‘Sceptics in the Pub’ monthly meetup
Friday 9 November 2018, 7pm – Lake Hawea Hotel
Come along to our ‘Sceptics in the Pub’ meetup!
This months topics for discussion will be: 1. Water Chlorination. 2. Logical Fallacies.
Water Chlorination Links
QLDC – Disinfection of network drinking water supplies to protect public health
Ministry of Health – Drinking Water Guidance & Information
WHO – Guidelines for Drinking-water Quality – Information on chlorination by-products. Information on alternative treatments. (From page 171.)
QLDC Website – with some interesting links at the bottom.
Scientific American Q&A – How does chlorine added to drinking water kill bacteria and other harmful organisms? Why doesn’t it harm us?
IARC Book – Click PDF button to download. – Evaluates the carcinogenic risk to humans posed by the consumption of chlorinated drinking-water, by two chemicals used in the chlorination of drinking-water, and by a number of halogenated by-products formed when chlorine interacts with organic matter in water.
Reply from NZ Dermatological Society Incorporated when posed with the question ‘Does chlorinated drinking water cause dry skin’.
High doses of chlorine in water is associated with irritable eyes, dry irritable skin and hair. However, the concentration in water supplies is much lower than that used in swimming pools (which in turn seldom cause significant public health issues, and are mitigated by wearing swimming goggles, swimming caps and applying liberal emollient to the skin in sensitive individuals who spend a lot of time in and around swimming pools), so is extremely unlikely to be an issue for people drinking and bathing municipal chlorinated water supplies. Moreover, chlorinated water is safer to drink (lessens risk of Havelock North type of community gastroenteritis E coli outbreaks) and adding chlorine bleach to bath water weekly is an internationally recognised treatment approach for managing patients with eczema who are prone to recurrent skin infections. They are a group of people with very sensitive skin and are helped by chlorinated water.
DR L Reiche, NZDSI
Logical Fallacies Link
Here is a list of Rhetological Fallacies – Errors and manipulation of rhetoric and logical thinking
Hope to see you there!
