Europe’s highest court has ruled that the concentration of certain chemical compounds in Irish drinking water have exceeded EU safety levels.
The European Court of Justice this morning ruled that Ireland had failed to meet its obligations under an EU directive on safe drinking water.
According to the court, trihalomethanes (known as THMs) are chemical compounds often found in drinking water, especially in water treatment systems that use chlorine to remove bacteria and contaminants.
They are dangerous to both human health and to the environment, the court said.
Ireland was taken to court by the European Commission for allegedly failing to ensure that THMs in drinking water did not exceed the minimum values outlined in the directive.
The Commission had said that Ireland had failed to adopt the necessary measures to be in compliance with the directive, relating to the concentration of THMs, and had failed to restore the quality of drinking water “as quickly as possible.”
