Water
abcnews.go.com
It has all of the appearances of purity, cleanliness, and health. And we all know that drinking it is key to overall health.
So it’s pretty crazy to discover all of the contaminants found in you tap water.
Because you can’t see these things, it’s hard to believe they are in there. However, if you pay close attention, the signs are everywhere.
The smell of chlorine when you run the tap, that orange or green residue on the shower head, dry, itchy skin and red, swollen eyes after a shower, etc…
I recently ran the water report for the tap water in my hometown, as well as the town where I grew up.
If you want to see what is in the tap water where you live, just google “water quality report {your city}” and it should be fairly easy to find.
I have compiled a few reports for cities where I know I have a lot of readers:
MIDLAND, TX
DALLAS, TX
NASHVILLE, TN
NEW YORK CITY, NY
DENVER, CO
The results are, well, shocking. While I was pleased that my current home town had a better report than some, the town where I grew up had a terrible report. Numerous violations from too much fluoride to arsenic. Thank goodness my parents had the wisdom to buy filtered water for us growing up!
Here are some toxins very commonly found in almost every single municipal water supply:
Fluoride: I did an entire post HERE devoted to the dangers of fluoride. Most cities in America add it to their water supplies, a quick search will tell you if yours does.
Chlorine: added to kill microorganisms in the water. However, it is not successful in killing all of them as bacteria such as e.coli is sill found in chlorine treated water. For this reason, it is widely recommended that tap water be boiled before being given to infants. Another problem is that when chlorine mixes with some organic substances in the water, it creates chloroform, which increases free-radical production in the body which are highly carcinogenic (cancer-causing.)
Every study I have read has linked chlorinated water with an increased risk of cancer, some showing rates as high as 50%-90%.
Vapors from chlorine in water are also very dangerous and are known to cause and/or irritate asthma, allergies, and skin irritations. Reproductive and fetal abnormalities including miscarriage are also caused by chloroform and chlorine in the water. When you inhale these vapors, they go directly into the blood stream. For this reason, we have shower and bath filters in our home.
I recently read on a pregnancy thread that a woman’s husband, who is a Dentist, insisted that she drink tap water during her pregnancies so that she and the baby would get the “benefit of the fluoride”. I nearly died.
ifyoucare.com
Chloramine: Chloramine is used as an alternative to chlorine and is extremely difficult to filter out, as well as being less effective in killing microbes than chlorine. It is a combination of chlorine and ammonia, and there are actually 3 different types of them which is why you will often see them listed as the plural “chloramines” in water reports.
The fact alone that it is a combination of chlorine and ammonia is alarming enough, but even still, here are the side effects of chloramines: a host of respiratory illnesses from sinus congestion and asthma to shortness of breath, lung damage similar to second-hand smoke inhalation. It inhibits red blood cells from carrying oxygen. There is an increase in influenza and pneumonia deaths in communities where chloramine is used. It causes a litany of skin problems. It kills aquarium fish and has a devastating effect on marine life and the environment. It is recommended (by mainstream medicine) that people with compromised immune systems or are undergoing chemotherapy should not drink chloramine treated water.
If they shouldn’t, why should anyone else?
vce.org
What’s even crazier is that there have not been studies done to test the safety of chloramines in water supplies. (really??!)
This is why there are numerous groups working towards the removal of chloramine from all city municipal water supplies. If you discover that yours is a city where it is used, you may consider joining the forces! Thankfully, the state where I live has banned it’s use.
I am just barely scratching the surface here.
I highly recommend that you research your city’s water on your own. The three I listed are bothersome contaminants, but others you may find in your water supplies are arsenic (a poison), lead (a poison), cyanide, parasites, pesticides, discharge from refineries, byproduct waste from fertilizer and herbicide plants, runoff from aluminum factories, traces of sewage, etc.
SO, what can be done?
Some folks boil their water hoping to reduce some of these contaminants. While it does kill any remaining microbes, boiling doesn’t remove chloramines, and releases chlorine vapors in the air, and actually concentrates fluoroide.
The good news is that water filtration is becoming much more affordable. Whole house filters used to cost upwards of $10,000, but are within most budgets now.
Once we own our own home we will be investing in a whole-house water filter. This will eliminate the need for individual filters, which is what we do now since we are renters.
Drinking Water:
I will do a post devoted to drinking water in the future, but for now, I can tell you that from all of the research I have done, no drinking water filter compares to the BERKEY. It is the only filter that I have found that removes chloramines, arsenic, and fluoride. The price up front is more than most of the others, however, the individual filters last FOREVER, so you actually save money in the long run.
I’ll expound more on the pro’s and con’s of other water filters out there in my water filter post!
my Royal Berkey water filter – removes the bad, leaves the good!
Shower/Bath Water:
We have a shower head filter for our shower, and a bath filter for the tub. However, I don’t feel that the bath filter eliminates all of the chlorine vapors, so I’ll be switching to the shower filter, and just fill the bath from the shower head for my babies.
Where to Buy:
I have a wonderful working relationship with Dan at United Environmental Solutions, who provides all of the above filters (as well as the whole-house filter that I will be purchasing some day in the future!). He is extremely helpful and is happy to answer any questions you may have. He has even provided his cell phone number for my readers! 813-965-5109
To be linked to his main website click HERE.
To be linked to his whole house filters click HERE. (these remove everything, including chloramine!)
To be linked to his BERKEY drinking water filters click HERE. (removes chlorine, chloramine, arsenic, and fluoride, along with all other contaminants)
To be linked to his shower filters click HERE. (chlorine only)
Dan just became a dealer for a fabulous new shower filter called “Vitashower” that removes chloramines using vitamin C – so cool huh? Because it’s so new, just give him a call to order that one as it’s not up on his site yet!
Alright, so the next time someone suggest that you drink some tap water for health, to save money, or to prevent cavities, you will be able to make an informed decision!
live well. be well.
