Risk of birth defects in Australian communities with high levels of brominated disinfection by-products

  • 31/08/2008

  • Environmental Health Perspectives

By international standards, water supplies in Perth, Western Australia, contain high trihalomethane (THM) levels, particularly the brominated forms. Geographic variability in these levels provided an opportunity to examine cross-city spatial relationships between THM exposure and rates of birth defects (BDs). The goal of the study was to examine BD rates by exposure to THMs with a highly brominated fraction in metropolitan locations in Perth, Western Australia.