Chlorine is commonly used to disinfect drinking water, but it can create potentially toxic halogenated disinfection byproducts (halo-DBPs). These byproducts pose health risks, but recent research has found a simple solution: adding ascorbate, or vitamin C, to water before boiling significantly reduces these toxins.
Researchers out of the US explored using lemons, rich in vitamin C, to reduce halo-DBPs in tap water. They tested three methods of making lemon water:
- Adding lemon to tap water at room temperature.
- Adding lemon to boiling water and then cooling it.
- Adding lemon to tap water, boiling it, and then cooling it.
Adding lemon and then boiling significantly reduced both the concentration of halo-DBPs and the cytotoxicity (cell-damaging effects) of the tap water.
We are still learning about the health effects of DBPs but this may provide a viable solution for dealing with them!