A private investment by Kempinski Hotel San Lawrenz in Gozo will make the hotel the first ever in Europe to cease using chlorine to treat tap water through the use of EcoClearProx, a new ecological product that upgrades the quality of drinking water.

The initiative falls in line with the Eco-Gozo vision that is aiming to improve the drinking water quality in Gozo.

EcoClearProx was developed by a Belgian company that strives to find green solutions for the disinfection of spaces, rooms, processed water and drinking water. EcoClearProx is currently the only disinfectant based on hydrogen peroxide that is recognised and authorised by the EU for use in drinking water. The Kempinski Hotel San Lawrenz has integrated this product into its water treatment system.

While it is true that chlorine water can be used to make tap water safe to drink because it kills bacteria, it can also be dangerous.

Water treatment plants use chlorine to kill bacteria, as well as algae that can clog up the pipes. However, it is used not because it is the most effective solution, but because it is the cheapest. It is also widely used by industry as a bleaching agent, which means that there is bleach in the water that comes out of the tap to be drunk or used for bathing. And chlorinated water does not have to be drunk in order to enter the body. It can be readily absorbed by the skin while swimming or bathing and can also get inside the body through the respiratory system, triggering some respiratory problems such as asthma.

Although chlorine is great for killing bacteria, it cannot differentiate between good bacteria and bad ones. It kills the bad ones in water but when it is consumed, it also kills the good ones in the body, most especially in the intestines. The harmful effects may not be experienced immediately, but in time they will begin to show up.

Tap water contains chlorine and fluoride, neither of which has been proved to be safe for human consumption, particularly chlorine which is an antimicrobial and may harm human tissues. Some studies suggest that exposure to pesticides, plastic bottles and chlorine in tap water plays a significant role in the high rate of breast cancer for women in the US. Scandinavian countries have recently totally banned the use of chlorine in the treatment of water.