Guidelines for Canadian Drinking Water Quality Guideline Technical Document Chloramines Health Canada is the federal department responsible for helping the people of Canada maintain and improve their health. Health Canada is committed to improving the lives of all of Canada's people and to making this country's population among the healthiest in the world as measured by longevity, lifestyle and effective use of the public health care system. Guidelines for Canadian Drinking Water Quality: Guideline Technical Document – Chloramines is available on Internet at the following address: www.canada.ca/en/health-canada/services/environmental-workplace-health/reports- publications/water-quality.html Également disponible en français sous le titre : Recommandations pour la qualité de l’eau potable au Canada : Document technique – Chloramines To obtain additional information, please contact: Health Canada Address Locator 0900C2 Ottawa, ON K1A 0K9 Tel.: 613-957-2991 Toll free: 1-866-225-0709 Fax: 613-941-5366 TTY: 1-800-465-7735 E-mail: [email protected] © Her Majesty the Queen in Right of Canada, as represented by the Minister of Health, 2020 Published: February 2020 This publication may be reproduced for personal or internal use only without permission provided the source is fully acknowledged. Cat.: H144-13/15-2019E-PDF ISBN: 978-0-660-32161-5 Pub.: 190278 Guidelines for Canadian Drinking Water Quality Guideline Technical Document Chloramines Health Canada Ottawa, Ontario February 2020 This document may be cited as follows: Health Canada (2020). Guidelines for Canadian Drinking Water Quality: Guideline Technical Document — Chloramines. Water and Air Quality Bureau, Healthy Environments and Consumer Safety Branch, Health Canada, Ottawa, Ontario. (Catalogue No - H144-13/15-2019E-PDF). The document was prepared in collaboration with the Federal-Provincial-Territorial Committee on Drinking Water of the Federal-Provincial-Territorial Committee on Health and the Environment. Any questions or comments on this document may be directed to: Water and Air Quality Bureau Healthy Environments and Consumer Safety Branch Health Canada 269 Laurier Avenue West, Address Locator 4903D Ottawa, Ontario Canada K1A 0K9 Tel.: 1-833-223-1014 (toll free) Fax: 613-952-2574 E-mail:[email protected] Other Guideline Technical Documents for the Guidelines for Canadian Drinking Water Quality can be found on the following web page: www.canada.ca/en/healthcanada/services/environmental-workplace-health/water- quality/drinking-water.html Chloramines (February 2020) Table of Contents Part I. Overview and Application ................................................................................................... 1 1.0 Guideline ............................................................................................................................. 1 2.0 Executive summary ............................................................................................................. 1 2.1 Health effects .......................................................................................................... 1 2.2 Exposure ................................................................................................................. 2 2.3 Analysis and treatment ............................................................................................ 2 2.4 International considerations .................................................................................... 2 3.0 Application of the guideline................................................................................................ 3 3.1 Monitoring .............................................................................................................. 4 Part II. Science and Technical Considerations ............................................................................... 5 4.0 Identity, use and sources in the environment ...................................................................... 5 4.1 Environmental fate .................................................................................................. 7 4.1.1 Impact of chloramines on aquatic life ........................................................ 8 4.2 Terminology ............................................................................................................ 8 4.3 Chemistry in aqueous media ................................................................................... 8 4.4 Application to drinking water treatment ............................................................... 10 4.4.1 Chloramines in water treatment ............................................................... 10 4.4.2 Primary disinfection ................................................................................. 10 4.4.3 Secondary disinfection ............................................................................. 11 4.4.4 Formation of chloraminated disinfection by-products ............................. 11 4.4.5 Taste and odour considerations ................................................................ 12 5.0 Exposure ........................................................................................................................... 13 5.1 Water ..................................................................................................................... 13 5.2 Air ......................................................................................................................... 15 5.3 Swimming pools and hot tubs ............................................................................... 15 5.4 Multiroute exposure through drinking water ........................................................ 16 6.0 Analytical methods ........................................................................................................... 16 6.1 Laboratory methods .............................................................................................. 16 6.2 Online and portable analysers ............................................................................... 18 6.3 Sampling considerations ....................................................................................... 18 7.0 Treatment technology and distribution system considerations ......................................... 19 7.1 Municipal scale ..................................................................................................... 19 7.1.1 Disinfectant residual and microbial control ............................................. 19 7.1.2 Considerations when changing disinfection practices to chloramination 21 Guidelines for Canadian Drinking Water Quality – Guideline Technical Document i Chloramines (February 2020) 7.1.3 Presence of ammonia in source water ...................................................... 21 7.2 Distribution system considerations ....................................................................... 21 7.2.1 Residual loss ............................................................................................. 21 7.2.2 Rechloramination and temporary breakpoint chlorination....................... 22 7.2.3 Opportunistic pathogens ........................................................................... 23 7.2.4 Nitrification .............................................................................................. 24 7.2.5 Lead and copper release ........................................................................... 25 7.2.6 Iron ........................................................................................................... 27 7.2.7 Elastomeric materials ............................................................................... 28 7.3 Residential scale.................................................................................................... 28 8.0 Kinetics and metabolism ................................................................................................... 29 8.1 Absorption............................................................................................................. 29 8.2 Distribution ........................................................................................................... 30 8.3 Metabolism ........................................................................................................... 30 8.4 Excretion ............................................................................................................... 30 9.0 Health effects .................................................................................................................... 30 9.1 Effects in humans .................................................................................................. 31 9.1.1 Acute toxicity ........................................................................................... 31 9.1.2 Subchronic and chronic toxicity and carcinogenicity .............................. 32 9.1.3 Developmental and reproductive toxicity ................................................ 34 9.2 Effects on experimental animals ........................................................................... 35 9.2.1 Acute toxicity ........................................................................................... 35 9.2.1.1 Oral ............................................................................................ 35 9.2.1.2 Inhalation ................................................................................... 35 9.2.2 Subchronic exposure ...............................................................................