Water Chlorination and Potential Cancer Risk - Oxford Journals

Here is an article from the Oxford Journals and the Journal of the National Cancer Institute on the potential risk of cancer from chlorine in our tap water.

Water Chlorination and Potential Cancer Risk

Chlorine may react with humic substances in water, producing large numbers of halogenated organic byproducts. These byproducts include the chlorinated and brominated trihalomethanes (e.g., chloroform or bromodichloromethane) and haloacetic acids, which are the most frequently and abundantly found disinfection byproducts, as well as MX, which has been measured at much lower concentrations.

What is the appropriate response to the findings that MX causes cancer in experimental animals? Certainly, we expect our drinking water to be clean and safe for public consumption. Stopping water chlorination in the absence of an equally effective disinfection program is not a sensible choice. 

***

Animal studies have frequently identified chemicals that have later been shown to be human carcinogens.

A more reasonable consideration may be possible by exploring the potential health risks imposed by MX in comparison to the health risks of other disinfection byproducts. MX is not the first chlorination disinfection byproduct shown to cause cancer in laboratory animals. The trihalomethanes have also been shown to be carcinogenic in rats and mice. 

***

It is informative to compare MX with chloroform, a drinking water disinfection by product that has been shown to be carcinogenic in rodents. Estimates of human risks by use of animal data are based on estimates of cancer potency, extrapolation models, and estimates of human exposure.

*** 

Thus, it would appear that the cancer potency of MX is approximately 170 times greater than that of chloroform and 17 times greater than that of bromodichloromethane when estimated by similar methods on a weight basis.

For the full article click here - Oxford Journals

A Total Water Cleaner removes over 90% of ALL toxic chemicals from your tap water, chlorine, chloromine and Trihalomethanes (THMs).

Find out more about our cleaners at - www.TotalWaterCleaners.com