Water can contain an assortment of chemicals considered to be undesirable and that may pose some risk to the health of consumers. At The Sapphire Group, we have considerable experience in characterizing exposures (individually and collectively) of these chemicals and from all the pathways – ingestion, inhalation and skin contact (dermal). Exposure to chemicals in water can result from direct or indirect ingestion and from food processing. Inhalation and dermal contact can occur during showering. To some degree everyone can be exposed to these substances on a frequent basis. Children particularly may have skin contact, inhale and ingest the same materials in a swimming pool and from water in their home. Whether children are more or less susceptible to the hazardous properties of foreign compounds is a subject of considerable interest.

Our team has extensive experience in modeling exposures at the human interface. Equally important, we evaluate these exposures at different systemic doses as the chemicals become absorbed in the human blood stream and reach sensitive target organs and cells. The Sapphire Group is particularly knowledgeable at estimating the risks to human health from the assorted exposures to these chemicals. We carefully examine alternate approaches for managing these risks, and provide context for our clients such that the information is readily useable by a risk manager. Our staff has a comprehensive understanding of the regulatory and legal contexts that surround these chemicals and we provide our clients expert guidance for compliance and response.

Treatment & Delivery

Drinking water quality and safety is dependent in part on the means of treatment and on the integrity of the distribution system. Both treatment and delivery can contribute undesirable substances into drinking water. If the concentrations of most substances are sufficiently low, no injurious consequences should ensue. Defining how low is low enough poses some major challenges. The Sapphire Group is one of the foremost leaders at evaluating chemicals for the treatment and distribution of drinking water, in the U.S. and in the European Union.

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