Disinfection is an indispensable practice in hospitals, where high concentrations of chemical agents, bacteria, and viruses pose significant risks to human health if left unaddressed. This paper aims to briefly explore the advantages of using chlorine dioxide (ClO₂) for disinfection in hospital environments.

Chlorine dioxide offers multiple benefits, with its primary advantage lying in its efficacy as a broad-spectrum disinfectant. It is widely applied in the disinfection of drinking water, swimming pool water, and medical wastewater, as it acts as a highly efficient agent that disrupts microbial cell membranes and inhibits protein synthesis. Even at low dosages, ClO₂ maintains strong disinfection performance while effectively removing various waterborne pollutants. Notably, it is among the few chemical disinfectants capable of effectively eliminating waterborne parasites such as Cryptosporidium.

Additionally, ClO₂ exhibits versatile functionality: it improves water odor, controls algal growth, neutralizes manganese and iron ions, and degrades cyanides and sulfides. It maintains stability and efficacy across a wide pH range, enhancing its adaptability to diverse hospital water systems. Importantly, the primary byproduct of ClO₂ disinfection is chlorite, which is non-hazardous to human health under standard disinfection conditions.

While ClO₂ is a valuable disinfectant, alternative agents for drinking water and medical wastewater disinfection include active oxygen, chloric acid-based disinfectants, chlorine gas, and ultraviolet (UV) radiation. Regardless of the disinfectant used, precise dosage control is critical. For example, when using chlorine-based disinfectants, real-time monitoring of total residual chlorine in wastewater via Online Total Residual Chlorine Analyzers is essential to prevent over-dosing and associated hazards. Post-disinfection, comprehensive wastewater monitoring must be conducted to verify compliance with regulatory standards for all relevant parameters.