A group of international researchers has discovered a previously unknown chemical compound in U.S. drinking water — and it could be toxic.
The compound — known as chloronitramide anion — is found in water treated with inorganic chloramines, which more than one in five Americans, or around 113 million people, drink. Chloramine is a disinfectant used to treat drinking water and has been used by water utilities since the 1930s. Chloramine can kill germs in water pipes longer than chlorine, a disinfectant that has been in tap water used since 1908. Levels of up to four milligrams per liter are considered to be safe.
