Comparing Cytotoxicity of Water After Chlorination and Chloramination

The project used well calibrated distribution systems from one large and two medium sized plants that are practicing chloramination to assess water quality changes in terms of cytotoxicity and a measure of disinfection byproducts in terms of their nitrogen incorporation from chloramine. The research team used a microplate cytotoxicity assay, called the Growth Inhibition Assay (GIA), that employs human colon cells to determine cytotoxicity of chemicals and their potential effects on humans. The proposed assay has the potential to be widely used as a simple and quick indicator for cytotoxicity in real drinking waters and thus assist in determining how the quality of chloraminated drinking water changes as it is transported to consumers. Published in 2013.