People ask me all the time, “What is a salt pool?” Or, they tell me “my pool is safe because its a salt pool.” So I have decided to put some information on my website and have transferred some of that here.
Unfortunately a salt pool is far from safe. Salt pools are a misnomer. They should be called e-chlorine pools and they generate the same types of disinfection byproducts (DBPs) as traditional chlorinated pools. Haloketones and trihalomethanes (THMs) are two of the more toxic DBPs.
The system uses electricity to split salt (NaCl) and produce hypochlorous acid (HClO) and sodium hypochlorite (NaClO) directly in your pool water. Sodium hypochlorite is the ingredient in chlorine bleach and many pool chlorination chemicals. HClO is just the acid form. Which means a saltwater pool is not chlorine-free at all. It simply utilizes a chlorine generator and electricity instead of someone running down to the store and buying chlorine.
Copper is another toxin that is often used to kill algae in swimming pools or ponds. Since it gives a nice blue color which tints the water, it gives an impression of purity. But it is only appearances. Maybe we could start thinking that green is clean. If your pond or pool can support algae the water is far less likely to mutagenize you and be toxic.
It is just wrong, in my opinion, for a pool company to advertise their copper containing, algae killing product as “non chemical.” Copper systems are anything but non chemical! If you didn’t add the copper it wouldn’t kill the algae in your pool or pond.
Copper disolved in water is a toxic metal and even more importantly it is a phototoxin. Phototoxins interact with light energy and transmit that energy to living cells thus killing them. And just because the copper is added to your pool or pond through the magic of electricity does not mean the system is non chemical! If you add enough copper that it kills algae, it has a toxic effect on life, and almost certainly you as well. Even if the company selling it claims it is “dilute.”
Plutonium is very toxic, so I guess we could find a low concentration of plutonium that would kill algae and then claim that its ok to use that because it’s so dilute that it has no effect ….– wait… it kills the algae!
Dillute copper solutions and sunlight damages DNA extensively and causes cell death. Which is probably the reason copper kills algae. A copper solution in the absence of light has much less effect on DNA but is toxic. Solid metal copper is pretty safe for use in our pipes.
If you are swimming in your pool, it is generally on a nice sunny day, not cloudy and overcast. Do you really want to be putting a light activated, DNA-damaging toxin in your swimming pool or pond?
PuraVida Aquatic designs pool systems that outcompete algae — not kill it with something toxic. Please remember that if something in your pool is killing the algae it’s probably toxic to you, your family, and your pets too.