City Water

City water presents its own special problems. When we treat well water we are the first line of treatment.  When we treat city water we are the second line of treatment, after your municipal water company.  We will discuss the things we can do to make your city water taste and smell better.

 

CHLORAMINES

 

Chloramine, which consists of a mixture of chlorine and ammonia, is added to the water of many cities as a substitute for free chlorine. It is often referred to in the plural, as “chloramines,” because it can take on a number of forms according to the pH and mineral content of the water.

The whole reduction discussion for chloramines can become quite complex, but the main thing you need to know is that chloramine is removed from water with essentially the same strategies that are used to remove chlorine. This means that carbon filtration is the best removal method, and, contrary to urban legends, filter carbon does indeed remove chloramine. The problem is that it takes more carbon and more contact time to do the job. In practical terms this means that if your city disinfects your tap water with chloramines you’ll need to get a larger and better carbon filter than you would need if chlorine alone were used.  

Treating your whole home is the proper answer but it differs from the way we treat for chlorine in a couple of areas.

1.    You still treat your home with the use of Carbon but instead of Granular activated carbon we use a catalytic carbon.

2.    Because contact time is all important when treating chloramine a larger system is required to give it the needed contact time.  Sometimes this means one large tank and sometimes it means using two tanks to increase the contact time.  This is determined by looking at the amount of water required in your home, number of people, water flow rates etc. This is determined by your water professional when we come and do our free water test and evaluation.

The other problem with Chloramines is they are less effective against water born pathogens. They allow more to get thru to your home than does chlorine. If a person has a depressed immune system a secondary UV light system should be used to kill any of these pathogens that the chloramine has missed.  The UV system can be a whole house UV or an under the sink UV for just the drinking water. Below I am going to insert print an informational article from CCAC in San Francisco . It might give you more info on the health issues

Effects of Chloramine on Human Health

Immune System Problems

·         Chloramine cannot kill the pathogens in the water as well as chlorine.

·         As a result, people with suppressed immune systems must have their water boiled over TEN minutes BEFORE use to kill pathogens, or they risk becoming ill.

·         Those at risk include children under 6 months of age, the elderly, those on or who have had chemotherapy, people with HIV or AIDS, organ transplant patients, and others with a weakened immune system.


Respiratory Problems

·         Chloramine can cause and/or aggravate respiratory problems.

·         Chloramine fumes can cause an individual to become congested and cause sneezing, sinus congestion, coughing, choking, wheezing, shortness of breath, and asthma (see the Hazardous Substances Fact Sheet for Chloramine, PDF, 98 KB), by the New Jersey Department of Health and Senior Services).

·         An increase in asthma due to exposure from chloramine in indoor swimming pool areas was shown in a Belgium study from the Catholic University of Louvain (PDF, 707 KB).

·         Chloramine damages mucous membranes. The lung damage in those exposed to chloramine in indoor pool air is similar to that seen in regular smokers (see Health24 News article).

·         Chloraminated vapor from showers, baths, hot tubs, dishwashers, and other household appliances contains volatilized chemicals that can be inhaled and cause irritation to the respiratory tract.

·         Inhaled chloraminated vapor can enter the bloodstream directly through the lungs. It bypasses the digestive tract where the SFPUC says it is broken down and excreted (questions 35 and 36 in their Chloramination Questions and Answers).

·         The SFPUC says that, "if monochloramine enters the bloodstream directly, it combines with hemoglobin (red blood cells) so it can no longer carry oxygen" (question 37).

·         The toxic exposure to chemicals (like chloramine) in water is greater from taking a shower than from drinking the same water (see Toxic Showers and Baths).

·         An individual can experience long term effects from repeated exposures to a chemical (like chloramine) at levels not high enough to make them immediately sick (see the Hazardous Substances Fact Sheet for Chloramine, page 3, PDF, 98 KB).

·         The likelihood of becoming sick from a chemical increases with exposure time and concentration (see the Hazardous Substances Fact Sheet for Chloramine, page 3, PDF, 98 KB).

