What is the effectiveness of chlorine in removing Cryptosporidium?

Chlorine is generally considered ineffective in removing Cryptosporidium from water supplies. Cryptosporidium is a resilient waterborne protozoan that has a tough outer cyst wall, which provides it with significant resistance to chlorine disinfection. This means that standard chlorination practices are not sufficient to ensure the complete inactivation or removal of Cryptosporidium from drinking water. As a result, alternative treatment methods, such as filtration or the use of ultraviolet (UV) light and ozone, are often applied in conjunction with or instead of chlorine to effectively manage this pathogen.

This characteristic of Cryptosporidium highlights the need for robust water treatment protocols to ensure safety from this and similar pathogens.