Recently, there’s been a lot of concern about contaminants in water, specifically chloramine and chloroform. These contaminants, among others, can have dangerous effects and alter the taste and odor of our most used natural resource. Let’s review what they are, determine if they’re present in your water, and how to avoid chloramine and chloroform in your water.
What is Chloramine?
Chloramines are sanitizers used to treat drinking water chemically. This contaminant is created when ammonia is added to chlorine. The process has an additional sanitation effect as the water flows through the infrastructure to consumers.
What is Chloroform?
Chloroform is the harmful disinfection byproduct of treatment centers using chlorine to cleanse the water. Like other impurities in water, it isn’t required to meet regulations provided by a federal agency. Even more troubling is that chloroform is classified as hazardous by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Here’s why:
- Cancer Risk: The Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) and the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) recognize chloroform as a potentially carcinogenic substance.
- Damage to Organs: Exposure over an extended period can cause significant organ damage, especially to the liver and kidneys.
- Depression of the Central Nervous System: Short-term exposure to Chloroform has revealed depressing effects and damage to the central nervous system. Immediate health issues can include dizziness and confusion.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) have conducted research linking the consumption of chlorinated water to increased chloroform exposure, which is associated with a higher incidence of certain cancers. This validates the EPA’s label of chloroform as a highly hazardous substance.
What effects can Chloramines and Chloroform have?
Both elements are worrisome because they pose a multitude of potential health risks. Chloramine can irritate the eyes, cause stomach aches and pains, or even trigger anemia if it’s too concentrated in water. Hazardous levels of chloroform can affect the nervous system and even increase the chances of cancer.
Is Chloroform in Water Systems in the United States?
Surprisingly, yes. Chloroform contamination affects numerous U.S. Water Systems, impacting millions of residents.
Chloroform is a common contaminant found in the water of 46 states, including:
- California: Over 29 million residents have experienced exposure.
- Texas: Affecting approximately 22 million people.
- New York: 18 million individuals have been impacted.
- Illinois: About 12 million residents have been impacted.
- Pennsylvania: A staggering 9.5 million people have been exposed.
- Ohio: 9 million, respectively, have experienced chloroform contamination.
Whose Drinking Water is at Risk for Chloroform Contamination?
Over 220 million people in the US have been affected by this invisible threat to their water, driving home the importance of water safety and quality standards in the United States.
Why is Chloroform Allowed in Drinking Water, and What are the Limits?
Chloroform is the result of water disinfection. Understanding how it’s regulated is crucial for ensuring your and your family’s safety.
The EPA is in charge of drinking water safety in the United States. Unfortunately, it does not regulate chloroform alone but rather a group of chemicals called Trihalomethanes (THMs). The total allowable amount of THMs in water is 80 parts per billion (ppb).
However, the EPA has established chloroform-specific guidelines called the Maximum Contaminant Level Goal (MCLG). The MCLG represents the level at which no adverse health effects are expected. The goal of chloroform is set at 70 ppb. It’s important to note that this goal is a guideline and is not legally binding.
The EPA requires promptly reporting any significant chloroform spills to the National Response Center to ensure timely response and mitigation.
It’s essential to understand what measures have been put in place to protect public health.
How to Test for Chloramines and Chloroform
Water is a resource we use constantly and need to exist. Therefore, we should inform ourselves about clean water to receive maximum nourishment safely. First, you should test your water quality to ensure harmful amounts of chloramine and chloroform aren’t present.
You have two options to consider. The first is to get it done professionally. This route ensures that there’s less likelihood of mistakes; however, it is the more expensive choice.
The second is to do it yourself. You’ll need to ensure you purchase the correct test specifically for chloramines. Many other tests can provide valuable details about your water, but sometimes, it’s best to keep it simple.
WaterWorks™ 2 Free & Total Chlorine Test Strips
Can You Boil Water to Get Rid of Chloroform?
