BIRMINGHAM, UNITED KINGDOM — A Birmingham University study published in Environmental Health on June 2 suggests that drinking certain tap waters while pregnant may double the risk of serious health defects in the unborn child, according to an article on www.dailymail.co.uk.
The study was conducted in Taiwan and included almost 40,000 babies. A clear link was found between trihalomethanes, disinfection products which form in chlorination, and a trio of birth defects, including holes in the heart, cleft palates and anencephalus, according to the article.
The article states that according to the study, up to one in six British citizens could be exposed to levels of trihalomethane even higher than those in Taiwan, with higher concentrations in the spring and autumn.
Principal Inspector of the UK Drinking Water Inspectorate Sue Pennison says there is no reason for people to be worried. She is quoted in the article as saying, “Chlorination is reliable and has been used for centuries. The only reason diseases like cholera and typhoid are not in our water supply is because of chlorination.”
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