"We need to investigate it. We don't know the toxicity," study lead author Julian Fairey, an associate professor at the University of Arkansas, told The Washington Post. "This work was 40 years in the making in terms of trying to identify the compound, and now that we have identified it, we can delve into how toxic is this thing."
While it bears similarities to other waterborne chemicals that are regulated for being toxic, scientists don't yet know if chloronitramide anion is harmful for humans to consume, and are thus urging immediate further research into the byproduct.
Contaminants are unavoidable in drinking water, and when kept at low enough concentrations are generally harmless. Chloramines have been used to effectively treat water for nearly a century in the US, and are also used in other countries including Australia.
As with many chemical disinfectants, it creates byproducts that themselves have to be carefully managed. These form when the chloramines interact with organic substances in the water, like harmful germs, and over time, can decompose to form yet more kinds of byproducts.
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