Kingscote tap-water unsafe for drinking — Freedom of Information request from SA Water, 2012.10.15

From a report compiled by Friends of the Earth following their Freedom of Information request from SA Water, one can learn that Kingscote tap-water is one of the most unsafe in South Australia.

Much too much monochloramines and trihalomethanes.

To the point that “Several years ago the Department of Health granted special dispensation on Kangaroo Island because of consistent Trihalomethane non-compliance with the Australian Drinking Water Guidelines.

Right…

Good on you SA Water… When public health rules are difficult to respect, just bend the rules? Kingscote residents and visitors say thanks a lot.

Dr Gabriel Bittar

Note: Some Kingscote people believe that all you need to do is boil the tap water to make it safe… This is a no-no.

Boiling is OK for killing most microbes. Boiling water polluted with trihalomethanes (due to bad industrial processes in “cleaning” the collected waters) will only create polluted fumes, and most of the chemicals will remain in the water. Kingscote tap-water is not only unsafe for drinking: I would not use it on the skin (would you wash yourself with the chemicals used in dry cleaning?), would not breathe the water vapours, and would of course not provide it to animals… nor water plants with it. Except for washing the car, this water is not very useful…

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From the Friends of the Earth website:

Adelaide residents drinking possibly carcinogenic compound at unsafe levels.

Submitted by Cam Walker on Mon, 15/10/2012 – 06:46

PRESS RELEASE OCTOBER 15, 2012

Environmental organisation Friends of the Earth today released a report about drinking water quality issues in South Australia. The report was compiled from a 9000 page Freedom of Information request from SA Water which covered water quality results between January 2000 and July 2012.

The report which is available here found:

*9,298 breaches to the Australian Drinking Water Guidelines and World Health Organisation Drinking Water Guidelines.

The breaches included 5159 breaches for Monochloramines which occur when ammonia is added to chlorine. These breaches occurred almost exclusively in rural areas. Chloraminated water has also been reported to aggravate skin, digestive and respiratory ailments.

Thousands of breaches were also recorded for chlorine disinfection byproducts, particularly compounds defined as Trihalomethanes. Bromodichloromethane/Dichlorobromoform were detected over 2000 times throughout the state, with approximately one third of detections found in the Adelaide region. Some chlorine disinfection by-products have been linked to bladder cancer and reproductive problems.

“For Adelaide residents the chemical of most concern would be Bromodichloromethane”, said Anthony Amis from Friends of the Earth. “We found that many suburbs in Adelaide have been exposed to this chemical above the level which the World Health Organisation (WHO) believe is safe. It seems very strange that neither SA Water or SA Health have ever made a public statement about this substance – it doesn’t raise any mention in SA Water Quality Reports.  Why?”

Several years ago the Department of Health granted special dispensation on Kangaroo Island because of consistent Trihalomethane non-compliance with the Australian Drinking Water Guidelines. One wonders whether this has also occurred in regards to Adelaide’s drinking water?”

Approximately 97% of Adelaide breaches concerned Bromodichloromethane. Craigmore in the cities north recorded the most samples above WHO guideline levels. Many rural towns are also exposed to this chemical, with the town of Willunga recording the most breaches in the state.

Bromodichloromethane is regarded by the International Agency for Research on Cancer as a possible carcinogen to humans.

The communities in South Australia recording the most breaches to drinking water guidelines for the past dozen years were: Kingscote on Kangaroo Island, Loxton, Burra North, Port Pirie and Port Augusta. The highest number of breaches in the Adelaide region were: Craigmore, Happy Valley, Seaford Rise, Blakeview and Elizabeth Downs.

South Australian’s should also be asking why they haven’t been informed that they have been consuming drinking water containing possibly carcinogenic substances for much of the past decade and most likely many years earlier as well.

It is simply not good enough for Government authorities to know that a situation has existed and not inform the public of the potential risks associated with consuming drinking water with levels of Bromodichloromethane for example, higher than what the World Health Organisation recommends.

For further information contact Anthony Amis on 0425 841 564.

 

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