For over a century, public water systems have used chemical compounds to kill pathogens that cause waterborne diseases such as cholera.
  • xj9 [they/them, she/her]
    ·
    2 days ago

    Since the 1990s, many public systems have switched to inorganic chloramine, a chlorine derivative, to purify water supplies. Systems serving about 113 million people in the U.S. use this process. This alternative purifying chemical produces hundreds of byproducts, including an “unidentified product” that befuddled scientists.

    In findings published in the journal Science, researchers have identified that compound, chloronitramide anion. They found it has possible risks linked to carcinogens and could be harmful to reproductive and developmental health.

    I can't find a public access version of that article tho.. I wonder if any common filtering methods work on this substance?

    (this issue of Science just came out, so maybe the access issue will resolve itself in the next few days)

    • penitentkulak [none/use name]
      ·
      2 days ago

      Chloramines suck to get rid of, brewers sometimes use metabisulfite tablets . Pool people superchlorinate the water with free chlorine/bleach, which breaks down the chloramine then quickly gasses off. Carbon filters don't work that well for chloramines, you have to really slow down flow for it to be effective. Not sure if any of these techniques would have any effect on the anions in this paper.

    • Lemister [none/use name]
      ·
      2 days ago

      You could use adsorption with activated carbon perhaps? it is used to filter out chloramine. Or use UV-Light.

      • uSSRI [he/him]
        ·
        2 days ago

        Can't remember my chemistry, would the anion fuck with the carbon and not bind to it?

        • Lemister [none/use name]
          ·
          1 day ago

          Well yeah kinda. You get Carbondioxide and Chlorine and a very nucleophile Nitramide Anion which would react with water. But you would get it dissolved. The Chlorine could get then be removed by the activated carbon. Removing a Chloronitramide anion is something that isnt really feasible/affordable by a DIY homebrew water filtration system. Especially since newly indentified.