Thousands Of Midlands Homes Affected By Cancer-Causing Toxins

Tuesday, 26 March 2024 15:56

Uisce Éireann insists water in affected areas is still "safe to drink".

Uisce Éireann says it's working with both the EPA and the HSE regarding communication with customers whose water supply may have excessive levels of a toxin linked to cancer.

25 supplies in the country currently have excessive levels of THMs - one of these is the Clara Ferbane site, which serves over seven thousand people.

As a result, Uisce Éireann has committed to upgrading the treatment plant, with a completion date of June this year.

Senior Inspector with the EPA, Patrick Chan, says risks typically only come with long-term exposure:

In a statement to Midlands 103, Uisce Éireann says its enhanced testing and monitoring programme across its 700-plus public water supplies has enabled the utility to identify 25 schemes on the Remedial Action list for THMs:

"In all these cases we are taking concerted action to address these risks through a combination of plant upgrades and enhanced operational controls.

It is important to reassure customers on these remaining schemes that water is safe to drink. THMs are chemicals which are formed by the reaction of naturally occurring dissolved organic material in the water and chlorine, which is used for disinfection purposes. Chlorination is an essential step in the production process to ensure harmful bacteria are eliminated from your drinking water. The clear advice from the HSE in relation to THMs and drinking water is that the "benefits of using chlorine to treat our drinking water are much greater than any possible health risk from THMs". This is also the position of the World Health Organisation (WHO) which states that “...adequate disinfection should never be compromised to control THMs".

When our monitoring programmes detect THM levels above the allowable limit (100µg/L), Uisce Éireann notifies the Environmental Protection Agency and consults with the Health Service Executive (HSE). To date, a Do Not Drink notice has not been imposed on any public water supply due to THM exceedances"