GWI use of Antinfek is betrayal of public trust – Food and Drug Director

Government Analyst Food and Drug Department (GA-FDD) Director Marlan Cole says that the confirmed use of Antinfek by the Guyana Water Incorporated (GWI) has betrayed the public’s trust and all ethical considerations.

GWI Director of Operations Dwayne Shako admitted on Wednesday to be using Polyhexanide, also known as Antinfek, to disinfect the Diamond Well Station and another at Hillfoot along the Linden/ Soesdyke Highway.

GWI had previously denied using the chemical and claimed that it was only being tested. However, leaked emails had pointed to the chemical being used in wells at Bartica, Diamond and Hillfoot.

Minister of Communities Ronald Bulkan, during questioning in the National Assembly last Friday on the reason for GWI’s procurement of Antinfek, disclosed that Antinfek had been previously used by GWI to clean water supply pipes in limited locations

Marlan Cole
Marlan Cole

Speaking to Stabroek News yesterday, Cole said it was unethical of the company to introduce a new chemical without informing the public, especially when it had not received approval from the GA-FDD to use it.

“I don’t know if GWI doesn’t know but water is a food and we monitor food, drugs, cosmetics and medical devices,” he said, while adding that the drug laws give the agency the authority to investigate.

He explained that GWI had initially inquired about the chemical “…and we said, ‘well, that based on the information this treatment, this disinfectant, should not be used.”

He added, “As it relates to Antinfek from a public point of view, you just can’t decide to introduce a chemical for public consumption on a large part of the society without the necessary clearance. They have an ethical issue there and even though it might be safe, ethically you’re not allowed to have people under the impression that you are using chlorine when you’ve introduced something else,” he argued, while stating that it could’ve been the case that the water company has introduced a chemical that could be detrimental to persons’ health over time.

“We are not guinea pigs and you can’t decide you are testing things out on people without knowingly informing them,” he said.

Cole explained that while chlorine is a disinfectant that has been approved and has gotten clearance for use across the globe, Antinfek does not have similar clearance and “so you can’t just come to Guyana and decide to use it even though it might be safe.” “With the dialogue we had with the water specialist from PAHO and the engineer from GWI, we had concluded that even though the chemical might demonstrate its effectiveness in treating the water, we don’t know what side effects it might have in ingesting it over time and we suggested that they didn’t introduce it but they decided to go ahead,” Cole said.

“The FDD’s position is that the chemical should only be used if there is absolute clearance,” he added.

Cole said that while GWI has formally indicated that it was using the chemical after it was openly announced to the media, the FDD will be sending another letter to GWI and it will also be seeking the assistance of the Public Utilities Commission (PUC).

Meanwhile, Stabroek News was told by a source that it is likely that an investigation is going to be launched by the FDD over the use of the chemical.

“Other countries are laughing at us because nowhere else is this thing being used and here it is,” the source pointed out.

Shako, in explaining the use of the chemical, said on Wednesday that after rehabilitation of the Diamond Well Station was completed, it was contaminated with mud and there was a need to have the well disinfected before the water could be distributed to residents. However, because the well was fitted with carbon steel, the use of chlorine as a disinfectant was not considered since chlorine would act as a catalyst for corrosion of the steel. As a result, GWI moved to implement the use of Antinfek to quickly disinfect the well for the benefit of residents who would have been without water. He said a similar process was implemented to disinfect a newly constructed well station at Hillfoot, along the   Linden/Soesdyke Highway as a means of ensuring that residents would be accessing biologically safe water from GWI. GWI Managing Director Richard Van West-Charles had maintained on Wednesday that Antinfek was not harmful to humans and stated that it was registered by both the US Environmental Protection Agency and the US Food and Drug Administration. He stated that it is an ingredient in mouthwash, contact lens solution and has other uses in the medical field to treat wounds.

According to Van West-Charles, though Chlorine is used as a disinfectant, it is not one that kills all bacteria. He highlighted dangers of the improper handling of chlorine.

“Antinfek is not as dangerous as chlorine,” he said. “When we use chlorine, we have to consider two things, its safety for use and safety for staff… When we have chlorine cylinders, we have to protect the staff in handling chlorine because you never know when it will leak and to have staff exposed to it, it is not safe. So we have to ensure that these cylinders are properly stored [have] the right sensors and staff are well trained and that they have necessary protective gear.”