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Some Orono landlords are reluctant to discuss a letter from the Orono-Veazie Water District alerting them that the water supply contains a potentially dangerous chemical.
The chemical is “a byproduct of chlorine disinfection which forms when chlorine combines with natural organic matter,” according to the letter. Chlorine is used to ensure the water does not contain too much bacteria.
Raymond Fort Jr., a chemistry professor at the University of Maine, said he would be more worried about increased exposure to bacteria in drinking water than trihalomethane.
A methane compound is composed of one carbon atom and four hydrogen atoms. When three of the four hydrogen atoms are replaced by chlorine atoms, as in this case, it produces trihalomethane, which Fort said is also known as chloroform.
“Our livers are very good at detoxifying trace amounts of things like trihalomethane,” he said. “Brief exposure over a brief period of time to trihalomethane is not likely to cause problems.
“If you drank a shot glass of the thing every morning for breakfast, that’s probably not a good idea,” he added.
The letter, posted on the water district’s website, alerts customers that the water violated a standard due to an elevated level of trihalomethanes in the July-September 2011 quarter. The highest acceptable concentration is 80 parts per billion, and trihalomethanes were measured over that limit at 80.625 parts per billion.
The letter says the chemical does not pose an immediate risk, and customers do not need to boil water before drinking it.
According to the water district’s most recent Annual Water Quality Report on the website, the district serves 5,125 people.
Michelle Poole, administrative assistant for the water district, said anyone with an account with the water district was sent the letter, including the University of Maine and area landlords. Once they receive it, Poole said, it’s their responsibility to alert their residents.
On Tuesday morning, only one rental company out of four contacted confirmed receiving it.
An employee of Cross Rental Properties who would only identify herself as Lynn said they had received the letter but would not give any specifics since Dennis Cross, the company’s owner, was out of town.
“We got one,” she said. “They probably have already been sent [to renters].”
Chad Bradbury of KC Management said he had not yet received the letter. Roberta Bradson, owner of The Store Ampersand and landlord of four downtown buildings, also said she had not received the letter.
An employee of Orchard Trails who would not give her name said they had not received the letter either. She assumed the chemical in the water was only a rumor.
“One of my employees heard about it through the grapevine,” she said. “I haven’t heard anything directly here.”
However, Orchard Trails residents received an email from Julie Kenney, community manager for the complex, at 11 a.m. the next day containing information from the letter.
Reached on Wednesday, Janna Martin, landlord for Washburn Apartments, said she had received the letter and tenants would get copies that day.
Also reached Wednesday, Elaine Clark, executive director of Facilities, Real Estate and Planning at UMaine, said the letter had been sent to the university’s billing address and had not yet come to her attention.
Just as landlords are responsible for alerting their renters, the university is responsible for alerting on-campus residents.
“We’re going to put it online somehow,” she said.
Orono resident Stefanie Egenhofer, who graduated from UMaine in 2005 with a degree in environmental sciences and works as an energy auditor, said she was confused why she was not informed of the issue that required an extra amount of chlorine to be added to the water, which in turn led to the creation of trihalomethanes.
“I don’t want to make a big stink about this thing, but I think there should be more communication,” she said. “They should make us more aware of these issues.”
She recalled guests recently commenting on her tap water, saying it had an odd flavor. She also said her eyes were often red after taking a shower.
“I’ve shortened my showers since I heard this,” she said. “There has been too much chlorine in the water.”
Though the chemical does not pose an immediate risk, continuous exposure can pose health hazards. According to the letter, people who drink water containing the chemical “over many years may experience problems with their liver, kidneys, or central nervous system, and may have an increased risk of getting cancer.”
The letter urges people with “specific health concerns” to talk to their doctors. Poole said there was not a list of health conditions that made people more susceptible to harm from trihalomethanes, adding that the mention in the letter was added in case “anyone was extremely worried.”
Bangor Daily News