Effects of Drinking Water Disinfection and Disinfection By-Products on Immune Fuction

A variety of adverse health effects have been associated with drinking water disinfectants and their by-products. Effects on immune function were evaluated in rats and mice following acute exposures to chlorine, bromodichloromethane(BDCM), bromoform(TBM), or dichloroacetic acid(DCA), which are all contaminants of treated drinking water. The chemicals were administered via drinking water or gavage,and a plaque forming cell(PFC) assay, a hemagglutination(HA) titer,or a lymphocyte proliferation(LP) assay was performed. Despite the adverse effects of these chemicals observed in past studies and the recent epidemiological findings linking cancer to treated drinking water, the present studies suggest that the immune system is not a principal target.Master of Science in Public Healt