Is Dibromoacetic Acid safe in drinking water?
Water1 use researched1 sourced claims
Where it turns up: haloacetic acid, regulated disinfection byproduct. Detox My Life researched dibromoacetic acid under one use, because the same substance means something different in each use. Every claim below carries its evidence tier, how sure the research is that it applies here, and the sources it cites. The level is computed by the app's own deterministic engine, so the page says exactly what the app would.
Level by use and lens
| Use | Mainstream | Cautious (default) | Based | Concerns · favour · fringe |
|---|
| In drinking water | Swap | Swap | Swap | 1 · 0 |
Mainstream shows consensus claims only; Cautious adds emerging research; Based adds fringe claims, labelled as such. The last column counts, under Cautious, the sourced concerns, the findings in its favour and the fringe claims Based would add.
Safer swaps: the app's swap catalog has no entry tied to this ingredient yet. When you scan a product that contains it, the app suggests cleaner alternative types for that product; the swap categories list what the catalog covers today.
In drinking water Swap
Under the default Cautious lens dibromoacetic acid in drinking water rates Swap: the app would put this near the top of your swap plan. Mainstream (consensus only) rates it Swap; Based (adds the fringe) rates it Swap. Researched 2026-09-03.
Sourced concerns (1)
ConsensusSuspected carcinogenconfidence 90%
Dibromoacetic acid is classified as possibly carcinogenic to humans (Group 2B) by the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) and is reasonably anticipated to be a human carcinogen by the National Toxicology Program (NTP), based on sufficient evidence from animal studies showing tumor formation in multiple organs, and is linked to developmental and reproductive problems, including increased risks of low birth weight, preterm delivery, certain birth defects, and eye malformations.
- Why here
- It is a disinfection byproduct formed during the chlorination of drinking water, leading to human exposure through ingestion.
- What would have to be true
- Found in drinking water at concentrations up to 39 µg/L. The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) regulates total haloacetic acids (HAA5), including dibromoacetic acid, to a maximum contaminant level of 60 µg/L (60 ppb). The California Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment (OEHHA) has a Public Health Goal for dibromoacetic acid of 0.03 µg/L (0.03 ppb) to protect against cancer and harm to fetal growth and development.
Sources the engine cites:
Not researched here
The engine has no dossier for dibromoacetic acid when cooked with heat, in cold food, as a finishing ingredient, in heated food packaging or other uses. The app researches an ingredient for the use it infers from your product, so a scan fills these in; this page only shows what has already been researched and source-verified.
This is research, not medical advice. Detox My Life shows sourced claims sorted by evidence tier. It does not diagnose, treat, or tell you to start or stop anything. Talk to a qualified professional about your health.
Scan your own. The app reads any product label with your camera, works out how you are about to use it, and researches every ingredient for that use with live sources. Every scan adds to a Detox Score for your home, where 50 is a typical home in your region, and a plan of next swaps.
See also: all ingredients · paste a label to check it · how to read an ingredient flag
