IT ALL started more than a century ago in 1904 in New Jersey, America, where drinking water was chlorinated for the first time. Backed by the initial euphoria of the government, chlorination was able to effectively decrease water born diseases such as Typhoid, Cholera and Dysentery by killing the bacteria.
The method of ensuring safe drinking water was quickly adopted and spread like a wild fire to other countries of the world including India, becoming the integral part of the standard disinfection procedure for the treatment of Municipal drinking water.
Nowadays, chlorine is injected into drinking water by two ways: It is either injected directly by bubbling chlorine gas into the reservoir of drinking water or it is induced by adding calcium hypo chloride (Bleaching powder) to water. In India, this chlorination is achieved by following the latter method, which reacts with water liberating free chlorine in it. The chlorine in water is extremely reactive and quickly kills the bacteria and other living micro-organisms, thus disinfecting the drinking water.
However, the residual free chlorine present in the water is highly reactive and reacts with the organic matter naturally present in the water to form highly Carcinogenic (cancer causing) organo Chloro Carbons and Tri Halo Methanes (THM's) which are notorious for there mutagenic and carcinogenic properties even in trace amounts like 5-10 ppb (parts per billion).
The EPA (Environment Protection Agency) and WHO initially set the acceptable limit of THM's in drinking water to around 100 PPB but questions were raised against the authenticity of the limit, so it was quickly decreased to around 80 PPB.
The point to be noted is that naturally present organic matter in rivers streams and ponds is harmless till it becomes carcinogenic (cancer causing) after reacting with chlorine.
A recent Japanese research revealed that adding chlorinated drinking water to milk, fruit juices cooking food etc results in the formation of "MX" or Mutagen "X" formed by the reaction of chlorine with organic compounds present in the food materials, which is 100 per cent carcinogenic. Consumption of such foods can lead to irreversible mutations in the victims DNA leading to cancer.
Recent studies indicate that some miscarriages --as well as some serious birth defects (mutations)--may be caused by the chlorine added to drinking water as a disinfectant
The Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry has published a case-control study showing that some birth defects like spina bifida, or neural tube defects, are associated with total trihalomethanes ingested in drinking water. Neural tube defects are serious ones in which the spinal cord is not properly enclosed by bone. A state-wide study in New Jersey found a doubled risk of neural tube defects among those with the highest exposures to THMs.
Chlorinated water can also destroy polyunsaturated fatty acids and vitamin E in the body while generating toxins capable of radical damage. These chemicals, known as organochlorides, do not degrade very well and are generally stored in the fatty tissues of the body (breast, other fatty areas, mother's milk, blood and semen). These can cause mutations by altering DNA, suppress immune system function and interfere with the natural controls of cell growth, leading to incidence of breast cancer and bladder cancer.
There is increased evidence of an association between rectal, colon and bladder cancer and the consumption of chlorinated drinking water. Suspected carcinogens make the human body more vulnerable through repeated ingestion and research indicates the incidence of cancer is 44 per cent higher than other cases.
Chlorine has also been documented to aggravate asthma, especially in those children who swim in chlorinated swimming pools. Several studies also link chlorine and chlorinated by-products to a greater incidence of bladder, breast and bowel cancer as well as malignant melanoma. One study even links the use of chlorinated tap water to congenital cardiac anomalies.
India ranks at the top in heart diseases, thanks to chlorine which is the second contribution factor, the first being edible oil adulteration by animal fats(trans fatty acids) which are extracted from dead and rotting animals and added to vanaspati and ghee. Removing vanaspati, ghee and chlornated drinking water from the diet will eliminate over 85% of heart disease in India
Further, in the Indian context, there is no strict protocol like that given by EPA and WHO and bleaching powder is just dumped in to the water tanks by the illiterate gatekeepers or the watchman. This compounds the problem in case of the rainy season, when the water is muddy and high in organic matter. Dangerously high levels of chlorine are added to overcome the spread of diseases resulting in high THM'S characterised by their peculiar pungent and nasty odour and taste.
Thankfully, now we are better equipped at the personal level to protect against chlorination. The activated carbon filter is a cheap and good remedy for the dechlorination procedure. For those who can afford a little expensive filter RO (REVERSE OSMOSIS) is better, as it effectively eliminates the micro-organisms and the chlorine if present.
Lastly, in emergency situations, the tap water can be boiled and excess chlorine would be removed. However, this process would not remove the thermostat chloro carbons.
It's time for the government to immediately switch to other alternative disinfectants such as Ozonisation or UV Irradiation for drinking water treatment as these procedures are 100 per cent safe and they don't form any harmful carcinogenic intermediates. These processes are cheaper than chlorination.
The government ought to be fully aware of the gravity of the situation but not a single statement is given in public to gradually discourage and withdraw the use of chlorinated drinking tap water.
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