The March 2001 issue of Popular Mechanics features a detailed and compelling article about Chlorine, organochlorines (chlorine-based pesticides), chlorine-based refrigerants, and chlorine-containing chemicals.
Some of the highlights are:
- Chlorine is a powerful disinfectant.
- Chlorine is not only used as a drinking water disinfectant, it is used in the manufacture of the plastic pipes that deliver it.
- A growing number of public health experts agree that chlorine should be banned.
- In study after study, exposure (to chlorine-bearing compounds) has been demonstrated to increase the risk of cancer and birth defects.
- A global ban is slowly taking place.
The article examines these matters in depth, and is a valuable resource for those who want to know.
For more news articles on the Chlorine By-product called Trihalomethane,
Click - http://www.theolivebranch.com/water/trihalo.htm
In a December 27, 2001 Wall Street Journal edition, they wrote: "In St. Petersburg, FL, water authorities are keeping a closer eye on system wide water pressure. In Cleveland, officials are weighing whether to add more chlorine to their water so larger amounts of the chemical will linger in their pipes. In Portland, Oregon alarms are now triggered by smaller drops in water pressure than in the past. Across the country, water utility officials are taking steps to prevent terrorists from reversing the flow of water into a home or business which can be accomplished with a vacuum cleaner or bicycle pump and using the resulting backflow to push poisons into a local water distribution system. Such an attack would use utility pipes for the opposite of their intended purpose: instead of carrying water out of a tap, the pipes would spread toxins to nearby homes or businesses.
Utility officials say that it is difficult to fully prevent a backflow incident, but they are hopeful that they can limit the damage through early detection. The beginning of a backflow attack probably would be marked by a sudden drop in water pressure in a targeted neighborhood. The pressure would then climb as attackers reversed the flow of water and began using it to carry poison.
One way to protect the public is to increase the amounts of chlorine or other chemicals added to water so that more of the chemical will remain in the pipes, providing residual protection against some toxins.
Chlorine isn't used in most East Bay water supplies according to a January 14, 2002 issue of the Oakland Tribune - Oakland, California. The article said, "East bay residents don't need to worry about possible health effects from chlorine, because the chemical is no longer used to disinfect their tap water. An Oakland environmental group released a widely-reported study linking chlorine in drinking water with higher rates of miscarriages and birth defects in developing fetuses. San Francisco's water supplies were found to have some of the highest rates in the nation of trihalomethanes, or THMs. East Bay Municipal Utility District and Alameda County Water District now use chloramines to disinfect water, which doesn't generate as many THMs as chlorine, said Renee Sharp, an analyst with the environmental group. Still, for surface water supplies like reservoirs, unknowns remain about chloramines, which also creates other types of organic by-products. We don't know much about those by-products, whether they are less dangerous or more dangerous, Sharp said. For those wanting to err on the safe side, Sharp recommended using an activated carbon water filter. But she cautioned that water filters vary widely in effectiveness."
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