AQUATIC PET OWNERS ALERTED WATER ADDITIVE CHLORAMINES TOXIC TO FISH.Byline: Daily News SANTA CLARITA Santa Clarita, city (1990 pop. 110,642), Los Angeles co., S Calif., suburb 30 mi (48 km) NW of downtown Los Angeles, on the Santa Clara River; inc. 1987. Situated in the Santa Clara valley and nearby canyons, Santa Clarita includes the former towns of Canyon Country, - The Castaic Lake Water Agency is alerting aquatic pet owners that, beginning in mid-April, a new disinfectant will be used in Santa Clarita's water, and safeguards are needed to protect aquarium animals. Water imported from Northern California and distributed to local customers will be treated with chloramines rather than the traditional chlorine to better guard against a suspected carcinogen carcinogen: see cancer. carcinogen Agent that can cause cancer. Exposure to one or more carcinogens, including certain chemicals, radiation, and certain viruses, can initiate cancer under conditions not completely understood. that forms when plant life or other organic material gets into pipes. Owners of fish, shellfish, reptiles and amphibians amphibians members of the animal class Amphibia. Includes frogs, toads, newts, salamanders and cecilians all capable of living on land or in water. are advised to switch their tanks and pond filters and find other treatments to neutralize chloramines. Solutions are available at local pet stores, according to the alert from the CLWA CLWA Chip-Level Weibull Analysis CLWA Children living with AIDS (Lancaster, OH) . For humans, chloramines in the drinking water drinking water supply of water available to animals for drinking supplied via nipples, in troughs, dams, ponds and larger natural water sources; an insufficient supply leads to dehydration; it can be the source of infection, e.g. leptospirosis, salmonellosis, or of poisoning, e.g. are a safe alternative to chlorine, but both are toxic to aquatic animals and must be neutralized. Chemical disinfectants are harmful because they go directly into the bloodstream through the gills. Chloramines are safe for dogs, cats and other mammals. The change is required by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), independent agency of the U.S. government, with headquarters in Washington, D.C. It was established in 1970 to reduce and control air and water pollution, noise pollution, and radiation and to ensure the safe handling and to more effectively eliminate bacteria and viruses from drinking water. Chloramines create fewer byproducts than chlorine. Chloramines also pose a risk to kidney patients who use dialysis machines and must be removed from water before use in dialysis treatment. The CLWA announced the switch in August and is stepping up an information campaign before the changeover in April. For information, contact the CLWA at (661) 297-1699 or www.clwa.org. |
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