YOUR TOTAL WATER SOLUTION

High THMs May Impair Fetal Growth

Taken from the Canadian Water Quality Association - Communique
Issue 244
January 2005

A recent study by researches at UCLA shows that high levels (70 u/litre or more) of thihalomethanes (THM's) experienced during the second trimester of pregnancy and pregnancy overall may impair fetal growth. The study was published in the American Journal of Epidemiology. Data was obtained from 1999 to 2001 from a diverse population in 27 Massachusetts communities that receive drinking water from a single utility.

The researches then examined the effects of trimester-specific and pregnancy average exposure to total THMs (formed in water when chlorine used as a disinfectant reacts with natural organic matter). Data showed that increased exposure to THMs leads to lower birth weights.

According to the report, the increase in risk for lower birth weights was 37%.

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