Trihalomethanes (THMs) is a group of chemicals that develop in drinking water, when chemicals like chlorine, react with organic water, let me tell you one thing, consuming a small amount of trihalomethanes is generally considered safe. But a high amount can cause serious health issues like damage to the kidneys, liver, heart, etc.
Therefore, it is essential for you to eliminate Trihalomethanes (THMs) from the drinking water. In this article, I will explain to you in detail how you can efficiently remove THMs from the water. So, without getting into any additional details, let’s get started.
How to Remove Trihalomethanes (THMs) from the Water – Different Methods Explained
Read out the different explained below to remove THMs from water, each method has its own advantages and disadvantages, so pay proper attention to each one. This will allow you to choose the one that is suitable.
Activated Carbon Filters
The very first way to trihalomethanes from drinking water is by using activated carbon filters. These filters are considered the best option for removing THMs, all because of their efficient working.
These filters work by efficiently absorbing all the toxic contaminants, including trihalomethanes, on the surface of the carbon filter. These filters have a large surface area that first traps and then removes them from the water.
The great thing about these filters is that, they are quite affordable and easy to install – this means, you don’t need to spend too much money and effort on it. However, they also have a drawback which is they require regular maintenance otherwise, their ability to remove contaminants will be affected.
Boiling the water:
You are all familiar with this traditional way to make drinking water safe. Boiling the water for at least 15-20 min will remove most of the impurities, including trihalomethanes.
This way of removing THMs is simple, completely free, and also effective. One of the best things is that it does not require any special procedure to follow.
Apart from advantages, this method also has disadvantages like it is quite time-consuming and will not chemicals, metals, or sediment from the water.
Use distillation process:
The distillation process is another effective method to remove trihalomethanes from the water. This method involves boiling the water and collecting steam from it. The steam is then converted back into the water.
Using this method will not only remove trihalomethanes from the drinking water but also remove heavy bacteria, viruses, from the water.
This method can be a good option for people who live in areas that have too much-contaminated water.
However, there is also a downside as well that is, it is a more expensive option because it requires electricity to operate.
Reverse Osmosis process
Reverse osmosis is one of the most efficient ways to remove trihalomethanes from drinking. RO is a filtration process that involves forcing the contaminated water to pass through a special semi-permeable membrane to make the water from toxic impurities.
There is a huge variety of RO filtration systems that you can choose in order to remove THMs from the water.
One advantage of using Reverse Osmosis is that, they are highly effective, they remove %99 of contaminants, including trihalomethanes, viruses, bacteria, chemicals, sediment, from the water. This means, they can be a great option for people who want to remove a variety of contaminants from the water.
But let me tell you one downside of RO systems, they produce more water wastage as compared to filtration systems.
Ultravoilet radiations:
The final method to remove THMs from drinking is through ultraviolet radiation. This method can be used with disinfectant water, resulting in the removal of trihalomethanes.
Ultraviolet radiations method work by passing the contaminated water through a special chamber, where it is exposed to ultraviolet radiation. The radiation efficiently eliminates trihalomethanes, bacteria, viruses and many more.
The downside of this method is that, it will only remove bacteria, THMs or viruses from the drinking water. You should expect to remove heavy metals or bad minerals with this method. One more thing I need to mention here is that it operates on electricity.
These are methods that you can consider adopting in order to remove THMs from the drinking water, you should go for the method that you think s suitable.
Health Risks Associated with Drinking THMs Affected Water
Below, I have discussed some major yet common health risks associated with drinking trihalomethanes-affected water.
Risk of Cancer:
THMs are often classified as carcinogens by medical professionals. And carcinogen is a bad organism that is capable of causing cancer.
A number of research state that, long-term exposure to trihalomethanes will increase several kinds of cancer like rectal, bladder, etc.
However, it is not fully understood what mechanism through which THMs cause cancer issues. But doctors believe that THMs damage DNA or other essential cellular structures of the human body.
Reproductive issues:
Drinking trihalomethanes-affected water can lead to reproductive issues such as less fertility in both males and females. Medical experts think that this can be because THMs damage hormones that are responsible for the reproductivity process.
Development issues:
Exposure to THMs during the period of pregnancy can cause development issues in newborn kids. Moving on, it can also cause low weight by birth, and many more problems like this one. It is said that, it is due to the ability of THMs to cause damage to fetal development of the human body.
Problems with livers and kidneys:
Long-term exposure can even result in liver or kidney failure. The reason behind it is that, THMs cause oxidative stress and a large amount of inflammation in these organs.
These are some health risks that you need to be aware of so that you can take the necessary steps to remove THMs from the water.
Final Words
Trihalomethanes are a collection of chemicals that can serious health threats to humans. so it is important for you to remove them from the water. This article has explained different methods to remove THMs from the water, we hope you will find the information valuable.
