NEW YORK, Nov. 22 (Xinhua) -- A mysterious byproduct of a chemical used to disinfect the tap water of about one-third of Americans has finally been identified, and the international research team behind the discovery is advocating rapid assessment of its potential toxicity.
The research, reported on Thursday in the journal Science, does not claim that tap water containing the byproduct is unsafe to drink or that the finding represents any kind of emergency. All water, including bottled water, contains contaminants.
But the discovery of a new and previously unknown chemical, called chloronitramide anion, could have implications for municipal water systems that use a class of chlorine-based disinfectants called chloramines. For decades, these disinfectants, derived from the mixture of chlorine and ammonia, have been added to many municipal water supplies to kill bacteria and prevent waterborne illnesses.
Initial computational modeling of the compound shows similarities to other chemicals with demonstrated toxicity, which suggests that it is probably not harmless, reported The Washington Post about this finding. Water-quality experts not involved in the new study said such modeling is an initial method of trying to understand a chemical's toxic potential, and urged people not to be alarmed.
"Scientists and policymakers have long known that disinfecting water requires a balance of risks and benefits," noted the report. "Before the implementation of filtration and chlorination of water in U.S. cities in the early 1900s, waterborne illnesses such as typhoid fever and cholera were common."
