Scientists Concerned About Unknown Levels of Toxicity in Chemical Common in U.S. Drinking Water  

Scientists aren’t sure if a chemical often found in America’s municipal water systems is toxic.

The chemical, chloronitramide anion, was discovered 40 years ago — meaning people have been consuming it for decades. But scientists have only recently been able to properly identify it as a byproduct that forms when chloramine is added to water, according to a study published in the journal Science.

Specifically, chloramine is used to kill viruses and bacteria, NBC News reports. And as the study explains, “inorganic chloramines are frequently used drinking water disinfectants intended to protect public health and suppress the regulated generation of disinfection byproducts.”

But its impact on humans is unknown — and worrisome — because “it has similarities to other toxic molecules,” study author David Wahman, an environmental researcher at the Environmental Protection Agency, told NBC.

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“We looked for it in 40 samples from 10 US chlorinated drinking water systems located in seven states. We found it in all the samples.”

According to the study, the chloronitramide anion could be in the water of up to one-third of American homes, as 113 million homes receive water that has been treated with chloramine.

The study’s lead author, Julian Fairey, told NBC: “We don’t know about the toxicity, but this study has allowed us to do that now.”

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One scientist pointed out that it is likely that the chemical is indeed toxic.

“It is a fairly small molecule and probably for that reason it can enter biological systems and cells. And it’s still a reactive molecule,” David Reckhow, a professor of civil and environmental engineering at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst, told NBC. “Those are the things you worry about.”

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Categories: Trends
Source: HIS Education