I live in the country and have my own well, so there is nothing in it but what comes up from the aquifer below. If someone's public drinking water makes cotton dishcloths dissolve, there is a serious problem and I would hope it would be reported. Something that serious would cause a shut-down of water until it was resolved in my state.
Nope. Unless something kills people instantly they just ignore ongoing problems.
People who live out in the country and have their own wells don't fully realize how good they got it without all the junk being put in the water.
When I was working, I didn't work in the Public Drinking Water program, but I was very familiar with it. Chlorine dioxide is a common additive to make sure drinking water is safe depending on the source used. But like you say, Trail, it is supposed to be down to safe levels before it reaches homes. Our inspectors did routine sampling to be sure the water was safe for all uses including drinking. The Public Drinking Water Program delegated to the states by the EPA is supposed to enforce all public health standards for drinking water. One of the few things other countries envy is our Public Drinking Water Program.
The problem isn't chlorine so much as chloramines. Chloramines cause all sorts of nonstop coughing as well as the problems with towels dissolving.
11 months of the year they put chloramines in the water and we can't even bathe in it without filtering the water first. That one month when we have only chlorine in the water all these problems disappear.