Drinking water Potentially toxic compound discovered in chloraminated water

A Swiss-American research team has identified a potentially toxic compound in US drinking water systems. This is a degradation product of a chemical that is used in some countries to disinfect drinking water.

Such inorganic chloramines are used to protect public health from diseases such as cholera and typhoid. According to estimates, more than 113 million people in the USA alone drink chloraminated water, as reported by the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Zurich.

The researchers have identified the chloronitramide anion as the end product of the decomposition of inorganic chloramine. It is currently unknown whether and how toxic the chloronitramide anion is. However, its prevalence and similarity to other toxic compounds gave the researchers cause for concern. Further studies are now needed to assess the risk to public health.

The study, published in the journal Science, focused on water systems in the USA. However, Italy, France, Canada and other countries also use chloramination and could be affected. "Chloraminated drinking water is widespread in North America, but chloramination is not really practiced in Switzerland, and there is no chloronitramide anion in Swiss waters," co-author Juliana Laszakovits was quoted as saying in the press release.

"It is generally known that the disinfection of drinking water produces a certain toxicity. This is actually a chronic toxicity. A certain number of people can develop cancer from drinking water over several decades. But we haven't figured out which chemicals cause this toxicity," said Julian Fairey, professor at the University of Arkansas.

SDA