Prevention/Solution

• Chloramines are responsible for the familiar "chlorine smell" many swimmers associate with pools. Inadequate chlorination of pool water is generally the culprit behind chloramine buildup; superchlorination can eliminate the chloramines in the pool water. Ultraviolet light can break down chloramines as well.
  
  

Function

• When a photon of ultraviolet light is absorbed by an electron in a molecule of chloramine, the electron jumps to a higher molecular orbital. It can only absorb photons of light that carry energy equivalent to the difference in energy between two molecular orbitals the electron can occupy. Since bonds are formed by sharing electrons between atoms, this process can potentially break a bond, causing the molecule to split up.
  
  

Effects

• According to a 2009 study published in the journal "Environmental Science and Technology," the primary products of ultraviolet degradation of chloramines are nitrate, nitrite, nitrous oxide and ammonium. The reaction process that turns chloramines into these products involves multiple steps and is complex. Certain wavelengths break chloramines down to a greater extent than others, and dichloramine and trichloramine are more susceptible to ultraviolet than monochloramine.