Chlorine Cancer Link

[loosenupspas]

Joe Jackson put it best......"Everything causes cancer."

[Vermonter]

Thanks, eh!

Only if it is convenient, I'd be interested in the DBP levels, that would be great.  But I'm only curious and it isn't worth much of any effort on your part.  Thanks, though, for your offer.

Vermonter

[In Canada eh]

Shouldn't be much of an effort because I believe the reports are available at the plant.  I'll get the info on monday and will PM you.  There may also be some info on the consulting engineers website I will PM you the name and the lead engineers name if you should want to contact him

[Vermonter]

T
BTW, while our water here in the silicon valley is treated with chlorine I get a 0ppm level when testing at my tap. Obviously the level is below the sensitivity of my taylor kit.

Steve,

Do you kow if you are near the end of a leg of your city's water distribution system?  I'm pretty sure that PWSs are required to have a minimum chlorine residual at all points in the system.  Depending on the sensitivity of your Taylor kit (it should indicate the minimum concentration it can measure), you may want to contact the customer service department of your PWS and tell them your measurement method and that you aren't getting a chlorine (free - I presume?  Try total chlorine and see if you get a reading there) and see what they say.

If you truly do not have a free or even total chlorine reading, then you do not have protection against microbial contamination.  Even if the plant is putting out water with no detectable coliforms (in this case, that is their indicator species), biofilms, leaks, plant disruptions, etc. can allow growth of attached (biofilm) or free-swimming organisms; that could be a problem.

Vermonter

[Vermonter]

Shouldn't be much of an effort because I believe the reports are available at the plant.  I'll get the info on monday and will PM you.  There may also be some info on the consulting engineers website I will PM you the name and the lead engineers name if you should want to contact him

Thanks - there could be a seasonality to the levels as well.

Vermonter

[Chad]

My tap water here in STL, MO has a .5 FC and a CC of 1.5, the last I checked.

Yep, just checked it again and it's still:
FC- .5
TC- 2
CC- 1.5
 8-)

Are these results typical?

[Vermonter]

BTW, while our water here in the silicon valley is treated with chlorine I get a 0ppm level when testing at my tap. Obviously the level is below the sensitivity of my taylor kit.

Steve,

A quick check on EPAs site gives reference to the Federal Register, 40 CFR Parts 141 and 142.  Within that, 141.72 gives the following:

(2) The disinfection system must have either (i) redundant
components, including an auxiliary power supply with automatic start-up
and alarm to ensure that disinfectant application is maintained
continuously while water is being delivered to the distribution system,
or (ii) automatic shut-off of delivery of water to the distribution
system whenever there is less than 0.2 mg/l of residual disinfectant
concentration in the water. If the State determines that automatic shut-
off would cause unreasonable risk to health or interfere with fire
protection, the system

[[Page 446]]

must comply with paragraph (a)(2)(i) of this section.
    (3) The residual disinfectant concentration in the water entering
the distribution system, measured as specified in Sec.  141.74 (a)(5)
and (b)(5), cannot be less than 0.2 mg/l for more than 4 hours.
    (4)(i) The residual disinfectant concentration in the distribution
system, measured as total chlorine, combined chlorine, or chlorine
dioxide, as specified in Sec.  141.74 (a)(5) and (b)(6), cannot be
undetectable in more than 5 percent of the samples each month, for any
two consecutive months that the system serves water to the public.


There are ways to get around this requirement, but I don't think they would be opted for in most situations.  If you do not have any detectable level, then if I were you, I would give a call to the supplier and ask it that is consistent with what they think should be going on.

Let me know if I can help.

Vermonter

[Vermonter]

Are these results typical?

Perhaps - but if your system is on chloramines and you are using a dpd based chlorine measurement method,, then your free chlorine results are not accurate (your total chlorine results should be).  Do you know what your system uses for disinfection?

Vermonter

[svspa]

Thanks Vermonter, I'll have to check with the water company and see what they say.

Steve

[Chas]

Chas, Two questions for you:

1.  Awhile back when there was a poll about which sanitizer people used, I thought you reported using Brilliance bromine at home.  Did I have that wrong?
2.  If you did, why did you switch?

Don't let Steve know about soaking in <1 ppm chlorine, that will lump you in with the uneducated risk takers!

Well, to answer the third question first, I am a highly educated risk taker. In fact, my favorite risk is back: I will be getting my medical back again! My A1c was about 5.5 at my last doc visit, still holding at 65 pounds lost, so I will be getting back in the air. Well, I will as soon as I sell enough spas to pay for the rental on the Cessna...and it's at the lower part of the list of bills right now.

And as to my choice in sanitizers - I have all the stuff here at the house for Brilliance, and I used it for quite awhile. When we did the last water change I wasn't home and my daughter just tossed in Dichlor as she has since she was about 6.

Haven't bothered to bring home a bag of 'start up' or I would be glad to toss in the floater. I like Brilliance a lot - Dichlor is good too.

 8-)