‘Drinkist’
courtesy of ‘andertho’
If your water at home tastes a bit better tonight, you have the annual switch back to chloramine from chlorine will bring less flavor to your tap. The chlorine treatment is an annual thing, and for ten weeks, DC WASA uses chlorine to do cleaning of the mains, and then switch back to chloramine which has fewer byproducts. It may take up to a week for the change to be completed throughout the area, and those water-imbibers who have special needs should be aware of the change. You can also go to this website for your plumbing needs and they can help you with your water treatment.
I live and work in the District of Columbia. I write at We Love DC, a blog I helped start, I work at Technolutionary, a company I helped start, and I’m happy doing both. I enjoy watching baseball, cooking, and gardening. I grow a mean pepper, keep a clean scorebook, and wash the dishes when I’m done. Read Why I Love DC.
Far worse than the unique taste and smell of chloramine are the highly toxic byproducts of it creates on its way to you from the water company. When ammonia in chloramine combines with organic material it produces byproducts known as NDMA, Hydrazine, Iodo Acids and DXAA. These byproducts are reported to be 100 to 10,000 times MORE toxic than chlorine and are cytotoxic (damage cells), genotoxic (damage DNA) and carcinogenic (cause cancer). Most European countries will not use chloramine because it is an ineffective biocide, leaving us exposed to e-coli, rotoviruses and polio 1. The World Health Organization has also cautioned against its use. hundreds of people are reporting acute health symptoms of respiratory distress, digestive problems, mouth ulcers, and skin rashes in chloraminated areas all around the country.
When mixed with baby formula, chlormaine can cause blue baby syndrome, depriving the baby’s blood of oxygen. It leaches lead from pipes causing brain damage to children. Several massive fish kills have been reported around the country and in Canada as a result of main breaks in chloraminated areas. Chloramine literally ‘eats’ rubber and elastomer fittings causing plumbing problems in homes, businesses and in the infrastructure. Homeland Security is also concerned about the use of chloramine as it will allow bioterrorists to compromise our water system more easily than with chlorine.
There is no upside for the consumer with chloramine, only higher profits for the company and their stockholders. See more about chloramine at http://www.chloramineinfocenter.net.
In 1978 the EPA did place a moritorium on chloramine because of its ineffectiveness but were convinced to lift the ban in 1979. Thirty years of studies since have proven that they were right to have banned it and they should do so again. Our information is backed 100% by peer reviewed scientific studies. help us stop the use of chloramine.
If your water company proceeds with chloramine and you begin hearing of these symptoms in yourself or neighbors and friends, document them in a journal with dates and pictures and contact the Chloramine Information Center.