Is Your Water Truly Safe To Drink?
In my 20 years of clinical practice working with the chronically ill water has often proven to be the source of the problem AND a significant part of the solution.
Just as a body relies on whole fresh food to be able to carry on it’s ability to grow, repair and maintain normal function, so too does it rely on a clean fresh water supply.
You would think that in the abundantly supplied Northwest, water would be clean and fresh by definition. Unfortunately, this is often not the case. And despite the assertions of our hard working water engineers there is little doubt why there is reason for concern.
Is chlorinated water really safe to drink? This question has vexed skeptics for over a century. Since the early to mid 1900’s, adding chlorine to drinking water has been standard procedure. And there is no doubt that chlorine kills unwanted micro-flora like bacteria in the water supply. But the practice has always been controversial.
Chlorine may kill micro-flora but is this the safest way to handle the problem? More importantly, is there a price to be paid long term?
Chlorine is a known poison. Nothing brings this closer to home than the horrendous use of chlorine gas in World War I. Thousands were killed and many more were blinded. But proponents say chlorination does more good than harm. And they argue that the ‘minute’ levels of chlorine in the water is de facto proof that little harm should be attributed to it.
But ask any owner of tropical fish and they’ll verify that even ‘minute’ levels of chlorine will wipe out a fish tank in a flash. And besides, if ‘little’ things are so harmless than why bother with the microscopic life forms in the first place? The answer is that an argument based on ‘small’, ‘little’ or ‘minute’ is suspect especially since research over the last ten to twenty years reveals a disturbing association.
Recently, the President’s Council on Environmental Quality stated that “there is increased evidence for an association between rectal, colon and bladder cancer and the consumption of chlorinated drinking water.”
Knowing that government is loathe to admit any fault or go back on itself once it’s taken a position, why would they concede that chlorine is harmful now? Since the beginning proponents of chlorination have argued ‘a little is harmless’? The answer is simple: chlorine in water has always been harmful!
Here are just a few ‘blasts from the past’ of those who warned against the use of chlorine in the water supply ~ unheeded of course:
“Chlorine is the greatest crippler and killer of modern times. While it prevented epidemics of one disease, it was creating another. Two decades ago, after the start of chlorinating our drinking water in 1904, the epidemic of heart trouble, cancer and senility began.” SAGINAW HOSPITAL J.M. Price, MD
“Showering is suspected as the primary cause of elevated levels of chloroform in nearly every home because of the chlorine in the water.” ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY Dr. Lance Wallace
There are alternatives to make water safe for consumption. These include UV radiation, ultrasound, ultra-filtration, reverse osmosis, heating, freezing, and ionizing radiation. In Europe, ozonation is the physical method of choice.
And by the way, if the risks of chorine aren’t enough to get your attention there is an almost unlimited list of other chemicals in the water including dry cleaning solvents, pharmaceuticals, pesticides and herbicides from commercial farming among them. So, regardless of what method is used, we can and should filter the water before we consume or shower in it.
To remove chemicals like chlorine, effective materials include activated carbon in the form of a block or granules. Removal of heavy metals like lead and mercury require an additional filtration substance such as KDF (Kinetic Degradation Fluxion). And if you’re still concerned about microorganisms, a combination of ceramic filtration, reverse osmosis and/or UV radiation is available.
You can spend as little as a few hundred dollars to a few thousand. It all depends on how much protection you’re willing to pay for. But at the end of the day, I recommend at a minimum, a system that removes as much chlorine and other chemicals as possible. And that means a high quality activated carbon block or granular system.
In closing, for many of you who have found your symptoms are related to chlorine and now filter your water and are feeling so much better, you know the importance of taking action.
For those who have not taken action ~ what are you waiting for? Ask us about water filtering solutions. In the meantime, let’s raise our glasses of cool freshly filtered water and toast to our goal of attaining and maintaining our good health. Remember, it’s the water folks ~ be sure your’s is filtered and fresh!
Take Care
Paul