Short answer
Water suppliers add chlorine or chloramine to keep water safe on its way to the tap, and the two behave differently. The WHO guideline value for free chlorine is 5 mg/L, and none of the sources we checked evaluates shower filters. Find out which disinfectant a market uses, and describe your product only as far as your documents go.
A customer asks whether your shower filter works on chlorine. Another asks about chloramine, because their supplier switched disinfectants last year. If you sell into more than one market, these questions come up quickly, and the honest answer starts with knowing which disinfectant a market actually uses.
This guide explains the difference between the two, what public bodies say about the numbers and about showering, and where the limits of a safe product description sit.
Why tap water contains a disinfectant
The Drinking Water Inspectorate (DWI), the regulator for England and Wales, puts it plainly: water is safe when it leaves the treatment works, and the trace of chlorine is there to preserve its quality as it travels through long stretches of pipe to homes and workplaces. In England and Wales it is a regulatory requirement for companies to disinfect their water and hold a residual chlorine concentration in the pipe network.
That leftover amount is called a residual, and it is intentional. It is also the reason tap water in many places has a recognizable smell.
Chlorine and chloramine are related but not the same
Health Canada describes chloramines as oxidizing compounds containing one or more chlorine atoms attached to a nitrogen atom. Sydney Water, for example, adds chlorine to its supply and, in some longer pipelines, also adds ammonia to keep the water disinfected right up to the tap.
Why would a supplier use chloramine? Health Canada explains that monochloramine is more stable than free chlorine, so it gives a longer disinfection contact time in the distribution system, and that chloramines are mainly used as secondary disinfectants to maintain a residual in the pipes. Chloramines have also been used to help reduce the formation of common disinfection by-products such as trihalomethanes and haloacetic acids.
The mix differs by country and by supplier. Health Canada says the majority of drinking water treatment plants in Canada use some form of chlorine. Water Corporation in Western Australia says it adds chlorine to all of its water supply schemes. Sydney Water's online water analysis reports free chlorine, total chlorine and monochloramine. For a new market, do not assume. Check.
The numbers
Disinfectant levels are reported in milligrams per litre (mg/L), which is the same as parts per million (ppm). These are the reference points we checked:
| Source | What it says |
|---|---|
| World Health Organization (WHO) | Guideline value for free chlorine in drinking water: 5 mg/L |
| DWI (England and Wales) | Companies generally keep residual chlorine at 0.5 mg/L or less, and most aim to stay below 1 mg/L |
| Sydney Water (Australia) | Compares chlorine at the tap with the Australian Drinking Water Guidelines limit of 5 mg/L |
| Health Canada | Free chlorine in most Canadian distribution systems ranges from 0.04 to 2.0 mg/L; most supplies that use chloramine keep the residual below 4 mg/L |
Taste is a different matter from safety. The WHO notes that most people can taste chlorine or its by-products, such as chloramines, at concentrations below 5 mg/L, and some at levels as low as 0.3 mg/L. Health Canada says sensitive people may notice chlorine at levels as low as 0.6 mg/L. So two customers in the same street can reasonably disagree about whether the water smells.
How to find out which one a market uses
You do not need a test kit for this. Three steps usually settle it.
- Find the supplier's water quality information. In the EU, Directive (EU) 2020/2184 requires up-to-date information, including the types of water treatment and disinfection applied, to be accessible to consumers online. In England and Wales, the DWI says water companies provide a free water quality report on request, showing the maximum and minimum residual chlorine in the local supply. In Australia, Sydney Water's online tool shows results for an address.
- Look for the disinfectant line. Search the page or PDF for "chlorine," "chloramine," "monochloramine," "total chlorine" or "disinfectant residual."
- Ask if it is unclear. Some reports list the disinfectant only in a table of treatment details. A phone call or an email to the supplier is the quickest way to get a plain answer, including whether the system recently switched.
What the agencies say about showering
The sources are measured, and it helps to read them exactly rather than rely on a summary.
Health Canada's technical document on chloramines states that exposure to chloramines via inhalation and dermal routes during showering or bathing is expected to be negligible. Its chlorine document does not contain a statement about showering, and the WHO and DWI pages cited here deal with drinking water. The DWI describes chlorine at the low levels used in drinking water as a proven public health measure.
What the sources do not say is just as important for a seller. None of them claims that disinfected tap water improves or harms hair or skin, and none of them evaluates shower filters. If a customer says water is making a skin condition worse, a dermatologist is the right person to ask, not a water report or a shop assistant.
Chloramine behaves differently
Advice about letting water stand is written for chlorine. The DWI suggests cooling tap water in a refrigerator to reduce the taste of chlorine, and Sydney Water says the chlorine taste and odour should disappear if water stands in a jug for about an hour. Health Canada, by contrast, describes monochloramine as more stable and longer lasting than free chlorine, and none of the sources cited here describes standing or chilling as a way to remove chloramine. Health Canada does note that residential drinking water treatment devices can decrease chloramine concentrations for consumers who find the taste objectionable.
