Press Releases

Contact: Public Relations Department
Suffolk County Water Authority
PO Box 37
Oakdale NY 11769
(631) 563-0296

January 14, 2002
Benefits -- But Not Supposed Risks -- Of Chlorination Well Established

Despite recent statements to the contrary by some groups, SCWA customers can be assured that chlorination vastly improves the safety of their drinking water, according to top Authority officials, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and other experts, SCWA CEO Stephen Jones announced today.

"It is actually the benefits of chlorination that have been clearly demonstrated, rather than the supposed risks some have recently publicized," Jones said. "Areas that do not chlorinate drinking water may experience outbreaks of disease caused by bacteria from time to time. Such illnesses can be severe and even fatal."

Jones went on to take issue with recently published statements alleging that chlorination byproducts may increase health risks including miscarriage, cancer and birth defects and has already discussed the findings with the commissioner of the Suffolk County Department of Health Services. He noted that the original report many of these statements were founded on goes back to 1998 and was very closely reviewed by the EPA. That agency concluded that the evidence did not prove any link between current levels of exposure to disinfection byproducts and increased risk of adverse reproductive and developmental health effects.

Associations of water professionals including the American Water Works Association and the Long Island Water Conference have supported the EPA's conclusions, Jones noted. In addition, he indicated that the World Health Organization has stated that any potential risks to health from disinfection byproducts would be extremely minor compared to the much greater risks posed by inadequate disinfection.

According to SCWA Lab Director Karen Randazzo, there is even more good news for SCWA customers in that all of the drinking water supplied by the Authority is derived from groundwater. "We test regularly for these compounds, and they are only found at very low levels in our system. In contrast, systems based on surface water have much higher levels of disinfection byproducts, many of which only occur when chlorine reacts with organic material in the water. Those systems also use much higher levels of chlorine to disinfect," she said.

"Ours is a cutting edge lab," she added. "As with the gasoline additive MTBE, we have been tracking this for more than two decades and have one of the largest data bases in the country."

Michael Stevenson, SCWA Deputy CEO for Administration, pointed out an additional danger that has occurred in conjunction with some of the inaccurate reports. "Some people who circulate these alarmist statements then go on to suggest that pregnant women and others can be protected from the dangers they have alleged by using filters and drinking bottled water. However, home filters, if not properly maintained, can actually contaminate drinking water, and bottled water sold in New York State does not have to meet the stringent standards we are required to adhere to," he said.

"In our 50-year history, we have always complied with all health and safety requirements, and we will continue to do everything we can to assure our customers that the water we provide is pure, safe and constantly tested. As a member of the Groundwater Guardian community, we believe working collaboratively with other groups to prevent source water contamination and reduce the presence of disinfection byproducts in drinking water, along with support for adequate funding, is the best course of action," Stevenson concluded.

The Suffolk County Water Authority is an independent public benefit corporation operating by virtue of the Public Authorities Law of the State of New York. Serving about 80% of Suffolk's residents, it operates without taxing power on a non-profit basis.