Water Disinfectants Links

1. Factual links

   Some of the websites providing factual information on Water Disinfectants:

   • 1.1 Some Q&As and FAQs on water disinfectants
   • 1.2 More information for the non-specialist
   • 1.3 Some water disinfectant news sites
   • 1.4 Some policy-related websites
2. Other Views
   • 2.1 Is the IPCS report a consensus one?
   • 2.2 Some institutions take a different risk approach

See also our page containing sites linking to this Digest

1. Factual links

1.1 Some Q&As and FAQs on water disinfectants

• The UK Drinking Water Inspectorate (DWI) discusses chlorine water disinfection at: www.dwi.gov.uk/consumer/faq/chlorine.htm  (2002).

• The San Francisco Public Utilities Commission (SFPUC) answers questions about water disinfectants at:
  http://sfwater.org/detail.cfm/MC_ID/10/MSC_ID/51/MTO_ID/NULL/C_ID/654 

• The City of Ottawa in Canada also answers questions relating to chloramine disinfection at: www.city.ottawa.on.ca/city_services/water/27_2_5_2_1_en.shtml  (2004).

• ToxFAQs by the American Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR): www.atsdr.cdc.gov/tfacts172.html  addressing the following water disinfectants: chlorine , chlorine dioxide and chlorite ,bromoform & chlorodibromomethane  and chloroform  (1997-2002).

1.2 More information for the non-specialist

• The National Toxicology Program's factsheet of its Safe Drinking Water Program at the US National Institute of Environmental Health Science (NIEHS) is presented at:
   ntp.niehs.nih.gov/files/DrinkWaterFacts06.pdf (2006).

• An index to drinking water facts by the Australia's Cooperative Research Centre for Water Quality and Treatment (CRC) is presented at:
  www.waterquality.crc.org.au/aboutdw_dwfacts , including documents on water treatment and water safety.

• Information on pre-treatment and chemical water treatment from the World Health Organization (WHO) is presented at:
  www.who.int/water_sanitation_health/dwq/wsh0207/en/index6  (2004).

• The US Centre for Disease Control (CDC) discusses variety of conclusions at: www.cdc.gov/safewater/publications_pages/pubs_disinfectant.htm 

• The Chlorine Chemistry Council (CCC) provides information on water disinfection at: http://c3.org/chlorine_knowledge_center/index.html#3 
• Health Canada offers a detailed study on Drinking water chlorination: www.hc-sc.gc.ca/hl-vs/iyh-vsv/environ/chlor-eng.php 

1.3 Some water disinfectant news sites

• The US Water Quality and Health Council (WQHC) has drinking water news at: www.waterandhealth.org/drinkingwater/ 

• Recent news on water quality provided by the Water Environment Federation (WEF) at: www.wef.org/CmsWEF/Pages/News/IndustryNews.aspx 

• The American Water Works Association (AWWA) "Waterweek" news at:
  www.awwa.org/communications/waterweek/ 

• The US Environmental Protection Agency (US EPA) general drinking water information can be accessed through their Ground Water & Drinking Water website:
  www.epa.gov/safewater/ 

1.4 Some policy-related websites

• The WHO Guidelines for drinking water quality are presented at:
   www.who.int/water_sanitation_health/dwq/en/gdwq3_12.pdf

• The US Environmental Protection Agency (US EPA) presents its policy at: www.epa.gov/ebtpages/watewaterdisinfectionbyproducts.html 
  The US EPA section on Microbials and Disinfection Byproducts contains all the US regulations addressing these substances as related to drinking water: www.epa.gov/safewater/mdbp.html 

2. Other Views

Links in this section have been selected as examples of other views on Water Disinfectants. This list of links is only a sample and it is not suggested that it is complete nor that it is fully representative of all the existing views. GreenFacts asbl takes no position concerning the views expressed in these linked documents.

2.1 Is the IPCS report a consensus one?

Most scientists globally agree with the conclusions of the Executive Summary of the Environmental Health Criteria (EHC) 216: disinfectants and disinfectant by-products , produced in 2000. An other institution having reached similar conclusions:

• The UK Committee on Carcinogenicity in Food, Consumer Products and the Environment (COC), discusses conclusions in its 1999 Annual Report (p.59-61):  www.advisorybodies.doh.gov.uk/coc/1999ar.pdf

2.2 Some institutions take a different risk approach

Certain institutions consider that water disinfectants present a quantifiable health risk.

• Health Canada states its position on drinking water chlorination: www.hc-sc.gc.ca/hl-vs/iyh-vsv/environ/chlor-eng.php 
• The EPA regulations addressing disinfection by-products (DBPs):
  Stage 1: www.epa.gov/OGWDW/mdbp/noda2.html  Stage 2: www.epa.gov/safewater/stage2/