An unintended consequence of drinking water chlorination is the production of a range of compounds including trihalomethanes that have been associated with increased risk of cancer and adverse birth outcomes.
I quantified the concentration of trihalomethanes in New South Wales drinking water supplies, and estimated the risk of small-for-gestational-age births associated with exposure to trihalomethanes in drinking water in Sydney, Illawarra and Hunter metropolitan regions.
I found was considerable spatio-temporal variation in trihalomethane concentration in NSW drinking water supplies, and a small statistically significant association between the risk of small-for-gestational-age births and exposure to trihalomethanes, after adjusting for risk factors.