Water companies across the US are adding ammonia to your drinking water. Ammonia and chlorine combine to make a compound called "chloramine". It is lethal to fish. Six
massive fish kills have been documented in the US and Canada killing everything down to the earthworm. People in 20 states have reported
respiratory problems, skin rashes and digestive problems from drinking, cooking with or bathing in chloraminated water. The byproducts of chloramine are
100 TIMES MORE TOXIC than those of chlorine. These byproducts are known to be genotoxic (damage DNA), cytotoxic (damage cells) and carcinogenic (cause cancer).
Chloramine is
20,000 TIMES LESS EFFECTIVE in killing bacteria that cause water borne diseases. Chloramine literally
'eats' rubber fitting in plumbing and
leaches lead into your children's water. Lead poisoning can cause developmental disabilities in children. The use of chloramine adds pollutants to the
Chesapeake Bay and other watersheds that are destroying these water bodies.
There are alternative methods available to these water companies. They do not have to use chloramine. It is the cheapest alternative available to them. Scientists have no doubt that EPA will eventually regulate chloramine byproducts. That time frame could be 5-15 years. In the meantime the water companies have said they will use it until someone makes them stop! Your signature will help make them stop.
To learn more about chloramine and the fight to stop its use go to
http://www.chloramineinfocenter.net/ or
http://www.vtce.org/ .
We the undersigned are asking you for a moratorium on the use of chloramine in drinking water facilities across the US until more studies can be done regarding the acute and long term health effects of chloramine and its byproducts as well as the environmental impact of chloramine on aquatic life and watersheds. We understand that chloramine is only one option water companies have to meet 2012 EPA regulations. We also understand that the compliance date for these regulations are 3 to4 years from now. There is time to stop and look at what we are about to do to determine if it is the most prudent road to take. If necessary, EPA could also extend the compliance period for the 2012 Stage 2 regulations.
European countries who have studied chloramine have banned its use in their countries because it is less effective in killing bacteria that cause water borne diseases. US scientists agree with that conclusion. US scientists are also saying that the byproducts of chloramine are as much as 100 times more toxic than those of chlorine which are currently regulated.
These are critical issues and the scientific community appears to be of one voice on the potential dangers of chloramine. Please give serious consideration to a moratorium pending further inquiry into the use of the chemical in our most precious resource.
Thank you for your time.
