Chloramine's health impacts not felt here Chloramine's health impacts not felt here (August 13, 2004)

Residents from nearby cities blaming chemical for rashes

By Jon Wiener

A chemical additive in Mountain View's tap water has caused concern among residents but no verifiable reports of health problems.

Chloramine is now used as a disinfectant in virtually all tap water used in Mountain View and nearby communities. People from up and down the Peninsula are blaming the presence of the compound for rashes and other problems, but Mountain View residents have yet to join them.

"That's the amazing thing, we're not hearing from anybody," said Dave Serge. the city's utility services manager. He said he was expecting complaints after seeing several letters on the subject of chloramine to the Voice in recent weeks, but had not received any calls from residents since February, when three residents called to complain about their pet fish dying.

Marilyn Raubitschek of Millbrae believes that chloramine was causing rashes on her arms. She said that the rashes went away when she began using bottled water for all of her household chores and activities. Raubitschek is part of a small but growing group of chloramine victims that meets to discuss the issue. She said a dozen different people have already contacted her about working to get it removed from the public water supply.

Chloramine is classified as an irritant, according to Jill Antonides, spokesperson for the Palo Alto Medical Foundation. One of the rare studies about its health effects, conducted by a group of Belgian researchers, attributed increased incidences of asthma to chloramine vapor at indoor swimming pools.

But doctors at local medical clinics said that they have seen no increase in any chloramine-caused ailments since the February changeover.

Jim Wolfe, an allergist and clinical professor of medicine at Stanford, said he had not seen an increase in rashes related to chloramine.

"It's a non-player," agreed Cynthia Greaves, spokesperson for the Camino Medical Group, after surveying physicians there.

The San Francisco Public Utilities Commission (SFPUC), which supplies 90 percent of Mountain View's water, began using chloramine instead of chlorine in February. The SFPUC and other water officials said that chloramine prevents the formation of potential carcinogens in water, but a pending court case alleges that cutting costs was the reason for the switch.

Denise Johnson Kula of Menlo Park claimed that chloramine vapor from her shower nearly killed her when she suffered breathing problems and almost fainted. After trying unsuccessfully to filter it out herself, she filed for an injunction against SFPUC.

SFPUC countered that Kula's complaint is actually with Cal Water, which supplies her with water purchased from SFPUC. A ruling in the case was expected Thursday morning, after the Voice went to press. Depending on the ruling, municipal water suppliers, including the city of Mountain View, could ultimately be held responsible for removing chloramine from their water.

According to Serge, the city maintains and reads 16,000 water meters in Mountain View. Ten percent of these, in the area around El Camino Hospital, receive water from the Santa Clara Valley Water District, which has been using chloramine for over a decade. Cal Water owns 600 meters in the city.

E-mail Jon Wiener at jwiener@mv-voice.com

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