For more than 40 years scientists have known about a mysterious chemical in many Americans’ drinking water, but now they’ve finally found out what it is. The authors of a new study say they believe the chemical is a byproduct of chloramine, which some water plants use to treat water and make it safe to drink.
The study says about a third of Americans, or 113 million people, drink tap water that exposes them to this newly identified chemical. While scientists don’t yet know if it is dangerous, some are worried it could be toxic because of its similarities to other chemicals of concern.
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In the early 20th century, many public water systems started using low levels of chlorine to make drinking water safe. Chlorine is safe to consume in low levels, but it was later discovered when it came into contact with other elements that naturally occur in water, it created toxic byproducts.
Those byproducts could be linked to higher risks certain cancers, miscarriages in pregnant women and low birth weights, so some systems switched to chloramine.
It could be years before it’s confirmed whether chloramine’s byproducts are safe or not. Some research shows that active carbon filters used in home water purification devices or refrigerators can remove these byproducts. Whether or not this is enough prevention remains to be seen.
