Invisible threats in our glass
Chlorine Compounds
Chloroform, dichloromethane, and chloropicrin are some of the dangerous pollutants found in the water consumed by more than 4 million Athenians.
Asbestos pipes
THE OUTDATED NETWORK of EYDAP facilitates the release of asbestos into drinking water, through the perforation of pipes for new connections as well as the corrosive ability of the water.
We drink chlorine and asbestos
Toxic substances that pass into the water through the chlorination process combined with the corrosion of the asbestos pipes of EYDAP serve us… a carcinogenic cocktail.
Invisible threat… chlorinated compounds and asbestos that infiltrate drinking water through chlorine and the corrosion of asbestos-cement pipes pose a risk to public health. Chlorinated hydrocarbons that contaminate water during the chlorination process are blamed by the international scientific community for causing incurable diseases.
They affect the kidneys, liver, and large intestine and can cause carcinogenesis, mutations, and damage to the organisms of embryos. Chlorination may be the most widespread method for microbial disinfection of drinking water in EU countries; however, it involves the use of special filters that “trap” chlorine by-products, which does not happen in the Greek capital.
The water is not filtered. In Athens, the necessary filters are not used, as determined by a ten-year study conducted on the EYDAP network by the Department of Environment of the University of the Aegean, led by Professor Themistocles Lekkas, who pointed out to “Ethnos of Sunday” that: “in the absence of filters in the EYDAP network, we detected chlorine by-products, the concentrations of which are below the maximum permissible limits.
However, as the professor explains: “in toxic substances, the safety limits are indicative, since the quantities detected in the human body are harmful simply by their presence.” At the same time, 65% of the total length of the pipelines of EYDAP consists of asbestos-cement pipes, mostly 80 years old (1927), while in the network of the Water Supply and Sewerage Company of Thessaloniki (EYAΘ), approximately 50% are asbestos pipes. In Greece today, it is estimated that about 44,000 km of asbestos-cement pipes are installed for the conveyance of drinking water, without knowing the corrosive capacity of the waters they carry. At a national level, laboratory analyses regarding the corrosiveness of the waters and the presence of asbestos fibers in the waters are not conducted. In Athens, EYDAP does not carry out measurements for asbestos in drinking water, because, as stated to “Ethnos of Sunday” by the Assistant General Director of the company’s facilities, Ms. Katerina Konstantopoulou: “the World Health Organization (WHO) has concluded that ingested asbestos is not dangerous to human health.” However, the WHO in its official document maintains a cautious position on the issue, concluding: “… certainly the assumption that ingested asbestos fibers cause cancer cannot be excluded today.”
Measurements in Aliakmonas. In Thessaloniki, one of the rivers – aquifers is the Aliakmonas, in the waters of which billions of asbestos fibers have been measured per liter of water. The Aliakmonas flows through the area of Zidanio in the Kozani Prefecture, which is the largest asbestos deposit in Greece. Approximately 906,000 tons of asbestos were extracted from Zidanio from 1981 to 2000.
In a communication we had with the CEO of EYAΘ, Mr. Giorgos Skodras, he said: “EYAΘ, in collaboration with Aristotle University and accredited laboratories abroad, conducts measurements for asbestos in drinking water, and according to the measurements, the asbestos level is zero. Also, the water supplied by EYAΘ to the greater area of Thessaloniki is not corrosive, so there is no cause for concern for public health.” The “Ethnos of Sunday” requested from EYAΘ the results of the quality tests of Thessaloniki’s water; however, the company refused to provide them to us…
FILE “INVISIBLE THREATS IN OUR GLASS
WHAT INTERNATIONAL SCIENTIFIC STUDIES SHOW ABOUT CHLORINE
Responsible for carcinogenesis and miscarriages
Studies from the University of Wisconsin Medical College and Harvard Medical School have shown that the chlorine used to purify drinking water is responsible for a large number of cases of stomach, colon, and gallbladder cancer. At the same time, out of 47,000 bladder cancers per year, 14,200 are attributed to water chlorination, while out of 44,000 colon cancers, 16,500 are due to the use of chlorinated water.
The newspaper “The New York Times” even published a study by the American Journal of Public Health, showing an increased risk of bladder and colon cancer in areas where the water is chlorinated compared to those that undergo other treatments.
At the same time, a series of recent studies conducted by the American Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) showed that 137,000 pregnant women in the United States are at risk of miscarriage or giving birth to children with genetic abnormalities and central nervous system problems due to chlorinated drinking water. In its studies, the EPA also pointed out that chlorine and its derivatives are absorbed through the skin during bathing or showering, as well as through inhalation.
Sneaky chemicals in the water that Athens drinks
By-products of chlorination create chemical compounds associated with the onset of cancer, kidney diseases, and other illnesses.
MEASUREMENTS by Professor Th. Lekkas indicate the presence of chemical compounds that are toxic. The installation of filters is the first step towards improving the water for the people of Athens.
Carcinogenic, hepatotoxic, nephrotoxic, and mutagenic are the terms used by the international scientific community to describe the “organic by-products of water chlorination.” The chlorine that saved us from past diseases, such as cholera, typhus, and gastroenteritis, is now seriously suspected of being related to severe diseases such as cancer, kidney diseases, and many other degenerative diseases.
When chlorine enters the water, it combines with other existing chemical compounds and through interactions creates dangerous compounds, such as chloroform, which are largely responsible for the long-term development of serious diseases.
According to research conducted for over a decade – co-funded by EYDAP – the Department of Environment of the University of the Aegean under Professor Themistocles Lekkas, at least 12 of the approximately 30 chemical substances are detected in the water consumed by Athenians, although below globally established limits. However, no one can know what the continuous intake of such substances by the human body causes, as to date, epidemiological research has not been conducted in our country. A necessary evil. “Of the 24 by-products of water chlorination that we measured in total, we have identified at least 12 chemical substances,” says Themistocles Lekkas to “Ethnos of Sunday.” These are chemical compounds known to specialists, such as trihalomethanes (THMs), haloacetic acids (HAAs), and others that have been linked to serious diseases in humans. “Water chlorination is necessary to protect consumers from microorganisms. However, it creates unwanted chlorinated hydrocarbons, which are dangerous to human health,” explains the professor. “To improve the quality of drinking water, the University of the Aegean proposed to EYDAP the installation of activated carbon filters for the significant reduction of the concentrations of these substances, which will exceed 60%,” emphasizes the professor.
In developed countries, disinfection is a necessary method for water treatment to prevent potential water contamination by microorganisms (e.g., bacteria). In Greece, it has been used since 1936. However, many drinking water supply networks have already been equipped with special purification filters for chlorination by-products. “The burden of water from a high microbial load and the attempt at disinfection through hyperchlorination creates a serious pathogenic factor for the organism, with steadily increasing statistical rates of morbidity in the general population for specific diseases,” emphasizes public health doctor Giannis Tsantiris, President of the Hellenic Society of Public Health Physicians. A warning for health. “As proven by repeated chemical tests, the presence of a high concentration of chlorine by-products creates a significant and strong pathogenic factor responsible for the development of serious diseases, such as chronic kidney failure, carcinogenesis, heart diseases, circulatory disorders, hypertension, diabetes, immune system damage, fertility problems, premature aging of the organism, severe degenerative diseases, and many other illnesses such as kidney cancer, which has shown alarming increases of 85% annually over the last 10 years.
