Water and health
Our society is very dependent on abundant supplies of good quality drinking water. Our urban water distribution systems bring great benefits. But to be safe, water needs to be disinfected. The chemicals used, along with their by-products (DBPs) end up in our bodies.
Any chemical that is alien in nature, and many natural ones, should be treated with caution. Our bodies can tolerate a certain amount of some ”poisonous” chemicals by breaking them down or excreting them from the body.
Chlorine reacts with organic matter in the water mains to produce THM trihalomethanes. Examples of THM include chloroform, trichloroethylene, bromoform, dibromochloromethane, and bromodichloromethane.
Scientific studies have linked increased exposure to THMs to an elevated cancer risk and an increased risk of miscarriages and birth defects in pregnant women.
Chlorine is usually added to the water in the form of chlorine-dioxide. Some waterworks have experimented with adding chloramine - a combination of chlorine and ammonia - instead to avoid by-products of chlorine-dioxide such as Chloroform, Bromoform and others which are known to be harmful. Recent research shows that chloramine causes even more poisonous by-products such as iodoacids. Ozon, however, is till considered to be a disinfection method that causes less by-products. However, ozon has no residual effect which means that bacteria can grow in the pipes after desinfection.
Chlorine reacts with organic matter
in the water mains to produce
THM trihalomethanes. Examples of THM include chloroform, trichloroethylene,
bromoform, dibromochloromethane, and bromodichloromethane.
Purity believes that exposure to THMs and other DBPs should be limited wherever possible.
Our patented technology completely removes THMs.
Why is water so important to health?
On bottled water
