09 June 2010
The household cleaners, shampoos and detergents that we use every day are a chemical cocktail that has created a new cancer-causing agent in our water supply, scientists have discovered. Scientists know very little about the agent – NDMA, a nitrosamine – other than it can cause cancer, and that it is in the public water supply. NDMA is created from a cocktail of ingredients found in household cleaning agents, shampoos and detergents that are washed down the sink. The final element appears to be the cleaning chemicals used in sewage treatment plants. Any water that is supplied by the plants will contain NDMA. Health officials are only now beginning to investigate the problem, and have not issued any advice to consumers. (Source: Environmental Science & Technology, 2010; 44: 1224).