Yesterday, the Wisconsin Legislature voted to roll back the DNR's regulation requiring disinfection of drinking water for all Wisconsin communities. As noted in his diary yesterday, Giles Goat Boy pointed out that there has been extensive documentation of the increased number of intestinal illnesses in communities that do not disinfect their water supply.
So how does even something as obvious as ensuring safe drinking water for all of the people of our state get tossed aside? I just had to look further.
As it turns out, Rep. Erik Severson, a Republican Representative from Star Prairie, WI, up in the Northwest portion of the state, is the author of the legislation that rolled back the DNR's requirement. In the MJ-S article, he was quoted as saying that chlorine in water has been shown to kill off normal gut bacteria, leading to harmful consequences. Sadly, Rep. Severson is repeating a lie that has never, never been demonstrated in any scientific study to have any validity. In fact, this myth is the result of false claims by the numerous manufacturers of probiotics - the people who sell the products that they claim will "restore" our normal gut flora after the damage from chlorination. In fact, the earliest references to the supposed chlorine-intestinal bacteria link can actually be found in patent applications from 2005 - applications for a "probiotic tonic." The patent application mentions the hypothesis, but has no study to back up the claim. In fact, no scientific study has ever confirmed their profit-motivated claims*. Incidentally, the makers of water filters and bottled water have jumped on this same band wagon, for obvious reasons. They too propagate the myth that chlorinated water is somehow bad for us, despite a wealth of scientific data suggesting otherwise.
The other argument used against chlorination is that it causes cancer. Although it is not mentioned as one of the arguments used to roll back the disinfection requirements in the Legislature yesterday, it is often repeated by people as a legitimate reason not to chlorinate drinking water. Every single one of those assertions is based on a 1992 study published by researchers at the Medical College of Wisconsin, which found a slight increase in rectal and bladder cancer among people drinking chlorinated water long term. However, those researchers gathered data from people who had been diagnosed with cancer in the 1970's, when chlorine levels in drinking water were far, far higher than today. No study since then has shown any link between today's levels of chlorination and cancer. Even given the slight increase risk of cancer found over thirty years ago, the author of that 1992 study said at the time that "the potential health risks of microbial contamination of drinking water greatly exceed the risks of cancer" and were not a reason to stop the chlorination of drinking water!
In a true ironic twist, it turns Rep. Severson is a physician. He grew up in Northern Minnesota, then did his undergraduate work at the University of Minnesota at Duluth. His official biography goes on to state that
"He then went on to the Mayo Medical School in Rochester, Minnesota and completed his residency in family practice and the University of Minnesota – Twin Cities."Wow - he sounds really smart! The World Famous Mayo Medical Center! But if you look at the actual details (which his bio conveniently overlooks) there's a little more to the story. He graduated from the UM - Duluth in 1993. Since he graduated from Mayo in 2002, meaning he started there in 1998, what exactly did he do in the five years between undergraduate study and medical school? I can find no record of his activities anywhere in this time period. The bio also does not mention the fact that although Severson may have "completed his residency in family practice at the University of Minnesota" he actually started it at the University of North Dakota. The University of North Dakota has always been one of the least competitive medical schools and residencies for entry. People often go there if they have been rejected everywhere else, then try to get into a better program later on in their residency if possible.
And as it turns out, Severson's father is one Dr. Arlen Severson, a PhD who happens to be on the faculty of the University of Minnesota Medical School. Although Rep. Severson may have secured his transfer to a residency at the University of Minnesota Medical School on his own merits, and not because his father is a respected faculty member of that school, it certainly didn't hurt.
All of Severson's background, therefore, leaves me unsurprised that he seems to have no grasp of science or public health. I am, however, a little surprised that a man that took an oath to "first, do no harm" would have done something so blatantly harmful to his constituents, and all the citizens of the state of Wisconsin. If I had to guess, though, I would wager that there are some donations from water filtration device companies, or bottled water plant owners, in Rep. Severson's campaign fund.
*And please do not think that I am completely against probiotics - using them to replace imaginary losses from drinking chlorinated water is not the same as using them following a course of antibiotics.