A team of scientists from the United States and Switzerland has managed to identify a new compound in chlorinated drinking water that could affect public health in the long term. The element is a byproduct of the breakdown of disinfectants used in some purification processes.
Inorganic chloramines are commonly used to treat water and eliminate disease-causing pathogens such as cholera and typhoid. When these molecules come into contact with other substances they can form toxic components. Work led by Julian Fairey, associate professor of civil engineering at the University of Arkansas, has managed to identify the composition of one of these derivatives.
Water chloramination and health consequences
The scientist and his colleagues have determined that the anion (an ion with a negative electrical charge) chloronitroamide (Cl–N–NO2) is the final product of the decomposition of inorganic chloramine. It is “a chemical substance that is difficult to find and very stable, with a low molecular weight. The most difficult part was identifying and defining its structure,” notes Fairey. The toxicity of Cl–N–NO2 is unknown. Despite this, experts indicate that its prevalence and similarity with other toxic agents is worrying.
The compound was detected in 40 drinking water samples drawn from 10 supply systems in the United States that apply chlorine-based disinfectants. It was synthesized in a laboratory at the University of Arkansas. The result was subjected to a comparative analysis conducted by Juliana Laszakovits, co-author and professor of environmental chemistry at ETH Zurich. The chloramination process is common in North America, but is not practiced in Switzerland. The liquid from the supply network of the latter nation functioned as a control mechanism in the study.
The lack of evidence on the harmfulness of this new compound raises questions about its possible health effects. Julian has assured that “when we disinfect drinking water, a certain chronic toxicity is created. A certain number of people can develop cancer from drinking treated liquids over several years. “We have not identified with complete precision which derived chemicals may be harmful.” He states that the objective of his research is to identify these harmful molecules and define the processes by which they are generated.
“Although the chloronitroamide anion is not toxic, its discovery can help us understand the pathways by which other compounds are formed, including toxins. “If we know how something is produced, we can potentially control it,” says Fairey.
Utility company American Water says chloramination is the process of adding ammonia to drinking water that already has chlorine added. In this way, inorganic chloramines are created. The purification method is used in various countries such as Italy, France and Canada. It is estimated that more than 113 million people drink chlorinated water in the United States.
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