Chemical reaction between pipe alloy and water disinfectants produce cancer-causing chromium in drinking water
12/13/2020 / By Virgilio Marin
Researchers from the University of California, Riverside have found that pipe alloy can react with residual water disinfectants to produce cancer-causing chromium that gets mixed in drinking water. In a study published in the journal Environmental Science & Technology, the researchers said that chemical reactions can change chromium in water pipes into a form that creates genetic mutations in cells.
Pipe alloy plus disinfectants a cancerous combination
Chromium is a naturally occurring metal in the soil and groundwater. It is often added to iron to produce a corrosion-resistant metal alloy. Trace amounts of trivalent chromium (chromium-3) appear in drinking water, but this form of chromium is thought to have neutral effects on health.
However, co-author Haizhou Liu of UC Riverside’s Department of Chemical and Environmental Engineering suspected that the chromium found in drinking water might have come from chemical reactions with water disinfectants.
https://www.pollution.news/2020-12-13-pipe-alloy-water-disinfectants-produce-chromium.html
