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Books > Science & Mathematics > Biology, life sciences > Biochemistry > Toxicology (non-medical)
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Disinfectants and Disinfectant By-Products (Paperback)
Loot Price: R2,440
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Disinfectants and Disinfectant By-Products (Paperback)
Series: Environmental Health Criteria, No. 216
Expected to ship within 10 - 15 working days
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This book evaluates the risks to human health posed by
disinfectants and disinfectant by-products found in treated
drinking water. Noting that chlorine and other widely used
disinfectants were approved for use almost 100 years ago when
toxicological data were limited, the report responds to the need
for reassurance that consumption of treated drinking water will not
have adverse effects on health. Particular concern centers on the
potential of chlorine to react with natural organic matter and form
a large number of by-products, some of which have been intensively
studied as potential human carcinogens. With these concerns in
mind, the report evaluates over 800 recent studies in an effort to
clarify understanding of the chemistry and toxicology of
disinfectants and disinfectant by-products and provide a balanced
assessment of the associated risks to human health. The report is
issued at a time when public health authorities and
utilities-providers in several countries are considering
alternative methods of disinfection aimed at reducing the formation
of specific by-products. In this context, the report stresses the
overriding importance of microbiological safety and warns that
adequate disinfection must not be compromised by efforts to control
chemical by-products. The first chapter on the chemistry of
disinfectants and disinfectant by-products examines the many
complex factors, including methods of water treatment that govern
the formation of by-products and influence their type and amount.
Of special interest to utilities-providers, the chapter explains
the physical and chemical properties that influence the behavior of
specific by-products in drinking water and determine their toxic
actions. By-products of greatest concern are identified as
trihalomethanes including chloroform and bromodichloromethane,
haloacetic acids including dichloroacetic acid, and trichloroacetic
acid, bromate, and chlorite. The chapter concludes that the
adoption of alternative disinfecting chemicals often amounts to
nothing more than a trade-off between one group of by-products and
another. Removal of natural organic matter is singled out as the
most effective control strategy. Chapter two reviews what is known
about the toxic effects of the principal disinfectants: chlorine
and hypochlorite, chloramines, and chlorine dioxide. On the basis
of this evaluation, the report concludes that disinfectants
probably do not increase the risk of cancer or have other
significant adverse effects on health. Chapter three evaluates the
toxic effects of fourteen by-products, concentrating on the large
number of studies of carcinogenicity and mutagenicity.
Epidemiological studies are reviewed in chapter four, which
considers extensive investigations of possible associations with
cancer, cardiovascular disease, and adverse effects on reproduction
and development. While most studies have concentrated on an
increased risk of bladder cancer, risks of colon, rectal, and other
cancers have also been investigated. Noting the uncertainties
surrounding many of these studies, the report cautions against a
simple interpretation of observed associations and concludes that
more comprehensive water quality data must be collected to improve
exposure assessments. Evidence was considered insufficient to
determine whether observed associations are causal and which
specific by-products or other contaminants play a role. In the
final chapters focused on risk, characterization, and assessment,
the report concludes that the risks to health from disinfectant
by-products at the levels at which they occur in drinking water are
extremely small in comparison with the risks associated with
inadequate disinfection. In supporting efforts to minimize the
formation of by-products, the report further concludes that
protection of source waters aimed at reducing the presence of
natural organic matter is often the most efficient approach to
control.
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