DRINKING WATER CONTAMINATION LEVELS SAFER.Byline: Charles F. Bostwick Staff Writer PALMDALE - Water contamination has decreased from a group of chemicals that are a byproduct by·prod·uct or by-prod·uct n. 1. Something produced in the making of something else. 2. A secondary result; a side effect. Noun 1. of the water purification  It has been suggested that , , and be merged into this article or section. process but which have been linked to health problems, Palmdale Water District officials said Wednesday. After notifying customers last month that total trihalomethanes measured during spring had topped a recently stiffened maximum allowable level, officials said measurements dropped below the limit in July and August. ``We are trying to use more well water, as much as possible,'' General Manager Dennis LaMoreaux said. Unlike water from the California Aqueduct The California Aqueduct is a 444 mile (715 km)-long[1] aqueduct in the United States that carries water from Northern California to Southern California. , which provides much of Palmdale's water, well water doesn't contain the quantities of organic materials and salt that react with chlorine used in water purification to form trihalomethanes, officials said. The water delivered to Palmdale homes and businesses is safe to drink, the district said. Trihalomethanes are a group of chemicals that have been linked to miscarriages and liver, kidney and central nervous system problems, the state and federal governments say. Following a 1998 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 order, the state Department of Health Services Department of Health Services may refer to:
The previous limit had been 100 parts per billion. Test results received July 8, 2003, showed that the Palmdale district's running annual average for the second quarter of 2003 was 85.1 ppb. Averages decreased to 76.6 parts per billion in July and 65.5 parts per billion in August. Since receiving the spring results, the district has speeded up a study, already under way, of how to modify the water purification process to reduce trihalomethanes, LaMoreaux said. That could involve filtering out organic materials and salts, he said. No cost has been estimated. A 1998 California Department of Health Services study found that 16 percent of pregnant women drinking five or more glasses of water per day containing more than 75 ppb trihalomethanes had miscarriages. Of women drinking less water, or water lower in trihalomethanes, 9.5 percent had miscarriages. A federal study linked trihalomethanes in 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. to a birth defect birth defect Genetic or trauma-induced abnormality present at birth. A more restrictive term than congenital disorder, it covers abnormalities that arise during the formation of an embryo's organs and tissues and does not include those caused by diseases (e.g. called spina bifida, in which the spinal cord spinal cord, the part of the nervous system occupying the hollow interior (vertebral canal) of the series of vertebrae that form the spinal column, technically known as the vertebral column. is not properly enclosed by bone. Greg Botonis, (661) 267-7802 gregory.botonis(at)dailynews.com |
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