Watch How Chlorine from Tap Water Gets Absorbed by Your Body

:::::::::Chlorine exposure can cause symptoms like burning sensations in the eyes, nose, and throat, coughing, chest tightness, and difficulty breathing. More severe exposure can lead to pulmonary edema (fluid in the lungs), nausea, vomiting, skin blisters, and in extreme cases, respiratory failure. The severity of symptoms depends on the concentration and duration of the exposure.

Respiratory and throat symptoms

Burning in the nose, throat, and lungs

Coughing

Chest tightness

Shortness of breath or rapid, shallow breathing

Wheezing

Hoarseness or loss of voice

A feeling of suffocation

Coughing up white or pink fluid

Eye and skin symptoms

Burning in the eyes

Watery eyes (lacrimation)

Blurred vision

Skin pain, redness, or blisters

Other symptoms

Nausea and vomiting, Headache, Dizziness or lightheadedness, and Severe abdominal discomfort.

Severe or delayed symptoms

Respiratory failure

Pulmonary edema (fluid in the lungs), which can have a delayed onset of several hours

Corneal burns (on the eye)

Cyanosis (bluish skin discoloration)

Chronic or long-term symptoms

Chronic cough and chest pain, Sore throat, and Reactive airways dysfunction syndrome (a type of chemically-induced asthma).