Are Campden tablets the same as "sulfites"?

[TrustyOlJohnson]

I'm considering using Campden tablets (potassium or sodium metabisulfite), to remove chloramine and chlorine from my water, but am wondering if this is the same as the "sulfites" that I see listed on bottles of wine that give me headaches when I drink them.. I dont want to solve one problem and create another.

 

[Ozarks Mountain Brewery]

I believe it is but small amounts for water treatment won’t be noticed, I’m actually allergic, if I crush the pill and add it to my water then touch my face I break out in a rash but I never have any effects in the finished beer, I only add a tablet to 20 gallons of water, once you mash and boil most of it will be gone

 

[Sadu]

Wine uses a lot more than you would in beer. But I'm always careful to break up the tablet into pieces and use the minimum necessary to remove the chlorine.

 

[Yooper]

Remember that yeast fermentation creates sulfites- It is impossible to make a sulfite-free wine, because wine yeast produce sulfur dioxide (SO2) during the fermentation process. Wines with no added sulfite contain from 6 to 40 ppm of sulfite. Some winemakers add sulfites to protect the wine, but even then at 50 ppm or so, it's less sulfite than is in a package of dried fruit like raisins, or a food like prepared horseradish. Wine headaches don't come from sulfites, although that's what gets the blame much of the time.

Even beer often has sulfites, because of the fermentation process.

In any case, if you are using sulfites to neutralize chlorine, it's a chemical reaction so that there aren't sulfites in the water once it's mixed and it's an instantaneous reaction.

 

[TrustyOlJohnson]

Thank you all for the responses.. much appreciated!

 

[mabrungard]

While most of the sulfites are likely to be consumed in the reaction with chlorine compounds, any remaining excess sulfite will be volatilized out of the wort during the boil. Do not worry about sulfites in beer from metabisulfite use early in your processes.