The majority of US citizens are unaware that treatment chemicals in their drinking water are leading to the creation of unregulated toxic byproducts. Scientists at Johns Hopkins Environmental Health and Engineering, led by Prof. Carsten Prasse, proposed a new approach to assessing drinking water quality that could result in cleaner, safer water.
"We are exposing people in the United States to these chemical compounds without knowing what they even do," Prasse said. "I'm not saying that chlorination is not important in keeping our drinking water safe. But there are unintended consequences that we have to address and that the public needs to know about. We could do more than what we're doing."
Of the known disinfection byproducts, only 11 compounds are currently regulated in drinking water. There are more than 700 disinfection byprodcuts that have been identified in chlorinated drinking water, and there are more unknown.
Existing analysis strategies are hindered by resource limitations and efficiency. Prasse proposes a way to capture a more diverse mix of chemicals in water samples. The "reactivity-directed analysis" can provide a broader readout of what's present in drinking water by analyizing the largest class of toxic chemicals known as "organic electrophiles."
"This method can help us prioritize which chemicals we need to be paying closer attention to with possible new regulations and new limits while saving time and resources," Prasse continued.
Image credit: Ilsle Orsel