Water systems and organohalide contaminants [Discussion paper]

In recent years, increasing environmental pollution has become a major contributory cause for deterioration in the quality of life. The increase in the consumption and production of synthetic chemicals viz. pesticides, fertilizers, industrial byproducts etc. has contaminated the water resources via waste water discharges, agriculture runoff, use in public health protection and pharmaceuticals etc. The presence of such organic compounds have been reported in both ground and surface waters. Toxicological studies have linked some of these compounds to adverse human health effects. The data on health risk assessments by Morris and Barbara (1977) have correlated the risk of individual organochlorine compounds (OClPs) and carbon chlorine bonds. World Health Organisation (WHO, 1993) has regulated the guideline values (GV) for drinking water for 66 such compounds and of that more than 50 per cent are organohalides. The present paper discusses the status of Indian water sources located in urban areas for OClPs and disinfection byproducts trihalomethanes (THMs).