In short, no. While boiling water is often a quick fix for water purification, it will not work for chloroform contamination, and it may lead to higher concentrations of chloroform.
Because chloroform is a volatile organic compound, boiling water will not cause the contaminant to evaporate as expected; it will only intensify it. Chloroform’s boiling point is higher than water, so it won’t evaporate quickly and will mostly stay intact.
Is Bottled Water Safer than Tap Water for Chloroform?
You might assume bottled water is a safer alternative if you’re concerned about chloroform contamination, but contrary to popular belief, it is not.
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) sets the standard for bottled water, which is very close to the standards set by the EPA for public drinking water. The two primary bottled water sources are municipal water supplies, which are treated tap water and spring water. If water is sourced from a natural spring, its risk of contamination might differ, but it is not eliminated.
Since bottled and tap water adhere to similar guidelines, it is safe to assume that chloroform contamination can be comparable.
How do you get rid of Chloramines and Chloroform in your water?
Now that you know that your water needs to be treated for these dangerous substances, the next question is how to remove them. Depending on your use case, there are several water treatment options. There are many choices, from water pitchers to water filter systems, but one of the best is the gravity countertop water system.
They are cost-effective, portable, and require very little maintenance. The device does a great job of removing harmful pollutants from your water; however, it is only as good as the filter, which is the heart of the filtration process.
Selecting the Right Water Filter
If you want to remove chloramines and chloroform from your water, use the correct filter and replace it consistently. Not every filter will do the job.
Most mainstream water filtration systems use carbon filters to treat water. Carbon purifies water through absorption, which contaminants attach to the filter media. Granulated carbon filters will attract disinfection byproducts like chloroform, yet the industry-standard carbon filter will not dissect chloramine because of its reinforced stability.
You must ensure the filter is enhanced with catalytic carbon to eliminate these specific pollutants.
Due to its reinforced stability, the industry-standard carbon filter cannot dissect chloramine. The same element that allows it to bolster sanitation makes it challenging to eliminate.
Ensuring that your filters work as intended has been a concern recently. The filter featured below exceeds NSF/ANSI-certified standards 42 and 53. It is compatible with gravity-fed water filtration units and replaces AquaCera LP-5 and SS-4 gravity filters and Doulton LP-2 and SS-2 gravity filters. Some consumers have also used this filter in Berkey-manufactured gravity systems.
AquaCera W9512624 CeraMetix-GF 7″ Ceramic Filter
Will Reverse Osmosis Eliminate Chrloramine and Chloroform?
Reverse Osmosis Water Filtration Systems (RO) are the most advanced on the market. They use multiple filters, including a membrane, to push water through to ensure it is as pure as possible.
Reverse Osmosis can effectively reduce chloramine and chloroform from tap water; you’ll also want to consider the limitations it can impose.
Using an RO system to filter water strips water of all impurities and essential minerals. Water filtered using RO often lacks beneficial minerals and tastes flat or “dead”.
RO systems also pose an efficiency concern. To effectively benefit from RO filtration, a large amount of wastewater is produced when the filtration system flushes out the contaminants from the water. The wastewater is undrinkable and should be discarded, making RO systems a less eco-friendly option for filtration.
To learn more about Reverse Osmosis Systems and how they work, check out our blog, What is a Reverse Osmosis Water Filter System?
How to Protect Against Chloramine and Chloroform
Enhanced with Granular Activated Carbon (GAC), a catalytic carbon, they can sufficiently remove chlorine, chloramines, and even chloroform. For anyone worried about getting a solid replacement filter for their gravity water system, you can trust Filters Fast for your filtration needs.
Searching for good, reputable replacement filters capable of removing these elements can be a hassle. As a filtration company, we aim to assist you and make finding what you’re looking for easy. If you have any questions or would like help finding the filtration solution that is right for you, please reach out to our Customer Care Team at 866-438-3458 or [email protected]. We’re happy to help!
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