I got a brochure with this in the mail yesterday. And as you can see, it is typographically done to make an impact. “Chlorine Can Increase the Risk of Cancer”. The brochure is for water filtration systems. It got me wondering whether the chlorine in our water is something we should be worried about, and who can we trust? Is this yet another case of scaremongering?

The Public Utilities Board of Singapore, our water supply has stated in its opening page a very vague statement.

Safe To Drink From Tap

Due to sound watershed management, effective water treatment processes and continued investments in R&D, Singaporeans have been enjoying good quality water for the last four decades. Singapore’s tap water is well within the World Health Orgnisation drinking water guidelines, and is suitable for drinking without any further filtration.

“Without any further filtration” is the point there. What is the PUB’s stand on companies that sell water filters if they claim their water is “suitable” for drinking. I cannot find the methods in which they treat our water, nor is there any data on how much chlorine is in our water. Apparently our water is within the WHO guidelines, but WHO also states the increase of cancer risks with chlorinated water. Of course there are better ways to filter water, but at what monetary costs and how much would it change our lifestyles?

The interesting article from the Daily Mail in the UK states that the chlorine’s increased risk of cancer is not just in drinking water but in bath water, which pretty much renders the filters useless unless you buy one for every single tap in your house. Article here.

Or is it as one of the comments in the Daily Mail article has said, that it is a trade off, we need to bear a slight increased risk of cancer to prevent a higher risk of infections.

Public health is a matter of trade-offs. Is the number of people who will develop bladder cancer as a result of chlorinated water larger or smaller than the amount who would be killed by the microorganisms the chlorine keeps out? There is a lot of information in this article about the percent *increase* in bladder cancer – it fails to mention that the actual *rate* of bladder cancer in the population as a whole is around 2/10 of a percent. Compare that to the 1/3 infant mortality rate in less chlorinated times due directly to water-borne illnesses like diptheria.

- Thomas, York, 28/1/2007 17:43

The reason why cancer is such a big health problem these days is very likely the fact that we have conquered infections to a large degree. In the past infections killed off much more people, and at a much younger age than they do now. So we lived long enough to get cancer. When and if we do eventually conquer cancer, we would live long enough to get something else. Someone has done a statistical analysis that even if humans were to gain immortality, through medical science, the average age would be about 500, just by the chance of meeting a fatal accident.

I sent PUB an email asking about this. They finally replied with this.

Thank you for your feedback of 3 April 09.

We  have  received  similar  feedback  earlier  on  this  product  and have
requested the company to substantiate its claims. Please also note that PUB
does  not  regulate point-of-use water treatment or filtering devices.  PUB
potable  water  meets  the  World  Health Organisation (WHO) Guidelines for
Drinking  Water  Quality.   It  is  safe  for  life-long consumption and is
suitable  for all domestic purposes.  PUB water also exceeds other drinking
water  standards  or  guidelines  in  developed countries like the European
Union and USEPA Drinking Water Standards.

The  WHO  Drinking  Water  Guidelines are developed based on extensive long
term  scientific  studies  by  teams  of eminent scientists specialising in
their  particular  fields,  and  reviewed regularly by teams of independent
water  quality  and health experts and toxicologists, down the decades.  In
establishing  the  safe  values in drinking water which cover more than one
hundred  physical,  chemical and bacteriological parameters including toxic
compounds,  daily  intake  from other sources such as food and air are also
taken  into  consideration  and  factored  in.  What this means is that the
water  is  safe for drinking and other domestic uses if the water meets the
WHO Drinking Water Guidelines.

PUB  has  in  place an extensive and comprehensive water quality monitoring
programme.   Over  80,000  tests are conducted in one month alone, based on
290  parameters,  surpassing  the  96 specified by the USEPA and the 113 by
WHO.  Everyday, representative water samples are also taken from customers’
taps  at  different  locations  throughout the island and tests are done to
ensure  that  our water supply is of good quality and meets WHO guidelines.
The  quality  of  the  water  is also independently checked by the Director
General (Public Health), National Environment Agency (NEA).

PUB  would  like  to  assure  everyone  that  PUB water more than meets WHO
guidelines and is safe for life-long consumption.  There is no need for any
point-of-use  water  treatment  or  filtering  devices to further treat the
water for drinking or other domestic uses.

Although  the  use of point-of-use water treatment and filtering devices is
the  customer’s choice, customers must not be coerced into buying and using
such  devices  through  misleading  advertisements/demonstrations and false
claims  that  claim PUB’s water is unsafe for drinking.  PUB will act if an
equipment  vendor falsely claims that PUB’s water is unsafe for drinking in
order to promote the sale of his equipment.

For  info,  the  Agri-Food  and  Veterinary  Authority  of  Singapore (AVA)
regulates  POU  devices  to ensure that the quality of the water from these
devices  meets  WHO  Guidelines  and  is  fit and safe for consumption, and
requires  traders  to  ensure  that  their devices meet these requirements.
Traders are required to show proof that the water produced from the systems
is  safe  for  consumption  and  meets drinking water standards as and when
requested  by  AVA.   The  details  of  the officer in charge at AVA are as
follows:

Dr Wong Kwok Onn
Head
Survey & Safety Review Branch
Food Control Division
Agri-Food and Veterinary Authority (AVA)
Tel: 63251213
Email: wong_kwok_onn@ava.gov.sg