January 22, 2014
Hours after Kingaroy residents began swapping fears on Facebook, the South Burnett Regional Council confirmed this afternoon that pregnant women should avoid drinking Kingaroy water.
A number of women posted on social media that Kingaroy Hospital had put up signs advising pregnant women not to drink the town water and speculation mounted online as to why.
After southburnett.com.au contacted Council for comment, a media release was issued:
South Burnett Regional Council advises residents using the Kingaroy town water supply area that there are currently elevated levels of trihalomethanes (THMs). These levels are higher than the levels recommended.
What are Trihalomethanes? THMs form in drinking water primarily as a result of chlorination of organic matter found in raw water supplies. All major Australian reticulated water supplies will contain THMs.
Council’s General Manager Infrastructure, Mr Russell Hood said: “Council is working with the Water Quality Unit, Queensland Health and the Darling Downs Public Health Unit to rectify this issue as soon as possible. Changes to the water treatment process are being made and additional testing is being undertaken to determine the effectiveness of these changes.”
Health considerations: Queensland Health have advised Council that although there have been animal studies looking at the health effects of high levels of THMs, there is no conclusive evidence of harm in humans.
However, due to the potential, yet unproven risks to pregnant women from high levels of THMs, Council and Queensland Health recommends that, as a precaution, pregnant women avoid consuming Kingaroy town water until the levels of THMs are reduced. The most appropriate alternatives are commercially available bottled water or boiled tank water.
Further advice will be provided when the levels of THMs have been reduced below the guideline values.
Pregnant women who have concerns or questions regarding their health should contact their local doctor.”
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Footnote. This is not the first time there has been a health scare involving Kingaroy water.
In December 2009, South Burnett Regional Council was criticised in the local media for failing to alert residents and business owners in a timely fashion after E. coli was detected in the Kingaroy water supply.
