Citizen Portal
Sign In

Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!

SFPUC hears residents and experts spar over monochloramine health concerns

San Francisco Public Utilities Commission · February 24, 2009
AI-Generated Content: All content on this page was generated by AI to highlight key points from the meeting. For complete details and context, we recommend watching the full video. so we can fix them.

Summary

Commissioners heard a technical briefing from PUC water-quality staff and the San Francisco Department of Public Health about the city's use of monochloramine and received extensive public comment alleging skin, respiratory and digestive harms; the commission agreed to send a Citizens Advisory Committee-backed letter to the U.S. EPA requesting broader study of disinfectants and alternatives.

Commissioners at the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission on Feb. 9 heard a staff report on the city—s use of monochloramine as a secondary disinfectant and extensive public testimony alleging health problems linked to the chemical.

Water-quality director Andrew deGrama told the commission monochloramine was approved by the U.S. EPA, Health Canada and the World Health Organization, has been used for decades by many utilities, reduces regulated disinfection byproducts and helps microbial control in distribution systems. June Weintraub, senior epidemiologist with the San Francisco Department of Public Health, said the department and other agencies have reviewed toxicology literature and, to date, have not found evidence of…

Already have an account? Log in

Subscribe to keep reading

Unlock the rest of this article — and every article on Citizen Portal.

  • Unlimited articles
  • AI-powered breakdowns of topics, speakers, decisions, and budgets
  • Instant alerts when your location has a new meeting
  • Follow topics and more locations
  • 1,000 AI Insights / month, plus AI Chat
30-day money-back on paid plans