New Research Raises Concerns Over Toxic Byproducts in Water Disinfection Investigation Urged into Health Impacts of Inorganic Chloramines

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Inorganic chloramines have been utilized for decades to remove pathogens from public water supplies. While chlorine remains the most widely used disinfectant in the U.S. and worldwide, chloramines have increasingly replaced it in many systems to mitigate certain byproducts linked to serious health issues, including bladder and colon cancer, low birth weight, and miscarriage. Currently, over 113 million Americans rely on chloraminated drinking water, with the compound also in use across Canada, Asia, and Europe.

“However, chloramines themselves decompose into products that are poorly characterized,” said Julian Fairey, lead author of the study published in the journal Science, during a press briefing.

One such product, identified more than 40 years ago but left chemically unresolved, was simply dubbed the “unidentified product.” Fairey and his team have finally cracked the mystery surrounding this compound, raising significant concerns about the safety of chloraminated water supplies.

As the implications of these findings unfold, health officials and researchers are calling for comprehensive studies to assess the potential risks posed by these byproducts, emphasizing the need for transparency and safety in public water treatment practices.