Reactivity of Litter Leachates from California Oak Woodlands in the Formation of Disinfection By-Products.

The article cites a research study that analyzes the formation of disinfection by-products by reactivity of litter materials from forested watersheds. It is said that carcinogenic disinfection by-products (DBPs) can be formed during drinking-water chlorination due to dissolved organic matter (DOM) to surface water that comes from litter materials from forested watersheds. The reactivity of DOM from litter leachates in oak woodlands in the Foothill Region of California is characterized in the study. that considerable reactivity in forming trihalomethanes, haloacetic acid, haloacetonitriles and chloral hydrate is possessed by the DOM derived from litter materials.