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Lookup NU author(s): Professor David WernerORCiD, Maria Valdivia-Garcia
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (CC BY 4.0).
In remote or underdeveloped areas, natural disaster emergencies and armed conflict zones, point-of-use surface water disinfection with chlorine tablets provides microbiologically safe water, but disinfection by-products such as trihalomethanes (THMs) are formed. While the health risks from THMs are much less than the risks from consuming microbiologically unsafe water, it is nonetheless desirable to understand and minimize THM formation. We show that THM concentrations in surface water samples from the Northern British Isles disinfected with chlorine tablets increased with contact time, in some cases to significantly exceeded EU, US EPA and WHO drinking water guidance values after more than an hour. More stagnant water from ponds and lochs had higher THM formation than river water. Doubling the chlorine tablet dose slightly enhanced THM formation, and passing water through coffee filter paper reduced it. Chlorine dioxide tablets produced minimal amounts of THMs.
Author(s): Werner D, Valdivia-Garcia M, Weir P, Haffey M
Publication type: Article
Publication status: Published
Journal: Water and Environment Journal
Year: 2016
Volume: 30
Issue: 3-4
Pages: 271-277
Print publication date: 01/09/2016
Online publication date: 06/10/2016
Acceptance date: 12/09/2016
Date deposited: 21/09/2016
ISSN (print): 1747-6585
ISSN (electronic): 1747-6593
Publisher: Wiley-Blackwell Publishing Ltd
URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/wej.12209
DOI: 10.1111/wej.12209
Data Access Statement: http://dx.doi.org/10.17634/154300-30
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