Chloride in water
Water prevents the body from drying out, boosts the metabolism and promotes the elimination of toxins. There are many different mineral waters on the market with equally different nutrient compositions, including the mineral chloride. In the human body, it occurs mainly bound to sodium as sodium chloride (NaCl). Many people drink only tap water. But there is always a debate about this because of the chlorine content. So should I drink mineral water instead of tap water? Is chloride in water healthy at all?
Chloride in mineral water
If you compare different brands, you will quickly taste a difference. Some mineral waters taste rather mild, others slightly bitter, others salty. The higher the chloride content, the saltier the water tastes. A mineral water with a chloride content of more than 200 mg/l is called chloride-containing. A chloride content greater than 250 mg/l gives the water a salty taste. Higher amounts of chloride in mineral water are perceived as annoying by many people because of the change in taste. A comparison:
| High chloride content | mg per litre |
|---|---|
| Staufer Quelle Medium | 748 |
| Kaiser Friedrich Quelle | 736 |
| Cascada Classic (Krönungsquelle) | 446 |
| Gaensefurther Schlossquelle Naturell | 302 |
| Selters Classic | 254 |
| Ja! Waldquelle Classic | 170 |
| Low chloride content | mg per litre |
|---|---|
| Teinacher Classic | 16 |
| Gerolsteiner Naturell | 9 |
| Aqua Römer Classic | 6 |
| Silberbrunnen Medium | 3 |
| Lauretana | >1 |
| Plose Naturale | 0 |
Whether high chloride concentrations in mineral water are good or bad for us is also an individual question. The average daily requirement of an adult is 2300 mg per day according to the German Nutrition Society. Athletes have a higher requirement because of increased perspiration. With chronically elevated chloride levels, the risk of health impairments in the form of high blood pressure, nausea, irritation of the mucous membranes or stomach and intestinal complaints increases.
Chloride in groundwater and drinking water
Drinking water in Germany is obtained from various water sources: From surface water, spring water and above all groundwater. The chloride content in groundwater varies from region to region and has a value between 10 and 30 mg/l. Since chloride is water-soluble, it is not absorbed by the soil. So it reaches the sea with the groundwater via the rivers and accumulates there. The average chloride concentration in seawater is 18 g/l. Appropriate treatment and purification turns groundwater into drinkable water. The chloride concentration in tap water varies from region to region. If you want to find out about the chloride value of your water, you can do so at the local waterworks. According to the German Drinking Water Ordinance (TrinkwV), the limit value for chloride in drinking water is 250 mg/l. The ordinance guarantees that chloride concentrations are not exceeded in exceptional cases. The ordinance guarantees that safe drinking water is supplied to households without exception. The utility companies are obliged by law to continuously monitor the purity of tap water. If limit values are exceeded, the public health department checks whether there is an immediate danger and remedial action must be taken immediately or whether the exceedance can be tolerated until the measures taken to eliminate the cause are effective.
You don't want chlorine in your drinking water? Chlorine, chemical residues, germs and bacteria can be filtered out of any water with an activated carbon water filter. These are available as table filters or built-in filters under the sink (osmosis system).
Is chlorine in water harmful?
A distinction must be made between chlorine and chloride. The term chlorine is used to name the chemical element as well as chlorine gas. Chlorine gas irritates the respiratory tract when inhaled and leads to lung and heart damage with long-term exposure. Chloride is formed by compounds of chloride ions with other substances in the body, mainly with sodium (sodium chloride). Chlorine is used in swimming pools for water disinfection. The regional waterworks use it to treat drinking water when necessary. This can be the case, for example, after heavy rainfall when germs have entered the groundwater due to insufficient filtering by the soil. By adding chlorine, they ensure that the limit values for germ and bacteria contamination are observed. The health effects of chlorine in drinking water are controversial. But if, for any reason, the water is no longer suitable for drinking, the operator of the waterworks must inform consumers accordingly. (Below you will find a link to the Drinking Water Ordinance)
How can I measure chloride in water?
With a so-called water analysis, any water can be checked for the substances it contains. There are several manufacturers on the market who offer such tests. In addition to the regular water analysis, it is also possible to test the water only for the single parameter chloride. With these tests, you usually fill a container with water, send in the sample and then receive a test analysis. Or you dip a test strip into the water and compare the colour development with an enclosed colour scale.
Is chloride in water good or bad?
Mineral water producers like to advertise that their products are healthy because of the minerals they contain. But the body gets these mainly from food and less from water. Therefore, most people do not need to worry about the composition of their table, spring, mineral or medicinal water. However, if you suffer from high blood pressure (hypertension), it may be worth taking a look at the nutritional information on the bottle label. Since an intake of more than 12 g of chloride a day leads to high blood pressure, the German Hypertension League (Deutsche Hochdruckliga e. V.) recommends no more than 6 g a day. Mineral waters with a chloride value of less than 300 mg/l are suitable. Alternatively, you can simply drink tap water, because it contains hardly any sodium chloride.
Sometimes chloride in water is also blamed for causing corrosion in water pipes. Chloride itself is not corrosive. Nevertheless, in interaction with other parameters, it can influence corrosion processes, especially on pipes made of aluminium and copper as well as galvanised iron pipes.
Chloride in combination with sodium is used every day in medicine. A sodium chloride infusion solution, also called isotonic saline solution, is a solution of sodium and chloride in water. It is administered as an infusion in case of large blood loss, as a fluid substitute in case of dehydration or shock. It is also used as a carrier solution for electrolyte concentrates and pharmaceutical agents.
Conclusion
A proverb says that eating and drinking keeps body and soul together. Since humans lose a lot of water every day, adequate fluid intake is essential. But both mineral water and tap water can be neglected when it comes to the body's chloride supply, no matter how much chloride they contain. This is because the intake via water is far from the recommendations that an adult should consume daily. Healthy people can therefore concentrate entirely on the taste component and do not need to study nutritional information. Only hypertensive patients or people with kidney disease should pay attention to which mineral water they choose.
