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PSI Tanzania says Water Guard has no health hazards
2007-11-19 08:40:13
By Njonanje Samwel
A non-governmental organization that deals with promotion of good health practice through social marketing and communication for health, PSI, has withdrawn fears from the public that water chlorination chemical `Water Guard` has health hazards.
In an interview with this paper in Dar es Salaam recently, the PSI Self Water System programme manager, Dr. Mathew Mwanjali called for the public to exercise better hygiene practices which include drinking boiled or treated water.
Dr. Mwanjali was responding to questions following a series of allegations from sections of the public that the water treatment chemical had some health hazards.
Health hazards mentioned in connection with the allegations include the risk of getting peptic ulcers due to its corrosive nature and weakening of human immune system that result into the fall of CD4 count when consumed by people living with HIV/Aids.
According to Dr. Mwanjali both the allegations were unfounded and lacking scientific truth, noting further that there was no any evidence to prove them.
He said that Water Guard was a hypochlorite with chlorine remains as the main element that formed greater composition of the chemical.
`The chemical is an ideal solution for water treatment which has been used for over hundreds of years,` said the doctor, adding that scientists had found it as the cheapest, easiest and convenient way of treating water.
He said that chlorine was an element which was very friendly to human health at recommended dose but very active against all types of bacteria.
`It has successfully been used to treat water against water-born diseases such as cholera, typhoid, diarrhea and amoebic dysentery,` he said.
According to the doctor, 0.2 to 0.5 per cent of chlorine concentration could be found as residues in the water treated by Water Guard and the amount was safely for human consumption.
Dr. Mwanjali added that the above concentration was the recommended amount by both, World Health Organization and Ministry of Health and Social Welfare.
Commenting on the issue of weakening human immune system, Dr. Mwanjali said that, under a research carried recently by medical professionals it was noted that the use of chlorine had reduced deaths of people living with HIV/Aids by 32 per cent.
According to the doctor, chlorine had helped people living with HIV/Aids from contamination of opportunistic diseases when used as water treatment and as disinfectant.
`When taken orally, chlorine is human friendly at lower concentration but can cause death through what is known as tissue hypoxia at concentration above 11.8 per cent,` he noted.
Speaking on the grounds of anonymity, an official from the National Water Laboratory known by single name as Nadhifa said that when tested, samples of water treated by Water Guard were found to have between 0.2 and 0.5 per cent of chlorine concentration.
She said what her office was doing was just to check the presence of the said chemical and if it met the stated amount of concentration.
`We had so far not found anything wrong with the chemical as all samples brought for testing met required standards,` said the official.
She, however, said that chlorine was an ideal solution for water treatment which had existed for years.
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