Chlorine

Chlorine is a gaseous element found in extracellular and intracellular fluids as the chloride ion. It is the principal anion of the extracellular fluid. An average dietary intake of table salt, sodium chloride, easily supplies enough chloride for physiological needs.

Chloride assumes a role in acid-base balance of blood, water balance, saliva, sweat and gastric acid formation.

Chloride (Cl⁻) is the predominant anion in intracellular fluid and one of the most important extracellular anions

• contributes to many body functions including the maintenance of osmotic and acid–base balance, muscular and nervous activity, and the movement of water and solutes between fluid compartments

Dietary chloride deficiency is rare (1)

• sodium chloride added during industrial food processing, discretionary use or food preservation is the major source of dietary chloride in Western diets

Chlorine is added to water for the purpose of sterilization; the gas has been used in chemical warfare.

Commonly, agents containing chlorine have the prefix chlor- or chloro-.

Reference:

1. EFSA Panel on Nutrition, Novel Foods and Food Allergens (NDA); Turck D et al Dietary reference values for chloride. EFSA J. 2019 Sep 4;17(9):e05779.