Researchers have identified a “ghost chemical” that has been present in drinking water for several decades. It is completely new to Science.
Adding chlorine to water is an effective method for eliminating most pathogens, but it can create byproducts that are harmful to human health. It is for this reason that the chloraminea related compound, is more commonly used, as it produces these byproducts but in smaller quantities.
This does not mean, however, that chloramine is not free from its own byproducts. Various chemical analyzes revealed that about five to 10% of nitrogen disappears, becoming trapped in some molecule that “escaped” the watchful eyes of scientists for decades.
Recently, a team of researchers managed to identify this stranger “ghost chemist“: it’s called chloronitramid anion and is a negatively charged molecule composed of one chlorine atom, two nitrogen atoms and two oxygen atoms.
According to , the team synthesized and isolated the chemical in the laboratory, analyzing it with high-resolution mass spectrometry and nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy to reveal its mysterious properties.
They then measured the concentrations of the anions in different water systems in the United States that are treated with chloramines, and detected them at levels of up to 100 micrograms per litera value higher than the regulatory limits of 60 to 80 micrograms per liter that are generally permitted for disinfection byproducts.
Scientists have yet to carry out direct toxicological studies, but the team says the analyzes suggest that the chloronitramid anion It’s not entirely benign.
“The question is whether the substance is toxic in the amount to which we are exposed”, highlighted researcher Oliver Jones. “I think the answer is probably no.. Only 40 samples were tested in this study, which is not enough to be representative of all tap water in the United States, and the concentration of chloronitramid was well below regulatory limits for most disinfection byproducts.”
The was published in the magazine Science.
