Why is acrylamide used in the treatment of drinking water?
It is used as a cleaning agent, combining with solid material, making it easier to filter and remove unwanted substances from the water. Acrylamide is used because it is the only substance (polymer) that will adequately remove certain small particles from water. As acrylamide is not toxic in the polymerised form in which it is added to water, the only risk is from the very small amount of non-polymerised acrylamide remaining within the polymer. This is minimised by production practices.
