Erin Brockovich-drinking tap water

Roselm

http://www.mummypages.ie/erin-brockovich-warns-mums-to-be-against-drinking-republic-of-irelands-tap-water


Guys, I just wanted to share this. Hadn't heard of this before

meeeeh

So what levels are in Irish water? Because without numbers this is just scaremongering. BTW I am not having a go at OP but whoever wrote that article.

Roselm

http://www.independent.ie/irish-news/600000-are-drinking-water-with-deadly-chemicals-26764659.html
A little more info here but still low on numbers!!
Meeeh, yeah, I'm absolutely not on an agenda here, I have only just come across this myself and wondered if others had heard of it.
I would live some hard facts also.

gctest50

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http://www.engineersjournal.ie/2013/05/02/trihalomethane-formation-in-irish-water-supplies/

gctest50

might find a few ideas to start with : see attached

January

I asked about this the other night as he is in the middle of a masters on cancer research.

He said:

Erin brockovich is just desperately trying to remain relevant.
She's a lawyer not a scientist

Like the cancer causing compound is all about quantity and exposure
Chances are they're in every water source to a degree
So there's a baseline level of consumption. But there's no causative link between it and cancer as far as I know.

meeeeh

I know way too little on the subject but what annoys me is bombastic reporting when someone is quoted without information to put things into context. It's like the sausages will give you cancer paranoia when nobody actually bothered checking what researchers are actually saying.

lazygal

Water's chock full of chemicals. Like everything we eat and drink.

Ms. Chanandler Bong

Because I've insomnia at the moment , I did a little digging on this stuff...

THMs are a group of organic chemicals, often present in drinking water and formed when chlorine reacts with naturally occurring organic matter in raw water.
Because most water supplies in Ireland are surface water sources and some of our groundwater sources may be influenced by surface water, raw water is likely to contain high levels of particulate and organic matter. Their levels can increase depending on rainfall and flooding.
There are 4 types of THMs. The International Agency for Research on Cancer classes 2 of the types as 'possibly carcinogenic to humans' (Group 2B). This category is used for things where there is insufficient evidence of carcinogenicity in humans but there is evidence of carcinogenicity in experimental animals. In other words, they've been tested on animals but not on humans (or not enough to draw reliable conclusions). The other 2 types are not classed as to their carcinogenicity.
The UK Committee on the Toxicity Chemicals in Food, Consumer Products and the Environment (or COT as it's shortened to) analysed 13 different studies and reports done on THMs from 1999-2008 and found 'in human studies there is no consistent relationship between chlorinated drinking-water and adverse pregnancy outcomes, including low birth weight, pregnancy loss, pre-term delivery and congenital malformations. In animal studies, effects have largely been seen at high doses associated with maternal toxicity and these are not considered to be predictive of effects in humans exposed to far lower levels of DBPs.'

59 public water supplies out of a total 635 exceeded the WHO limit of 100 micrograms per litre in 2014. This was down 2 on the previous year. Of these, 20 were in excess of 150 micrograms per litre. The highest was 237 micrograms per litre found in NERWSS, Roscommon.
Not all PWS failing the limit are listed in the report. I've listed any I could find throughout the report below:
Kerry (Ballymacadam, Barraduff, Cahirciveen, Kilgarvan, Killsarkin, Lisarboola, Shrone, Ventry, Waterville).
Donegal (Cashilard, Gortahork-Falcarragh, Fintown, Greencastle, Portnoo-Narin, Rathmullen, Letterkenny, Pettigo)
Sligo (Lough Talt, Lough Gill (Cairns Hill), South Sligo Regional Water Supply Scheme)
Galway (Cleggan/Claddaghduff, Carraroe, Ballinasloe RWSS, Ballyconneely PS, Portumna PS)
Mayo (L. Mask RWSS, Ballina, Bonniconlon, Kiltimagh)
Wicklow (Enniskerry Public Supply, Wicklow Regional Public Supply)
Meath (East Meath, Drumcondrath)
Cork (Drimoleague, Kealkill, Schull)
Kilkenny (Inistioge WS, Kilkenny City (Radestown) WS)
Leitrim (South Leitrim Regional)
Longford (Ballymahon, Gowna, Granard, Longford Central)
Monaghan (Lough Egish RWSS)
Roscommon (Grangemore, North Roscommon Regional Water Supply Scheme)
Waterford (Lismore, Ring/Helvick, Tallow)
Wicklow (Avoca/Ballinclash Public Supply)

A lot of these came from http://www.epa.ie/pubs/reports/water/drinking/Q4_2015_RALforweb.pdf, a remedial action list which also has what actions have been taken, what needs to be done & when it's to be done by. It doesn't have any details of how much they've failed by though.
I think you can access individual counties on this list http://erc.epa.ie/safer/iso19115/displayAllAttachments.jsp?isoID=3080 and find out how much they fail by. It downloads a couple of Excel files that you can look through to see where it exceeds limits for different things. Having had a quick look at my own area, there's a file called 'Exceedences' that lists any supplies, public or private, and what they've failed & by how much.

22 private supplies out of a total 2691 tested exceeded the WHO limit of 100 micrograms per litre in 2014. Of these, 5 were in excess of 150 micrograms per litre. The highest was 237 micrograms per litre in the Brackloon/Spaddagh GWS, County Mayo. There isn't a breakdown in the report, just 'The majority of supplies are in counties Cavan, Galway, Kerry, and Mayo and are detected in Private Group Water Schemes.'

That was a very productive 90 minutes!!!

brokensoul

I was a bit paranoid about this issue so we got our water tested. About €50 for the test and all came back clear thank god. Worth it for the peace of mind, esp as we live in an old house and I was terrified that the pipes were lead or something.