Chlorination of drinking water and sex ratio at birth in Taiwan

Abstract

Chlorination has been the major strategy for disinfecting drinking water in Taiwan. The objective of the present study was to determine whether the chlorination of drinking water was associated with abnormal sex ratios, an indicator of exposure to pollutants. A "chlorinating municipality" (CHM) was defined as one in which more than 90% of the municipality population was served with chlorinated water. A "nonchlorinating municipality" (NCHM) was one in which less than 5% of the municipality population was served with chlorinated water. The results of this study found no association between the use of chlorinated drinking water and abnormal sex ratios at birth in Taiwan. The imbibing of chlorinated water may not reflect contaminant exposure using sex ratio as a biomonitor.