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About five years ago, N-nitrosodimethylamine (NDMA) beganto be detected in drinking water sources. Typically an oxidativedegradation product of unsymmetricaldimethylhydrazine, NDMA is a component of rocket fuel and isalso formed during numerous industrial manufacturing processesas a byproduct of reactions involving chemicals calledalkylamines. The US Environmental Protection Agency has identifiedNDMA as a probable human carcinogen. However, becauseNDMA had not historically been considered a common drinkingwater contaminant, no federal or state drinking water standardswere established for it until 1998 in California. In addition to itspresence in drinking water, it has recently been suggested thatNDMA may be present in sewage and reclaimed water afterchlorination, as well as surface water processed by conventionaldrinking water treatment methods. The mechanisms of NDMAformation appear to be associated with the chlorination process.Therefore, an urgent need has developed for technologies that canremediate drinking water sources contaminated by this compound.This need sparked a growing interest in the potential of pulsed-ultraviolet(UV) and pulsed-UV/hydrogen peroxide treatmentprocesses for removing NDMA from drinking water. The authors ofthis article evaluated the effectiveness of these treatments forNDMA removal. The results showed that NDMA can be reducedwith UV light treatment. This finding will help drinking waterutilities to better comply with state and federal standards and tomore effectively protect public health. Includes 21 references, tables, figures.

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Edition: Vol. 95 - No. 9 Published: 09/01/2003 Number of Pages: 11 File Size: 1 file , 440 KB