Water Quality in Baldwin County, AL
What’s really in your tap water? According to the Environmental Working Group (EWG), Baldwin County tap water contains contaminants at levels far exceeding health guidelines.
Contaminants Found in Baldwin County Tap Water
The EWG’s Tap Water Database reveals alarming levels of cancer-linked contaminants in Baldwin County’s water supply. These chemicals are absorbed through your skin every time you shower or bathe.
Bromodichloromethane
Potential Effect: Cancer
Chloroform
Potential Effect: Cancer
Total Trihalomethanes (TTHMs)
Potential Effect: Cancer
Haloacetic Acids (HAA9)
Potential Effect: Cancer
Up to 830x Acceptable Health Limits
Cancer-causing chemicals are being absorbed into your skin while bathing, showering, and washing dishes. These contaminants don’t just affect your drinking water — they enter your body through every faucet in your home.
What Are These Contaminants?
Trihalomethanes (TTHMs)
Trihalomethanes are a group of chemical compounds that form when chlorine — used to disinfect municipal water — reacts with naturally occurring organic matter. Total Trihalomethanes include chloroform, bromodichloromethane, dibromochloromethane, and bromoform. In Baldwin County, TTHMs were detected at 431 times the EWG health guideline. Long-term exposure has been linked to an increased risk of cancer, liver and kidney damage, and reproductive issues.
Haloacetic Acids (HAA9)
Haloacetic acids are another group of disinfection byproducts formed during the water chlorination process. HAA9 refers to the nine specific haloacetic acid compounds monitored in drinking water. Baldwin County’s water tested at 830 times the EWG health guideline — the highest exceedance of any contaminant found. These compounds have been associated with increased cancer risk and can be absorbed through the skin during bathing and showering.
Bromodichloromethane
Bromodichloromethane is a specific trihalomethane that forms as a byproduct of water chlorination. It was detected at 122 times the EWG health guideline in Baldwin County. The EPA classifies it as a probable human carcinogen, and exposure has been linked to liver, kidney, and intestinal tumors in laboratory studies.
Chloroform
Chloroform is one of the most commonly detected trihalomethanes in treated water. In Baldwin County, it exceeds the EWG guideline by 136 times. Chronic exposure to chloroform has been linked to cancer and can cause damage to the liver, kidneys, and central nervous system. It easily vaporizes during hot showers, meaning you can inhale it as well as absorb it through your skin.
How Do You Protect Your Family?
A drinking water filter alone is not enough. These contaminants enter your body through every water source in your home — showers, baths, sinks, and even your dishwasher. The only way to fully protect your household is with a whole home water treatment system.
Honest Water Alabama provides NSF-certified, pressure-tested whole home systems designed to remove chlorine, trihalomethanes, haloacetic acids, and other harmful contaminants from every drop of water in your home.
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