a highly toxic and unnecessary treatment alternative

A highly toxic and unnecessary

treatment alternative

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VA Beach tap water

Chloraminated Tap Water

Chlorine Most effective disinfectant for drinking

water Effectively kills e-coli, rotaviruses and

polio 1 Successfully used nation-wide over 100

years Dissipates quickly - sparing environment

and minimally affecting people

So, Why Chloramine?

Organic Material + Chlorine = Disinfection Raw Water

Byproducts

(DBP)DBPs of Chlorine

Trihalomethanes (TTHM)Haloacetic Acids (HAA)

DISINFECTANTS AND DISINFECTION BY-PRODUCTS

(TTHMs) Trihalomethanes 35.6 ppb 22 - 58ppb

(HAAs) Haloacetic Acid 40.5 ppb 19 - 42 ppb

Free Residual Chlorine 1.48 ppm 0.2 - 1.9 ppm

Rivanna Water & Sewer Authority Charlottesville, VA

RWSA’s THMs ( regulated at 80 ppb) and HAAs (regulated at 60 ppb) are well within regulated limit of Stage 2 regs. No need to chloraminate this system, yet it is being scheduled.

WHY ?

Need to reduce TTHMs and HAAs

Options offered by EPA:

Better filtration of organics before disinfectionGranular Activated Carbon (GAC)

UV LightChlorine Dioxide

Chloramine

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 regulated

TTHMs and HAAs

- 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 out, does not dissipateWater wasted in excessive flushing

HEALTHEFFECTS

SHORT TERM HEALTH EFFECTS

Thousands of people in over 20 states reporting:

Persistent skin rashes - burnsPennsylvania

Exposed to chloraminated Not exposed to water for 3 minutes chloramine

In Colorado

In California

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 effect – 100%

of test mice died from inhaling tri-chloramine vapor

Digestive ailments –

Reflux Colitis

Painful stomach

LONG TERM HEALTH EFFECTS

Organic 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

Iodoacetic Acids-most toxic DBPs found

Nationwide DBP occurrence study iodo-acids were identified for the first time as DBPs in drinking water disinfected with chloramines.

Environ. Sci. Technol. 2006, 40, 7175−7185Environmental Health Perspectives Dec 2011

Sources of iodine compoundssoilsea water intrusioniodinated contrast media from

hospitals

Pharmaceuticals as NDMA precursors

Commonly used drugs form Nitrosamines in chloraminated water

Zantac (stomach acid reducer, ulcer)Unisom (sleep aid)Imitrex (migraine therapy)Allerest 12 Hour (antihistamine)Axid (ulcer, heartburn)Cardizem (high blood pressure, angina)Clistin (antihistamine)Tetracycline (antibiotic)

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 X less effective in killing e-coli, *100,000 X less effective in killing rotavirus

*ineffective against Giardia and Cryptosporidium

FISH KILLSDocumented Fish Kills

in Virginia, California and British Columbia

* 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

CORROSIVE – LEACHES LEADWashington D.C. – 4

years – EPA and CDC ignored and hid 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.

Dr. Marc Edwards exposed the levels through the press.

Other municipalities had excessive lead 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 inhibitors

Reverted 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.

Chloramine is destructive to plumbing

Destroys rubber plumbing gaskets

Causes pipe corrosion (leaching lead and other dangerous metals)

Shortens lifespan of appliances Hot water heater

Representative failures from buildings after a utility switched to chloramine -from Marc Edwards 2003

HOMELAND SECURITYRemember chlorine + ammonia is more stable,

less reactive

- Intentional contamination of our water –

Chlorine will react – levels will drop –alarms will go offChloramine will not readily react – levels will NOT drop and no alarms will go offUS 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

• Most households cannot afford effective filtration

WASTES WATERChloramines allow build-up of biofilm in

distribution system Necessitates annual “chlorine burns” to clean

distribution system of bioslime. Reporting DBPs are exempted by EPA during burns

Causes water system bio-fouling forcing utilities to discharge pollution into our environment and wasting massive amounts of drinking water.

Example--Pinellas Co, FL-flushing volume increased from 5.7 to 35 million gal/month.

Poughkeepsie, NY-excessive flushing due to corrosion

Municipalities that rejected chloramine:Seminole Co FL 2012Leesburg VA 2011Highland Park IL “upgraded to chlorine”

2011Pittsburg PA 2011Poughkeepsie NY 2011 West Columbia SC 2007

Poughkeepsie NYMarch 2012 Water Board Meeting Minutes:

“Keith B......stated that his crews had to flush frequently wasting millions of gallons of water. Keith stated he also had multiple fire hydrant leaks. Sean E....... stated it is important that we capture what we know now to make decisions. Sean expressed concern that any action taken consider the life time costs not just capital expenses."

States that do not use chloramine:AK AL CT GA ID NM RI UT

States where <1% of the population are on chloramine systems:AR DE HI MD NV NY OH WV

ADVANTAGES: DISADVANTAGES:

1. maintains residual effects 1. Short term health effects

2. reduces TTHMs and 2. Long term health effects

HAAs 3. Ineffective biocide4. Fish kills and watersheds5. Lead leaching-pipe pitting6. Homeland Security risk7. can’t be filtered, boiled

out8. Wastes water from

excessive flushing

Making a Case for Granular Activated Carbon

as a Water Treatment Option

Water Treatment Diagram

• 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

GAC is an EPA BAT for the following contaminants

June 21 Public HearingFour Govt Boards Represented

Rivanna Water and Sewer Authority

Charlottesville City CouncilAlbemarle Board of SupervisorsAlbemarle County Service Authority

June 21 Public HearingPanel Members

Dr. Dwight Flammia, MD, Toxicologist, Virginia Dept. of Health

Mark Edwards, Ph D., Civil Engineering Professor, Virginia Tech

Ms. Susan Pickford, Esq., Chloramine Info Center Web Site

Mr. Robert W. Bowcock, Integrated Resource Management, Inc.

Ben Stanford, Ph. D., Hazen and Sawyer Mr. Jim Moore, Virginia Dept. of Health Lexington Field

Office Mr. Steve Via, American Water Works Association Mr. Jerry Higgins, Superintendent-Manager,

Blacksburg-Christiansburg VPI Water Authority