Cancer Causing Trihalomethanes in Drinking Water
Trihalomethane or THMs are a by-product that comes from chlorination.
It is one of the toxic carcinogens created when Chlorine reacts with organic matter in water. When this matter decays - somewhat like compost materials (leaves, bark, sediments) Trihalomethanes are formed. This includes chemicals called chloroform, bromoform and dichlorobromethane. Even in small amounts they are all very carcinogenic.
Since the publication of the study by Environmental Working Group and the Public Interest Research Groups, trihalomethanes have been the focus of news articles across the United States. Following are a few excerpts from articles that relate to nationwide water issues, followed by the Water Quality Association's recommendation of a home water filtration system to protect consumers from potential health problems associated with trihalomethanes.
THMs (Trihalomethanes)in blood increase after shower
Chapel Hill, NC, May 3, 2002 (Water Tech Online)
THMs, by-products from chlorination, appear to increase significantly in the bloodstream after showering, says a study by researchers at the University of North Carolina (UNC) at Chapel Hill School of Public Health.
Public health experts suspect the chemicals might boost the risk of cancer and contribute to reproductive problems such as miscarriages, a release by UNC said.
Through blood sample analysis, researchers measured THMs in the blood of 25 women at each site before and soon after they showered, and compared those levels to concentrations found in tap water in their houses.
THM concentrations were around 1,000 times lower in blood than in tap water, but after the showers, median levels in blood increased by a factor of four.
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