Chloramine in the water, controversy in the air
December 10, 2009 | 3:40
pm
Water, water, everywhere, and every droplet stings.
That’s what Los Angeles resident and model Frances O'Hara says she learned when a rash broke out all over her face and body after showering. Ann M. Simmons writes in today’s Times about some Antelope Valley residents resisting a plan to start using chloramine to disinfect their water supply. It's part of a federal mandate to switch over from chlorine by 2014.
Chloramine comes with a few advantages: It's long-lasting, gets rid of germs more effectively and creates fewer nasty byproducts. It's regarded as harmless in drinking water for humans, but is toxic for fish and has to be filtered out of water used for dialysis patients.
Here's a fact sheet from the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission on chloramines and drinking water.
That’s what Los Angeles resident and model Frances O'Hara says she learned when a rash broke out all over her face and body after showering. Ann M. Simmons writes in today’s Times about some Antelope Valley residents resisting a plan to start using chloramine to disinfect their water supply. It's part of a federal mandate to switch over from chlorine by 2014.
Chloramine comes with a few advantages: It's long-lasting, gets rid of germs more effectively and creates fewer nasty byproducts. It's regarded as harmless in drinking water for humans, but is toxic for fish and has to be filtered out of water used for dialysis patients.
Here's a fact sheet from the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission on chloramines and drinking water.
Thus far, nasty reactions to chloramine appear to be relatively rare. But if chloramine and you can't get along (and you can't leave your city to shower, as Denise Johnson-Kula did in Simmons' story), try using bottled water -- or get yourself a granular activated carbon filter.
-- Amina Khan
Unfortunately, nasty reactions are not so rare. I had severe skin rashes and had to stop using our water here in the San Francisco Bay Area completely. We know of hundreds of people across the country who have had digestive, respiratory or skin problems because of this chemical. Please see www.chloramine.org for more information.
Posted by: Beth Nord | December 17, 2009 at 12:38 PM
Filters CANNOT remove chloramine. This has been verified independently through testing by NSF and others. Even the best, multiple filtration systems only somewhat reduce chloramine levels and none work for showering or other high flow/hot water uses. Vitamin C filters have been tested and shown to be inadequate as well.
Unfortunately, for those of us with serious symptoms from chloraminated water, filtration simply dosen't work. If filtration did work, we would all be using it instead of fighting the mindless bureaucracy for our very lives.
Posted by: Denise Johnson-Kula | December 23, 2009 at 01:53 PM