Common chemical in drinking water hasn’t been tested for safety

A common disinfectant in drinking water breaks down into a chemical compound that we know almost nothing about, including whether it has any potential toxic health effects to those who drink it.

Chlorine has been used to sanitise drinking water for more than a century. However, some drinking water systems in the US, UK and Australia now use another closely related chemical disinfectant called chloramine. That’s because chlorine byproducts were linked to bladder and colon cancer, low birth rates and miscarriage, says …