Tap water
Bacteria and viruses
Water pipes house billions of bacteria and viruses in layers of sediment and sludge. When released in small numbers, they are instantly killed by the chlorine in the water, but when lumps of sludge are ripped off by pressure changes in the pipes, there is not enough chlorine and it could cause intestinal disorders or more serious ailments.
Chlorine
Chlorine is a very efficient poison that normally kills all bacteria and viruses in your tap water. In order to be on the safe side and to make the chlorine last until the end of the pipe network, water utilities may sometimes add too much chlorine.
Trihalomethanes
When chlorine breaks down bacteria, trihalomethanes, such as chloroform, trichloroethylene, bromoform, dibromochloromethane, and bromodichloromethane are formed. As long as water plants continue to use chlorine to eradicate bacteria, drinking water will always contain some trihalomethanes.
Health risk research
Read about the research into the health risks of trihalomethanes in drinking water.
