Greetings :
As a member of WateReuse Association, we strive to keep you informed about relevant water reuse trends, science, and news. We are writing to make you aware of a paper published earlier this year in the Journal of Environmental Epidemiology which implies that direct potable reuse (DPR) potentially causes birth defects. The paper is based on a study of the Big Springs, Texas DPR system and attempts to correlate the number of birth defects detected during the study period with contaminants that could potentially be in drinking water. Despite finding no correlation and no evidence that contaminants were present in the DPR supply, the paper presents its information in a misleading way and uses a title that suggests a correlation exists.
While the paper has not yet gained media traction, it could conceivably be used to raise doubt about potable reuse projects.
As such, we are providing two documents to help our members understand the issues raised in the paper and respond to inquiries you may receive.
These materials are for internal use by water recycling utilities. Please share these documents with relevant staff only, including public information officers and water reuse program managers. Please do not share these documents with contacts outside your organization. | 
