Chlorine In Water Questioned After Two Hospital Deaths

A chlorine problem at a hospital in the U.K. is under investigation after two patients died.

"Police were called in to Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Birmingham after the discovery of high levels of chlorine in water and concerns of a possible link to the deaths of two patients," Channel 4 News reported.

The water was found "to contain 16 times the safe levels of chlorine," the Daily Mail reported. “Two patients in critical care died. The hospital said the deaths were referred to the Coroner's office because of the 'possibility of a connection' with 'the chlorine occurrence.'"

A hospital spokeswoman said, per the Mail: "We have enforced additional safety measures which include 30-minute monitoring, 24 hours a day, with four-hourly reporting back to the trust on chlorine levels across the hospital."

Some activists say chlorine contamination does not get the attention it deserves in the water industry.

"More attention should be paid to the elephant in the room in terms of drinking water quality − chlorine. More specifically, chlorine disinfection byproducts, which are created when organic molecules in the water distribution system interact and react with chlorine," according to Anthony Amos, a pesticides expert at Friends of the Earth.

Another takeaway: Problems with safety standards at certain buildings may be to blame. 

An analysis piece from the law firm Penningtons Manches said the situation highlights the impact of building quality issues at PFI funded hospitals on patient safety. "Like just over a hundred hospitals all over Britain, [Queen Elizabeth Hospital] was built under the private finance initiative," Channel 4 News reported.

The law firm Penningtons Manches said: "There are just over 100 PFI funded hospitals in the UK. The hospital buildings are funded by private firms which are repaid with interest by the trusts over a period of 30 or more years. However, critics argue that the PFI scheme is potentially jeopardizing patient safety. The problems stem from contractors not being open and honest about failings due to the cost implications."

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