|
DISINFECTANT |
EFFECTIVENESS |
PROBLEMS |
HEALTH CONCERNS |
|
Chlorine |
Highly effective, but not as long lasting as
chloramines |
In gaseous form can be hazardous; odor and taste
problems |
Byproducts (THMs) may cause health problems
|
|
Chloramine |
Retains residual in large distribution systems
|
Nitrification can lead to loss of residual
|
Hazardous to fish; should not be used in kidney
dialysis process; produces byproducts with unknown health effects
|
|
Chlorine dioxide |
Mainly used for taste and odor control |
|
Produces inorganic byproducts with unknown health
effects |
|
Ozone |
Highly effective for very contaminated water, but
doesn’t leave residual |
Energy-intensive/costly |
Produces byproducts with unknown health effects
|
|
Ultraviolet radiation |
Effective, but doesn’t leave a residual
|
Equipment has technical limitations |
Not effective against some pathogens |
|
Reverse osmosis (RO) |
Can be effective in removing pathogens and
minerals, but generally requires pretreatment |
Generally very costly; produces brine that must be
disposed of and this can waste water |
None identified |
|
Nanofiltration |
Can be effective in removing pathogens and
minerals, but generally requires pretreatment |
Generally very costly; produces brine that must be
disposed of; mostly unproven in large-scale applications
|
None identified |