Switch to chloramine raises kids’ lead levels
New research shows that blood lead levels in children changed when chloramines were used to disinfect water in a North Carolina community.
The levels of lead in children’s blood increased after their water company started to use chloramines for secondary disinfection, according to a new study published in Environmental Health Perspectives (2006, DOI: 10.1289/ehp.9432).
The use of chloramines in drinking-water disinfection has been linked to elevated levels of lead in drinking water in Washington, D.C. Corrosion studies also demonstrate a link between chloramines and lead, but few have looked for a link between the use of the disinfectant and children’s blood lead levels. The new research published online on November 7 finds an association, but it does not prove cause and effect between higher lead levels and the disinfection chemicals, the authors note.
The scientists compared children’s addresses and information about their housing with blood-test results from 1999 to 2003. Two water systems serve this group, in Wayne County, N.C. After one switched to chloramines, the average blood levels of children drinking water from that system rose.
