What's In Our Water?

Chlorination is an essential barrier for waterborne pathogens such as Cryptosporidium and Giardia, to ensure the safe supply of drinking water.

However, to kill these pathogens effectively the chlorine dosage must be very concentrated, this is called the disinfection process. Even though we need this disinfection process the by-products are becoming an ever-increasing worry.

Trihalomethanes (THMs) are a type of chemical byproduct that occurs in disinfected drinking water supplies. There are several kinds of THMs in water, chloroform, bromochloromethane, bromoform, and dibromochloromethane. The concentration of THMs depends on the amount of chlorine added to water, the temperature of the water supply, and the concentration of organic material in the water supply. THMs have several known health risks if high THMs levels are consumed regularly over a long time.

All THMs have something in common, they have a cancer risk.

THMs aren’t found naturally in groundwater supply (bore) or surface water supplies. If you have a private well/bore supply your water will not contain these contaminates unless you chlorinate your water yourself.

How to tell if THMs are in your water:

Your drinking water won’t smell, look, or taste any different if it contains Trihalomethanes. THMs are invisible, odorless, tasteless and the only way to detect them in your water is to conduct a water test.

One of the most effective water treatments you can use for removing THMs is Granulated Activated Carbon. GAC filters are most known for their chlorine removal ability. GAC can also remove chlorine disinfection by-products, including THMs. GAC filters may be used alone, (such as a drinking water filter jug or a tap filter) or as a filter stage in a port of entry filtration system.

Other exposure to THMs, eating foods that have been stored, grown, prepared, or cooked in water containing chlorine or other disinfection chemicals. Breathing in air from vaporized disinfected water supplies (such as when you’re swimming, showering, or bathing). Absorbing THMs through your skin when swimming in chlorinated water. Activated Carbon treatment can be as simple as dosing your water with GAC or taking Activated Charcoal capsules daily to remove the THMs from your gastrointestinal tract.

Chlorination is the process of elimination of Bacteria in the water which leads to the formation of Trihalomethane (THM’s)

The Most common THM’s & their potential health effects are:

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