Viability of commercially available bleach for water treatment in developing countries.
Treating household water with low-cost, widely available commercial bleach is recommended by some organizations to improve water quality and reduce disease in developing countries. I analyzed the chlorine concentration of 32 bleaches from 12 developing countries; the average error between advertised and measured concentration was 35% (range = -45%-100%; standard deviation = 40%). Because of disparities between advertised and actual concentration, the use of commercial bleach for water treatment in developing countries is not recommended without ongoing quality control testing.
Lantagne
Daniele S
DS
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, GA, USA. dlantagne@cdc.gov
D003906:Developing Countries; D006795:Household Products; D006801:Humans; D011786:Quality Control; D012973:Sodium Hypochlorite / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000592:standards / Q000600:supply & distribution; D018508:Water Purification / Q000379:methods*; D014881:Water Supply
D012973:Sodium Hypochlorite