The removal of microbial populations from potable
water has been a practice with great importance towards
public health, as it has resulted in the reduction of
literally millions of cases of infectious disease. In the
United States, pathogenic organisms are most commonly
removed from drinking water through the application of
chlorine. Ninety-nine per cent of all U.S. potable water
treatment facilities that disinfect, rely on chlorine as
their sole or primary disinfectant, and over 175,000,000
Americans regularly consume chlorinated water.
In 1974, Rook and Bellar et al. published studies
which indicated that chlorine reacted with organic matter
in water during treatment to produce a wide-range of
halogenated by-products. Since that time, numerous
analyses have been performed to isolate and identify the
by-products of chlorination. Toxicologic and
epidemiologic studies have been performed, some of which
suggest that the use of chlorine as a disinfectant may be
contributing to the incidence of chronic disease in the
United States.
Because of the concern that the use of chlorine for
potable water disinfection may be contributing to chronic
disease, Amendments to the Safe Drinking Water Act (SDWA)
have been promulgated which strictly regulate
disinfectants and disinfection by-products. Future
disinfectant and disinfectant by-product regulations
(1992) will have a major impact on the purveyors of
potable water in the U.S.. Probably the largest challenge
U.S. water treatment utilities now face is in the attempt
to control for disinfectants and disinfectant by-products
while maintaining the microbiological integrity of the
water supply. The SDWA Amendments and their supporting
regulations will result in major changes in the way water
quality parameters are measured, and the way disinfection
and treatment strategies are practiced.
This thesis looks closely at the role of chlorine as
a disinfectant, the by-products arising from chlorine
reacting with organic matter, as well as the rationale
behind the disinfectant and disinfectant by-product
regulations. After examining the chemical, toxicologic
and epidemiologic evidence which fueled the new SDWA
regulations, available treatment strategies for meeting
the new regulations will be detailed and examined. A
water treatment strategy which best appears to maximize
the reduction of waterborne disease and minimize the risk
of chronic disease will then be offered. / Graduation date: 1992
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:ORGSU/oai:ir.library.oregonstate.edu:1957/37435 |
| Date | 31 October 1991 |
| Creators | Monaghan, Pegeen |
| Contributors | Rossignol, Annette |
| Source Sets | Oregon State University |
| Language | en_US |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Thesis/Dissertation |
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