The Guyana Water Inc (GWI) last evening said that Antinfek has not replaced chlorine to treat water in Guyana, but that it is being researched by the utility, although documents have indicated that the chemical is being used in wells at Bartica, Diamond and Hillfoot, Linden-Soesdyke Highway and that $3.6 million have already being paid to the local subsidiary of the Thailand-based company Dove Biotech in a single source process.
Claiming that Antinfek is not harmful for human consumption, GWI, in a press release, maintained that chlorine is being used as the sole disinfecting agent in all treatment plants, while “laboratory studies are being done on the use of other treatment alternatives.” It also said that for the period September to October 2016, the corporation purchased 342 cylinders of chlorine gas from JCI Jones Chemicals and ANSA McAL to treat water.
The GWI press release came following reports that it was using the controversial chemical to treat water. Yesterday Stabroek News reported that Minister of Public Health Dr George Norton said his ministry would ask the utility for an explanation, following email correspondence among Director of the Government Analyst-Food and Drug Depart-ment Marlan Cole, GWI Chemical Engineer Deon Anderson and representatives of the Pan American Health Organisation (PAHO) and the World Health oragnisation (WHO) which questioned the proposed use of the chemical.
But even before Anderson would have reached out to Cole and the international experts, his functional superior at GWI Donna Canterbury, Head of the Scientific Services Department, had already expressed concerns about Antinfek and recommended that it not be used which was in keeping with the same recommendation she made in 2012 when the company had approached GWI.
Contacted, Cole would only say “no comment.” However, he did indicate that the issue is of public health significance, since the utility was going to use the chemical in potable water and the public had a right to know and the requisite tests should have been done.
On Sunday Cole had said he was disturbed when he read in the Guyana Times that GWI had stopped using chlorine to treat water was instead using Antinfek.
“They didn’t even say let us do a pilot…over the years we used chlorine and that has been effective. I don’t know who ordered this and under what basis but this is very disturbing and I will have to get to the bottom of it… This is serious. We all use this water and we don’t know what it is being treated with?” Cole questioned on Sunday.
The GWI release yesterday said that Cole’s comments “were inaccurate and irresponsible as a senior government functionary. Instead of contacting GWI to gain clarity on the thinking behind the use of Antinfek and whether or not chlorine was still being used, Mr Cole added to an unnecessary cause for public alarm.”
According to the press release, when he took up his post at the helm of GWI, Managing Director Dr Richard Van West Charles had noted with concern that disinfection and filtration were inadequate.
“Thus, the decision was made to research the use of Antinfek as a means of boosting the treatment of water to ensure an overall better quality for distribution,” the release said, adding that with quality as a top priority the corporation is constantly finding new solutions to reduce the prevalence of water borne diseases, especially in hinterland and riverain areas.
“One such method for improved quality is the use of filters which have been subject to robust analysis and have been proven to effectively and consistently remove microbial contamination. Additionally, GWI has implemented a 24-hour laboratory at its Shelter Belt location to test water for any contamination, even as it moves to establish mini labs at all of its water treatment plants countrywide,” the release said.
To date, the release claimed, research shows that Antinfek was tested by a number of other laboratories in countries such as Hong Kong, China, Thailand, Switzerland, Ghana, Nigeria, India, Pakistan, Kenya, Trinidad and Tobago and Germany, all of which showed favourable results in its use. Among the uses for the active ingredient in Antinfek are: disinfection of fruits and vegetables, wound dressings, eye drops, baby wipes and disinfection of pools and spas.
It also said that the chemical is being used in Guyana by other organisations for disinfection of water for human consumption.
It stated that it was found that the residual concentration of chlorine has a short life, and does not protect the water from recontamination during prolonged storage. “The residual is also consumed by organic and inorganic substances which may become present during distribution,” the release said.
