The Feb. 25 Your Place story “Untapped purity, Filters beat faucets in water taste tests” ignores thc critical importance of chlorine in the treatment of our drinking water, and by so doing, also ignores the eradication of several deadly diseases.
Water chlorination has played a critical role in protecting America’s drinking water supply from waterborne diseases for nearly a century. Indeed, since the introduction of chlorine in U.S. water supplies in 1908, deadly diseases such as cholera, typhoid and dysentery have been virtually eliminated.
In a recent report on major public health achievements of the century, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention noted, “Chlorination and other treatments of drinking water began in the early 1900s and became widespread public health practices, further decreasing the incidence of waterborne diseases.”
Moreover, chlorine-based disinfectants are the only disinfectants that provide lasting residual protection from waterborne disease throughout the distribution system–from the treatment plant to the consumer’s tap. Alternatives to chlorination cannot provide this residual protection. According to the World Health Organization, “disinfection by chlorine is still the best guarantee of microbiologically safe water.”
As for taste, I am pleased to note that the top five finishers at the recent Berkeley Springs International WaterTasting (the largest water-tasting competition in the world) all utilize chlorine to disinfect their water supplies. This recognition confirms that chlorinated drinking water saves lives and can taste great.