The practical point for a seller: a method that works on one disinfectant may do little for the other, so a statement about "chlorine" should never be stretched to cover "chloramine" without evidence for that disinfectant.
Questions from fish keepers and dialysis users
Two groups need specific guidance, and the sources single out both.
Fish and aquarium owners. Sydney Water's fish guide says the gills and other exposed areas of fish allow easy absorption of chemicals, so chlorine should be removed before water goes into aquariums and ponds. It lists standing the water in sunlight for two days, granular activated carbon filters and commercial water conditioners. Health Canada says aquarium owners must ensure proper aeration or chlorine/chloramine quenching.
Home dialysis patients. Health Canada says dialysis treatment providers should be notified when water is chloraminated. Customers in this group should ask their dialysis unit or equipment maker.
In both cases the water is not described as unsafe to drink or wash in. The concern is about water going directly into a fish's gills or into dialysis treatment. A shower filter is not a substitute for the treatment these groups need.
Where our own claims stop
Water Healer shower filters are designed for shower water only. They are not drinking-water purifiers. The travel Basic version is designed to help reduce residual chlorine and sediment in shower water.
KTR (Korea Testing & Research Institute) issued a residual chlorine test report on a Water Healer filter sample in August 2026. We share it with qualified buyers on request and do not publish the figures on this website. We hold no finished-product certification, and we make no chloramine claim. Actual performance depends on local water quality, water pressure and usage. See the Quality page for what we can document today.
What to do with this
- Write down the disinfectant name and level, in mg/L, for each target market.
- Keep chlorine and chloramine statements separate in your product copy.
- Quote the agency wording, not a paraphrase, when you discuss showering.
- Ask us for the current test status before you print any performance figure.
FAQ
What is the difference between chlorine and chloramine in tap water?
Chlorine is a disinfectant added to tap water. Chloramines are compounds in which one or more chlorine atoms are attached to a nitrogen atom. According to Health Canada, monochloramine is more stable than free chlorine and keeps disinfecting for longer in the pipes.
How much disinfectant is allowed in tap water?
The WHO guideline value for free chlorine in drinking water is 5 mg/L, and Sydney Water compares its results with the same 5 mg/L limit in the Australian Drinking Water Guidelines. In England and Wales, the DWI says most water companies aim to keep the level below 1 mg/L. Limits in other countries are set by their own authorities.
Is it safe to shower in chloraminated water?
Health Canada's technical document says exposure to chloramines through inhalation and skin contact during showering or bathing is expected to be negligible. For personal health questions, customers should speak to a doctor.
Does letting water stand remove chloramine?
The standing and chilling advice from the DWI and Sydney Water is written for chlorine. None of the sources we cite describes it as a way to remove chloramine, and Health Canada describes monochloramine as more stable than free chlorine. Ask the local supplier what works for its water.
Does Water Healer claim to remove chloramine?
No. Our materials describe residual chlorine only, and we do not publish test figures on this website. Qualified buyers can request the KTR test report.
Sources
- World Health Organization, "Chlorine in drinking-water: background document for development of WHO Guidelines for Drinking-water Quality": https://cdn.who.int/media/docs/default-source/wash-documents/wash-chemicals/chlorine.pdf?sfvrsn=88760f74_4
- Drinking Water Inspectorate (England and Wales), "Chlorine": https://dwi.gov.uk/consumers/learn-more-about-your-water/chlorine/
- European Union, "Directive (EU) 2020/2184 on the quality of water intended for human consumption" (Annex IV): https://eur-lex.europa.eu/eli/dir/2020/2184/oj
- Health Canada, "Guidelines for Canadian Drinking Water Quality: Chlorine": https://www.canada.ca/en/health-canada/services/publications/healthy-living/guidelines-canadian-drinking-water-quality-chlorine-guideline-technical-document/page-2-guidelines-canadian-drinking-water-quality-chlorine-guideline-technical-document.html
- Health Canada, "Guidelines for Canadian Drinking Water Quality: Chloramines": https://www.canada.ca/en/health-canada/services/publications/healthy-living/guidelines-canadian-drinking-water-quality-guideline-technical-document-chloramines.html
- Sydney Water, "Drinking water analysis": https://www.sydneywater.com.au/water-the-environment/how-we-manage-sydneys-water/safe-drinking-water/water-analysis.html
- Sydney Water, "Safe drinking water": https://www.sydneywater.com.au/water-the-environment/how-we-manage-sydneys-water/safe-drinking-water.html
- Sydney Water, "How to protect your fish" (PDF): https://www.sydneywater.com.au/content/dam/sydneywater/documents/how-to-protect-your-fish.pdf
- Water Corporation (Western Australia), "Water quality": https://www.watercorporation.com.au/Help-and-advice/Water-quality
General information only. Water supplies and rules differ by country and by city. Confirm local figures with your water utility or authority.
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