Excess detection of glass residual chlorine and combined residual chlorine in some public swimming pools located in the Seoul metropolitan area
Feb 13, 2025
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The Korea Consumer Agency announced on the 13th that consumers need to be careful as some swimming pools have detected glass residual chlorine and combined residual chlorine that exceed the legal standards after investigating the water quality management of 20 public indoor swimming pools located in the metropolitan area.
The pool's 浴 water should be managed by regularly replacing or disinfecting it because it can be contaminated by the inflow of organic substances such as sweat and secretions from swimmers or microorganisms can reproduce. A swimming pool operator shall comply with the water quality standards prescribed in the 「Act on the Installation and Use of Sports Facilities」.
As a result of the Korea Consumer Agency's survey of the water quality of 20 public indoor swimming pools, 1.64mg/L of glass residual chlorine was detected in one place (5%) exceeding the standard (0.4 to 1.0mg/L), and 0.57mg/L of combined residual chlorine was detected in two places (0.5mg/L), respectively.
At the time of the 2019 public swimming pool survey, glass residual chlorine or combined residual chlorine was detected in 10 out of 20 locations (50%) in the survey, but the survey showed that 3 out of 20 locations (15%) were exceeded.
Glass residual chlorine is chlorine that remains in the water after disinfecting swimming pool water with chlorine, and a high concentration can cause eye pain, eye disease, esophageal stimulation, vomiting, and skin disease. If the concentration is low, the reproduction and spread of harmful bacteria cannot be suppressed, so it needs to be managed at an appropriate level.
In addition, combined residual chlorine is a type of disinfection by-products (DBPs) produced by combining chlorine remaining in water with organic substances (sweat, pollutants) after chlorine disinfection. If the concentration is high, it reduces the disinfection effect of swimming pool water, causes unpleasant odors, and can lead to eye, skin pain, or vomiting.
Meanwhile, the total coliform group (two or less positive), potassium permanganate consumption (12 mg/L), hydrogen ion concentration (pH 5.8 to 8.6), and turbidity (1.5 NTU) met the criteria in all 20 swimming pools.
The Korea Consumer Agency said "We have recommended improvements to the management entity of the pool that does not meet the legal water quality standards, and the management entity has responded that it plans to strengthen water quality management by accepting them."
This article was translated by Naver AI translator.
