Download - powerpoint chloramine
IF ALL THE WATER ON EARTH WAS PUT IN A SPHERE
A highly toxic and unnecessary
treatment alternative
CHLO
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Chlorine Most effective disinfectant for drinking water Effectively kills e-coli, rotaviruses and polio 1 Successfully used nation-wide over 100
years Dissipates quickly – protecting environment
and minimally affecting people
So, Why Chloramine?
Organic Material + Chlorine = Disinfection in Raw Water Byproducts
(DBP)DBPs of Chlorine
Trihalomethanes (TTHM)Haloacetic Acids (HAA)
STAGE 1Average across all testing locations
must be in compliance
40 50 60 180 130 50 60 30 20 40 30 140 90 30 20 50
AVERAGE75 ppb TTMs - compliance 52 ppb HAAs - compliance
STAGE 1Average across all testing locations
40 50 60 180 130 50 60 30 20 40 30 140 90 30 20 50
This method allowed people in some testing locations toBe exposed to unacceptable levels of byproducts
STAGE 2Average in each location over 4 quarters
Same levels – different calculation
1st 30 40
2nd 20 80
3rd 130 150
4th 50 90
THMs 57.5 90 compliance non-compliance
Need to reduce TTHMs and HAAs
Options offered by EPA:
Better filtration of organics before disinfectionUV Light
Chlorine DioxideChloramine
Cheapest alternative = chloramine
CHLORAMINEADVANTAGES:
Ammonia binds to chlorine – maintains residual in longer lines – no booster
needed - reduces reactivity to organic material - thereby reducing formation of TTHMs and HAAsChloramine is cheap
- HOWEVER………
CHLORAMINEDISADVANTAGES:
Adverse SHORT TERM health effectsAdverse LONG TERM health effectsLEAST EFFECTIVE BIOCIDEFatal to aquatic life and watershedsCorrodes pipes and fixtures/leaches leadHomeland Security riskCan’t be filtered outDoes not dissipate
HEALTHEFFECTS
SHORT TERM HEALTH EFFECTSThousands of people in over 30 states reporting:
Persistent skin rashes - burns In Westmoreland, PA
Pennsylvania
Exposed to chloraminated Not exposed to water for 3 minutes chloramine
In Colorado
In Vermont
Respiratory - Asthma like symptoms Mono-Chloramine speciates into di-, tri-Chloramine with change in temperature and pH Tri-chloramine – known respiratory irritant
In study intended to measure dermal affect – 100% of test mice died from inhaling tri-chloramine vapor
Digestive ailments –
Reflux Colitis
Painful stomach
LONG TERM HEALTH EFFECTSOrganic Material + Chloramine = Nitrogen in Raw Water Disinfection
Byproducts (NDBP)
DBPs of Chloramine N-Nitrosodimethylamine (NDMA)
Hydrazine (rocket fuel)DXAA
Iodoacetic Acid
LONG TERM HEALTH EFFECTS:
Creates a new, more toxic family of byproducts NDMA HYDRAZINE DXAA IODOACETIC ACID
* Up to 100,000 times MORE TOXIC than TTHM/HAA * More toxic at smaller doses * Genotoxic, Cytotoxic and Mutagenic * Cannot be filtered out * Absorbed through skin in shower, bath, pool * NDMA and Hydrazine = ‘probable’ human carcinogens * Formed in distribution system
Chlorine Chloramine
Mammalian Cell Cytotoxicity if Genotoxicity of Disinfection By-ProductsDrs. Michael Plewa & Elizabeth D. Wagner (2009) Water Research Foundation
Chloramine Byproducts Comparative Toxicity
Iodo Acids – Byproduct of Chloramine
Common household products can react with Chloramine to form NDMAs
Commonly used shampoos, conditioners and soaps contain ingredients that can react with chloramine to form NDMAs
Suave shampoo and Dawn dish detergent positively identified as forming NDMAs in chloraminated water
INEFFECTIVE BIOCIDEChloramine is the LEAST effective biocide of all
the available treatments
* 2,000 times less effective in killing e-coli, rotaviruses and polio 1 than Chlorine.
