Eli5 if chlorine is toxic how come it doesn’t harm me in swimming pools?

Question

Eli5 if chlorine is toxic how come it doesn’t harm me in swimming pools?

In: 4

Answer 1

Our skin protects us from the harm the chlorine would cause. Both chlorine and soap work by ripping open the cell membrane, killing bacteria and disabling viruses. Human skin is composed of many later of dead skin cells with tightly compacted proteins holding them together, forming a barrier against the outside. This si why you don’t dissolve you own hands when you wash them with soap!