·         In a study by Zierler, et al (PDF, 821 KB), it was found that there was an increase in deaths from influenza and pneumonia in the communities that used chloramine. (Communities in Massachusetts that used chlorine for disinfection were compared to those that used chloramine).
1) Chloramine exposure damages lung mucosa, making the lungs more susceptible to allergens and infections.
2) Chloramine is a less effective disinfectant and therefore people are exposed to more pathogens.


Skin Problems

·         Chloramine tap water can cause severe skin reactions:

   rashing

   

dry skin

   itching

   

flaking

   welting

   

blistering

   chapping

   

burning sensation

   cracking

   

scarring

   bleeding

   

pigmentation

·         Chloramine can aggravate other skin conditions such as eczema and psoriasis.

·         Chloramine can cause bleeding lips, dry mouth and dry throat.

·         Chloramine can cause burning, red, and dry eyes.

·         Skin exposure to ammonia "breaks down cell structural proteins, extracts water from the cells and initiates an inflammatory response, which further damages the surrounding tissues."


Digestive and Gastric Problems

·         Chloramine damages digestive mucosa.

·         Chloramine can aggravate digestive disorders.

·         It is suggested that monochloramine is responsible for gastric cancer. (Journal of Gastroenterology, 1997, "Enhancement by Monochloramine of the Development of Gastric Cancers in Rats; a possible mechanism of Helicobacter, pylori-associated gastric carcinogenesis. Click here for a PDF, 2.87 MB.)


Kidney and Blood Problems

·         Persons with liver or kidney disease and those with hereditary urea cycle disorders are at increased risk for ammonia toxicity from the consumption of chloraminated water.

·         Kidney dialysis patients cannot use chloraminated water in their dialysis machines because it will cause hemolytic anemia.

·         Chloramine must be completely removed from the water in dialysis treatment using extensive carbon filtration and a reverse osmosis or Cation filtering system to remove both chlorine and ammonia from the water.

·         There are populations that are unusually susceptible to ammonia reactivity or toxicity due to factors such as genetic makeup, age, health status, etc.

 

Removing Chloramines from Water

Chloramine, which consists of a mixture of chlorine and ammonia, is added to the water of many cities as a substitute for free chlorine. It is often referred to in the plural, as �chloramines,� because it can take on a number of forms according to the pH and mineral content of the water.

The whole reduction discussion for chloramines can become quite complex, but the main thing you need to know is that chloramine is removed from water with essentially the same strategies that are used to remove chlorine. This means that carbon filtration is the best removal method, and, contrary to urban legends, filter carbon does indeed remove chloramine. The problem is that it takes more carbon and more contact time to do the job. In practical terms this means that if your city disinfects your tap water with chloramines you’ll need to get a larger and better carbon filter than you would need if chlorine alone were used.

For drinking water you can consider high quality carbon units like Multi-Pure, or double and triple units that use lots of carbon. And, contrary to another widely promoted myth, reverse osmosis units do remove chloramine. In fact, they do it well, because any good RO unit contains a couple of carbon filters and the water gets an extra slow pass through the first one.

In choosing carbon for chloramine removal,  a specially prepared carbon called “catalytic” carbon is far superior to regular carbon.

Catalytic carbon is a specifically processed grade of filter carbon that is designed especially for, among other things, exceptional chloramine removal. On our site, the brand name for catalytic carbon is Centaur.

To remove chloramines, look for products in these categories:

Reverse Osmosis Units — Reverse osmosis is especially good at chloramine reduction because of its multiple carbon filters and slow processing speed.

Whole House Carbon Filters — Carbon blocks filters will do the job but have a tendency to reduce water pressure. A single larger than normal whole house carbon tank does an excellent job at removing chlorimines as long as it is large enough to give enough contact time and uses a high quality catalytic Carbon. The best carbon for this purpose is centaur carbon and the only carbon we use in our systems for chlorimine removal.