* World Health Organization warns not to sacrifice bio-cidal effect because of
possible byproduct issues
Documented Fish Kills
in Virginia, California and British Columbia * Feb 2013-SanMateo- “the creek looks sterile”
* McLean in NOVA ---9 miles of stream killed - “everything down to the earthworms”
* Henrico Co Fish Kill in Feb 2012* Protected Steel Head Trout
* 1000 species of salmonids and invertebrates
FISH KILLS
CORROSIVE – LEACHES LEAD AND PITS COPPER
Washington D.C. – 4 years – EPA and CDC ignored evidence of high levels of lead in the water after chloramine started – law suits by parents are pending – 1000’s of children exposed for 4 years - no amount of lead is safe for children.
In NY, high lead levels even with corrosion inhibitor
California – Developer suing water authority for pitted copper pipes throughout new development
HIGH LEAD – WEST VIEW WATERJuly to September 2010 * 19 out of 98 homes elevated lead levels
* levels of up to 130 ppb, more than 8 times the maximum allowed
by EPA * problem began when authority began using
chloramine
Excessive lead found in tap water after chloramine was implemented
West View, PA- * 19 out of 98 homes elevated lead levels
* levels of up to 130 ppb * > 8X the EPA maximum
Greenville, NCDuke study
Chapel Hill, NC Lead-free brass fittings
Poughkeepsie, NYCould not control lead leaching despite pH changes and corrosion inhibitorsReverted back to chlorine
Chloramine pits copper pipeCalifornia – Developer
suing water authority for pitted copper pipes throughout new development.
Seeking more than $20 million in damages, citing product liability, negligence, private nuisance and breach of warranty
Representative failures from buildings after a utility switched to chloramine –
from Marc Edwards 2003
Rubber and elastomer – life span in chlorine = 5-6 YEARS in chloramine = 5-6 MONTHS
Chloraminated Tap Water
HOMELAND SECURITYChloramine - chlorine + ammonia is more stable, less reactive
- Intentional contamination of our water –Chlorine will attack – levels will drop –alarms will go offChloramine will not readily react –
levels will NOT drop and NO alarms will go off
US Army Corps of Engineers Construction Engineering Research Lab, Champaign, Il. 61826
FILTRATION Home v. Water treatment facility Point of Use and Whole House Filters
* only reduces the mono-chloramine * does not affect di- and tri- chloramine* does not reduce or eliminate toxic byproducts* does not protect you at school, work, vacation, family
homes, hotels, restaurants, shopping centers, etc* expensive + continuing expense – paying for protection
from water we are paying to receive
Water treatment facility filtration* Can reduce TTHMs and HAAs and not use chloramine if
implement more effective pre-disinfection filtration
GAC is an EPA BEST AVAILABLE TECHNOLOGY
for the following contaminants
• Disinfection Byproducts (DBPs)• Mercury and Cadmium• Natural Organic Matter• Synthetic Organic Chemicals (specifically:benzo(a)pyrene, di(2-ethylhexyl)adipate, di(2-ethylhexyl)phthalate, hexachlorobenzene,
dioxin)• Radionuclides
OTHER ISSUESCompelling anecdotal evidence - not scientifically
confirmed:
Chloramine may also effect –* rising autism
*reduced bee population*birds*cats*plant growth*beer production*bread production
ADVANTAGES: DISADVANTAGES:
1. maintains residual 1. Short term health effects2. reduces TTHMs and 2. Long term health effects HAAs 3. Ineffective biocide3. it’s cheap 4. Fish kills and watersheds
5. Lead leaching-pipe pitting6. watershed contamination7. Homeland Security risk8. can’t be filtered out9. doesn’t dissipate or boil out 10. may be obsolete in near future11. wastes water12. Long term – expensive consequences