From swimming pools to toxic gases, chlorine is used throughout many people's lives, but many do not realize the toxicity that chlorine can have at certain levels. This article will explore the uses, structure and properties, exposure routes, source, toxic effects, and metabolism of chlorine. In addition to giving precautions and advice to protect yourself from the toxic effects of chlorine. Chlorine uses vary widely and it is often found in many items around the home. Chlorine is used in swimming pools every summer because of its effectiveness in killing bacteria, and many swimming pools use chlorine in a liquid state. In plastics, chlorine is used in the formation of polyvinyl chloride. PVC is used in much of our construction industry, including doors, flooring, window frames and panels. In medicine and safety, chlorine is often used in pharmacy for the synthesis of an active ingredient or to make organic compounds soluble in water. Chlorine also has high-tech uses. Chlorine is used in the manufacturing of many automobile parts, as well as CDs and DVDs. Titanium aircraft parts use chlorine in their production. Commercially, chlorine is found in thousands of products used to clean the home. For cleaning, chlorine is used to disinfect through the dissociation process. When mixed with water, two acids form hypochlorous acid and hydrochloric acid. Hypochlorous acid is the active acid and reacts with bacteria breaking down their cell walls, which leaves the enzyme unprotected and cell death ensues. The chlorine levels in the mixture are then converted to chloramines, causing chlorine levels to decrease as microorganisms and bacteria are killed. For many uses of chlorine, special precautions must be taken. Durin...... middle of paper ...... plastics and rubbers. In the event of a gas leak, people should move to well-ventilated areas and in the event of significant inhalation, oxygen should be administered. Chlorine is a heavy gas that travels closer to the ground and accumulates in enclosed, poorly ventilated areas (Department of Health, 2014). In conclusion, chlorine is an amazing molecule, used in many things that improve our daily lives. Even with all of its amazing properties, chlorine should be handled with care and special precautions should be taken when using and working around this chemical. This report showed that uses of chlorine are not always beneficial, that toxicity can be significant and harmful to the lungs, as well as the skin and eyes. With proper precautions, chlorine can continue to be used as a chemical that helps disinfect, as well as transform into even better compounds..