New DEETails about Chicago's Tap Water

By Karl Klockars in News on Apr 21, 2008 6:52PM

In case news about prescription drugs and other harmful chemicals in your tap water wasn't gross enough, how about a compound that could cause skin conditions, altered psychological states, or even (cue Trumpets of Doom) death? Oh, and it keeps mosquitoes away, too. Following reports from the AP and the Chicago Tribune that found drugs in the city's tap water like anti-seizure medications as well as chemicals like those that make Teflon and Scotchguard, the Sun-Times does some "me too" journalism and finds - just in time for spring! - trace amounts of DEET. DEET is a bug repellent that can cause all sorts of bad stuff with enough exposure, or if too much of it is ingested.

All these chemicals that have been found in the water have been in trace amounts, with the DEET measuring 8.3 parts per trillion, and no adverse health effects are expected from such a low exposure. However, in the wake of these stories, trust in municipal water sources could continue to erode. Plus, the tin-foil-hatted amongst us are wondering how much the city is going to start pulling in from that bottled water tax in the wake of these "holy crap tap water will kill you" stories. As a counterpoint, would there be anything you'd actually want in your tap water? [Ed note: fluoride?] If we could have a setting at our sink for "Hot - Cold - Caffeinated" (which the study also found at 7ppt) we might be willing to change our minds. Your trivia for today: DEET stands for N,N-Diethyl-meta-Toluamide. The more you know.

Photo by Charles Chan