Using a chlorine alternative was supposed to be the safer answer
to disinfecting the public drinking water supply in the United States.
Instead, the alternative is churning out a class of byproducts that
are proving to contain much greater toxins than those of chlorine.
These questionable byproducts have been found solely in the chloramines-treated
drinking water in Corpus Christi, Texas.
Chloramines are a mixture of chlorine and ammonia and are used
in some municipal drinking water supplies as a chlorine alternative.
Thirty years of research on the effects of chlorine interaction
with organic matter in drinking water has confirmed that the byproducts
generated from chlorine have been associated to increased susceptibility
to:
- Certain types of cancer
- Birth defects
- Developmental defects
The EPA is in the process of putting the final touches on a rule
that will impose stricter standards for using chlorine byproducts
that have shown to produce dangerous health effects. Researchers
believe this ruling will send a portion of water treatment facilities
to seek out chlorine alternatives.
Further Research Needed
- Only approximately half of the disinfection byproducts that
find their way into chlorinated drinking water have been defined
- Much less research has been conducted on byproducts of chlorine
alternatives
- On the whole, experts have working knowledge on the biological
effects of a mere 30 percent of all identified byproducts
One possible solution researchers offered was to implement a "rank
ordering" system that would label the byproducts with the least
potential for harming human health
Presently, the EPA has no plans to regulate the chemicals in the
public drinking water supplies.
Yahoo
News September 21, 2004
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