safe side, I would soak your Tegu in repti-safe or something else that is safe for reptiles that removes Chlorine. However, after they go in their cage and bask for a while under their UVA/UVB bulbs it will burn off. 


*Tegus in a pool treated with Salt:*

A pool treated with salt still contains Chlorine. When you are swimming in a pool treated with chlorine and you have a reaction, such as your eyes burning and turning red, that is not the Chlorine causing that effect. That is actually the effect of "dead" chlorine, and that it is breaking down due to the fact that it is an unstable element, and there are too many people in the pool, or the PH is off balance. What you are really experiencing is a chemical change. The sun and other safety measures are not acting quickly enough to rid the water of this. As was stated in the beginning, salt contains chlorine. A salt treated pool is a much better stabilized water, with little chemical change. But, there are 2 downfalls to bringing a Lizard into a Salt treated pool. Salt can quickly dry out a Tegu, and make them dehydrated, so if one were to choose to bring their Tegu into a Salt treated pool, make sure to keep a good watch on it, so that he doesn't get dried out, and that he also has access to some fresh water once in a while to drink. The second downfall of Salt treated pools is that they can contain good amounts of Chlorine at times, so be sure to check to the Chlorine levels before you decide to put your lizard in it.

*Tap water and Chlorine:*

I did make the point that tap water contains Chlorine when it is treated, and it's concentration changes from time to time. My only recommendation in this entire thread is that you test your tap water before you use it. I am sure that most on here use filtered water, distilled, R.O. , or spring water; I am only saying this as a friendly reminder to some. If you want to test your water, you can get Chlorine test kit at a local pool store, I got the one in the following picture for $7 ( it was actually free because my friend who worked there gave it to me, but it was normally $6.99 ) and it tests both Chlorine and PH. You would think fish stores or pet stores would have testers for Chlorine, but I have seen that a lot don't, so your best and sure bet is to just go to a pool store. 








I want to make it clear that I wrote this thread just to share the information I have spent a lot of time gathering. I am not suggesting you do things one way or the other. These are just the facts, and I hope if anything you at least learned something new, as I did. 

Any comments, or questions are welcome. If you have a pool, and you want my own personal advice on what you should or can do, feel free to send me a PM.


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## dragonmetalhead (Jun 18, 2012)

Thanks for posting. I sure learned something new.


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## Thelegendofcharlie (Jun 18, 2012)

Thanks for such an informative post.


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## Dana C (Jun 18, 2012)

I am glad that a few folks took the time to read your post. If you recall, I posted something similar in your swimming pool post.
"I am reading a bit of hysteria here. If you take showers or baths in tap water, or if you drink tap water, if any of your family swims in pools, plays in the sprinklers and so on, you are in contact with chlorine if your water comes from a municipal source. A pool, properly chlorinated won't hurt you, your children or your Tegus. 

Here is some interesting information about sources of chlorine, (Lennteck Water Treatment Solutions).
"Chlorine in the environment

In nature it is only found combined with other elements chiefly sodium in the form of common salt (NaCl), but also in carnallite, and sylvite. Chlorides make up much of the salt dissolved in the earth's oceans: about 1.9 % of the mass of seawater is chloride ions.

The amount of chloride in soils varies according to the distance from the sea. The average in top soils is about 10 ppm. Plants contain various amount of chlorine; it is an essential microutrient for higher plants where is concentrates in the chloroplasts. Growth suffers if the amount of chloride in the soil fall below 2 ppm, but it rarely happens. The upper limit of tolerance varies according to the crop.
Read more: http://www.lenntech.com/periodic/element...z1viv0weOV

Chlorine concentrations: (source Wikipedia,)
Chlorine is detectable with measuring devices in concentrations of as low as 0.2 parts per million (ppm), and by smell at 3 ppm. Coughing and vomiting may occur at 30 ppm and lung damage at 60 ppm. About 1000 ppm can be fatal after a few deep breaths of the gas.[24] Breathing lower concentrations can aggravate the respiratory system, and exposure to the gas can irritate the eyes.[55] The toxicity of chlorine comes from its oxidizing power. When chlorine is inhaled at concentrations above 30 ppm, it begins to react with water and cells, which change it into hydrochloric acid (HCl) and hypochlorous acid (HClO).
When used at specified levels for water disinfection, the reaction of chlorine with water is not a major concern for human health. However, other materials present in the water may generate disinfection by-products that can damage human health.[56][57]

Considering that proper swimming pool chorination should be between 1-2 ppm, it is not harmful to you Tegu or you.
a b Hammond, C. R. (2000). The Elements, in Handbook of Chemistry and Physics 81st edition. CRC press. ISBN 0-8493-0481-4.

You brought up the salt / chlorine link. The chemical signature is NaClO. Na is the chemical signature of Salt / sodium. Sodium Hypochlorite is what is most commonly used in swimming pools. Hypochlorous acid is the form of chlorine most commonly used to treat drinking water. It actually becomes a gas immediately, disinfects and dissipates very quickly. 
Read more: http://www.tegutalk.com/showthread.php?tid=11517&page=2#ixzz1yBd9QhYa


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## Compnerd7 (Jun 18, 2012)

Thank you for the addition DanaC. I didn't want to have to write a whole thesis on the element but you pitched in and took over that part, thanks!


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## got10 (Jun 18, 2012)

Cool someone that actually did some research on a real subject . Thanks for sharing the info.


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## HeatherN (Jun 18, 2012)

wonderful, informative stuff guys! thanks, i love learning about this kind of stuff, and I'm glad someone has access to all those experts, i know i don't.


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## chelvis (Jun 18, 2012)

Wow well done! If I had a pool I would allow my caiman lizard to get some real swim time in.


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## Compnerd7 (Jun 19, 2012)

HeatherN said:


> wonderful, informative stuff guys! thanks, i love learning about this kind of stuff, and I'm glad someone has access to all those experts, i know i don't.



I wasn't too hard, you just have to make the phone calls, and you'd be surprised how a lot of these people are willing to share lots of information that they have learned in the field or in college. 

I appreciate everyone reading the information, and passing it on. That's the real reward.


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## laurarfl (Jun 19, 2012)

Thanks for the info! Awesome!


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