“Therefore, when the water goes into a black tank, the effectiveness of the protection that chlorine offers is reduced. GWI’s aim is therefore to boost the pressure of its distribution system, coupled with 24-hour supply, thereby allowing customers not to become dependent on storing water in black tanks and to resort to direct use from their taps. Chlorine is also known to cause disinfection by-products (DBPs) which are carcinogenic,” the GWI release said.
Three communities
According to documents seen by this newspaper, Antinfek is being used in the Diamond and Bartica wells and was also being used at Hillfoot.
Earlier, this newspaper had reported Canterbury as saying she had learnt that Antinfek was procured and was being used and will be used for disinfection at different GWI locations.
“I stated then, and maintain, that I disagree with its use. Online information suggests that this product has failed to gain certification by NSF – National Sanitation Foundation. The trademark application made has a status of ABANDONED since December 2006 as the applicants failed to file a ‘statement of use,’” she said in the correspondence.
Further it was pointed out that the information on the product label is insufficient and incomplete. “To date we have not been able to source equipment to test for Antinfek in water and as a department we cannot monitor it use. Research suggests that it was not recommended for approval for HWT (household water treatment) distribution in Haiti, had no NSF certification for drinking water use, not registered with EPA for treating drinking water nor demonstrated its ability to meet the WHO limited protection microbiological performance target etc,” she had added.
‘Did not recommend’
According to a document seen by this newspaper while Canterbury would have conducted tests on the chemical in 2012 which proved positive, she did not recommend its use as the supplier could not have provided her with the side effects of the Antinfek 10H. At the time GWI did not have the equipment to test for the chemical and confirm the correct dosage and PAHO could not have confirmed that the chemical should be used in water.
Canterbury’s listed reasons for the denial of approval were:
A request was made to Dove Biotech for the side effects of this chemical and none was submitted.
GWI does not have the equipment to test for the chemical to confirm if the correct dosage is being used.
Dr Bonet from PAHO stated that he did not know of Antinfek 10H being used in drinking water, instead he’s aware of it being used to clean medical equipment.
According to sources, to date no one from the Corporate Management Team (CMT) of the utility could confirm who recommended Antinfek. However, the CMT minutes revealed that Van West Charles was the “main driver of using the Antifeck 10H for the Bartica and Diamond Wells.”
Contacted on Sunday, Van West Charles declined to comment on the issue.
According to a report seen by this newspaper, no file on the procurement process of the chemical was maintained by the Procurement Department of GWI. According to Tender Rules, a purchase order value such as that from Dove Biotech required three quotations, but there was no evidence that this was done.
“The purchase was made direct/sole sourced without proper justification,” the report said, with the approval being done by the Director of Procurement and the Managing Director based on an invoice dated November 13, 2015 valued US$17, 510 and another document which was created on February 16, 2016 and approved by Dr Van West-Charles on February 17, 2016.
Two wire transfer payments were done to complete the payment transactions.
Departmental changes
It is not clear if Canterbury’s disapproval of the chemical had anything to do with the fact that the department she headed being renamed and apparently restructured without her knowledge.
The officer had complained to Chairman of the GWI Board Nigel Hinds, who has since resigned following ongoing issues with Van West Charles, that she was unsure of her position.
It was at a meeting that she first learnt that the Scientific Services Department had been changed to Water Quality
At the time she said she had no issues with the name change but rather how it was done. She was also informed that the position of manager for the now renamed department would have been advertised, which was eventually done.
Because of this move, the morale in the department—which has five staff including Canterbury—was low. Meanwhile, one of the staff members, Anderson, who had reached out to PAHO officials for information on Antinfeck, was said to be in constant contact with the Managing Director and was even sent overseas without the knowledge of Canterbury.
“This constant undermining by the MD [Managing Director] has caused a lack of focus within the department and has caused other staff members to question the stability of the department. The other staff members have expressed to me their concerns about the confusion with respect to the department,” the report said.
She also informed that she has been called “unwilling, deaf and cantankerous by the MD in meetings when I disagree with issues.
“This name calling is highly offensive, completely unprofessional… I no longer feel free to express my opinions and contribute to the discussions.”
