Chlorine

Over 200 years ago, a young Swedish researcher, Carl Wilhelm Scheele, discovered chlorine. Because of its reactivity and bonding characteristics, chlorine has become an essential chemical building block, leading to a myriad of materials that are used to make the products we use every day for public health, safety, nutrition, security, transportation, lifestyle and high-tech innovation. Drinking water, agricultural abundance, disinfected wastewater, essential industrial chemicals, bleaches and fuels, all depend on chlorine. Pharmaceuticals, plastics, dyes, cosmetics, coatings, electronics, adhesives, clothing and automobile parts are examples of product groups that depend on chlorine chemistry.

• Chlorine Applications
• Benefits of Chlorine
• Chlorine Release Fact Sheet
• Chlorine Manufacture
• Chemical Properties
• Health Hazards
• Other Hazards
• Gaskets for Chlorine Service
• Quarterly Chlorine Safety Newsletter

End-User Training

CI Product Stewardship maintains training modules for end-users of chlorine and sodium hypochlorite which includes fully licensed CEUs in an number of states in the United States. Below you will find an overview of the chlorine training module which you may download here. If you have training needs that are outside the activities listed below, simply contact CI at info@cl2.com and we will see what we can do to help you.

• Introduce The Chlorine Institute​

• Provide an overview of chlorine chemical and physical properties, including health affects, exposure treatment, and Personal Protective Equipment (PPE)​

• Provide an overview of chlorine emergency response methods and CHLOREP® ​

• Overview of the chlorine packaging process overview ​

• Review safe chlorine handling practices​

• Overview of the regulatory requirements for chlorine​

• Provide an overview of additional resources and training available

Packaged Chlorine

The safe handling, use, storage and actual packaging of chlorine in either cylinders or ton containers has always been an important part of the Chlorine Institute's safety mission. CI's 200 member companies represent the complete value chain-from chlorine producers to packagers, distributors, users and suppliers. The Institute's North American producer members account for a majority of the total chlorine production capacity of the U.S. and Canada. Packager members represent a significant percentage of the total U. S. market.

Resources for Packagers

The Chlorine Institute has developed a library of technical pamphlets and training resources specifically related to the safe handling and use of chlorine cylinders and ton containers, including:

• Chlorine Basics (formerly The Chlorine Manual)
• Packaging Plant Safety and Operational Guidelines
• Guidelines for the Safe Motor Vehicular Transportation of Chlorine Cylinders & Ton Containers

These products can be ordered on this website in the CI Bookstore.

Proper Terms to Avoid Confusion

Please note that cylinders and ton containers have many similarities in the way in which they are handled and many users of cylinders also use ton containers. Therefore, they are considered together in discussions of chlorine packaging. However, the terms "cylinder," "ton cylinder" or "drum" should NOT be used to describe the ton container. Emergency equipment for handling ton containers is different from that used for cylinders and confusion can be avoided if proper terms are used.