Contaminant warning issued for Rome water

ROME - The city of Rome is notifying the public of a violation in standards for drinking water after high levels of a possible carcinogen were detected. <br> <br> Rome&#39;s 2002 average level of haloacetic acid, which forms when the chlorine used to disinfect water interacts with carbon coming from animal waste and vegetation in surface water, reached 78.7 parts per billion (ppb) after tests were completed Oct. 14. The maximum allowable level is 60 ppb. <br> <br> This is the first year the state Environmental Protection Division has required the city to monitor and submit haloacetic acid levels. <br> <br> City manager John Bennett said residents should not panic. <br> <br> ``I think the steps we&#39;ve taken will solve the problem,&#39;&#39; Bennett said. ``We&#39;re making something safe safer.&#39;&#39; <br> <br> The link between haloacetic acid and cancer is not conclusive, but studies have linked the contaminant to reproductive and developmental problems in laboratory animals. A cancer risk would require consumption in excess of the maximum level over many years, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.