|
IMPORTANT ANNOUNCENEMENT FOR KIDNEY DIALYSIS PATIENTS
Beginning June 27, 2005 the Blacksburg-Christiansburg-VPI Water Authority changed its method of disinfecting drinking water, from free chlorine to chloramination, a process in which ammonia is added to chlorinated water. Water supplied to customers at Virginia Tech, and the Towns of Blacksburg and Christiansburg, will be affected by this change, as well as some Montgomery County residents on public water systems that purchase water from the Towns.
The change to chloramination is being made to continue to comply with increasingly stringent federal and state regulations on levels of disinfection by-products (DBPs) in drinking water.
The residual chloramines that remain in the water, like the current chlorine residual in your water, is toxic to the dialysis user if not properly removed. Chloraminated water is perfectly safe for drinking, cooking, bathing, and other daily uses. Chloramines are only harmful when they go directly into the bloodstream. Using chloraminated water for kidney dialysis may require a change in the way water is pretreated for dialysis or in other procedures. Depending on the method of chlorine removal your dialysis machine uses now, some modifications may be necessary.
IF YOU ARE A HOME USER OF A KIDNEY DIALYSIS MACHINE:
- Contact your dialysis center and complete any necessary modification of your dialysis machine before June 27, 2005, so that it can handle a chloramines residual in the water.
- Check with your dialysis center to find out how often they will need to see you. Monitoring for chloramines compounds in the water that has been pretreated for dialysis may need to be performed more frequently.
If you have any questions please contact me at the Water Authority, or call on one of the representatives listed below.
Sincerely,
Jerry Higgins
jhiggins@h2o4u.org
Other Contacts
| Town of Christiansburg |
|
Town of Blacksburg |
| Barry Helms |
|
Randy Formica |
| 540-382-6128 |
|
540-961-1126 |
| astmgr@christiansburg.org |
|
rformica@blacksburg.gov |
| |
| Montgomery County PSA |
|
Virginia Tech |
| Glenna Turner |
|
Mark Owczarski |
| 540-382-6930 |
|
540-231-5223 |
| gwturner@ntellos.net |
|
maoczar@vt.edu |
|
