Protecting families from contaminated food and water
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Protecting families from contaminated food and water
Posted in Our Blog on January 15, 2025
Is a commonly used additive in water safe?
What additive, you ask?
Inorganic chloramines have been used to disinfect public water have been widely for a really long time. But their by-products have not been widely studied. Leaving the nearly one-third of Americans who rely on tap water disinfected with this compound at risk.
Research funded by the National Science Foundation, published in the journal, Science, titled Chloronitramide Anion is a Decomposition Product of Inorganic Chloramines.
It is this chloronitramide anion that we are questioning.
And it’s about time.
The chloronitramide anion byproduct of chloramines has been widely known about for 30 years. Research on the compound’s toxicity, however, has yet to be evaluated.
“For over a century, chemical disinfection of public water supplies has effectively reduced waterborne disease by killing pathogens in drinking water,” a news release for the study says. “Inorganic chloramines, like monochloramine (NH22Cl) and dichloramine (NHCl2), have become widely used in the U.S. for this purpose and are used to treat the tap water for nearly one-third Americans.”
This reaches more than 113 million people across the country.
Despite the decomposition products of chloramine, some facilities still consider this disinfectant agent a better option, than say chlorine, due to known reactivity.
“Since the 1970s, we’ve known that chlorine reacts with constituents in the water to form disinfection by-products which have been associated with bladder and colon cancer, low birth weight, weight and miscarriage,” said author Julian Fairey. In fact, certain chlorine by-products are closely regulated by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).
Hence the switch to chloramine.
But did we trade one evil for another?
We know it exists. Studies have found the “previously unknown substance” in water for decades. But now that we know what it is, we must know.
Is it safe?
We don’t know.
This is because toxicity studies are lacking.
“Detected in the tap water of millions of Americans, this compound’s toxicity remains untested, prompting calls for immediate toxicological evaluation and raising questions about the safety of chloramine in public water supplies,” the release adds.
So far, we know that chloramines are used to treat water. And that these chloramines break down into the indicated chloronitramide anion. But how much of this untested, potentially harmful compound are we talking about here.
A lot, apparently.
The referenced study took 40 drinking water samples from 10 different U.S. drinking water systems that used chloramines as a disinfectant.
The chloronitramide anion levels were “notable.”
As high as 100 micrograms per liter. A concentration surpassing the typical regulatory limits (60 to 80 micrograms per liter) for other disinfection by-products.
According to research, this compound was not identified in ultrapure water or drinking water treated without the chlorine-based disinfectants potentially producing the by-product.
While this additive in water may shock you, there is more that could be lurking in your drinking glass. In fact, there are nine chemicals commonly found in tap water.
Some are added on purpose.
Others find their way in.
Many are known to be bad for humans.
Chlorine is still used in some municipal water systems as a purification technique. Even if not consumed by drinking, this additive in water can be absorbed through physical contact with the skin. Like when bathing.
For decades, fluoride has been added to drinking water on purpose. Despite being a known neurotoxin and endocrine disruptor, it continues to be included to help reduce tooth decay.
Herbicides make their way into drinking water from rainfall and irrigation runoff from farmlands. This contaminated water drains into lakes, rivers, and sometimes treated water systems.
Erosion of household plumbing systems and occasionally erosion of natural deposits can cause this heavy metal contamination. The harmful effects of lead are widely known.
Not the planet, but the heavy metal. Mercury can be found in various natural deposits. Which is one way for it to make its way into drinking water. The other is from refineries and factories, landfill runoff, and even cropland runoff.
Bet you can’t say that three times fast. MTBE is a gasoline additive used to reduce carbon monoxide and ozone levels in auto emissions. It makes its way into water systems through spills or leaks in pipelines or underground storage tanks.
Naturally occurring in soil, nitrates often make their way into drinking water. Even more so due to their common use as a fertilizer. Runoff from farms or soaking into surface and ground water can wind up in drinking water.
The toxic chemical, perchlorate, has been detected in drinking water in several states. It is known for its use in rocket fuel, explosives, and road flares. How it gets into drinking water? Your guess is as good as mine.
Both human and veterinary medications are sometimes found in our drinking water. How? Oftentimes from poorly controlled manufacturing facilities if you are near one. Otherwise, it can come about through improper disposable of prescription drugs.
While buying bottled water is the obvious solution, this expensive option still comes with a risk. So what can you do about it?
One subject matter expert, civil and environmental engineering professor, Daniel McCurry published commentary alongside the paper. He writes, “Regardless of whether chloronitramide anion is found to be toxic or not, its discovery warrants a moment of reflection for water researchers and engineers.
While he says that more testing is needed on these by-products, there is a simple product that can be used to help remove it.
Maybe.
Since activated carbon has been shown in previous literature to remove the contaminant, that could be your best bet.
“A Brita filter, or something like that, is probably logical … Any kind of carbon-based filter that you’d have in your refrigerator would probably remove it. If someone was concerned, that would be the thing that maybe they could think about doing,” he said.
Did you know that most municipalities publish their water testing records? Contact your water provider to get the details on what is going on with your water.
If you’d like to know more about food safety topics in the news, like “An Additive in Water May Cause More Harm Than Good,” check out the Make Food Safe Blog. We regularly update trending topics, foodborne infections in the news, recalls, and more! Stay tuned for quality information to help keep your family safe, while The Lange Law Firm, PLLC strives to Make Food Safe!
By: Heather Van Tassell (contributing writer, non-lawyer)