Water Testing / Water Filtration
What is in your drinking & bathing water:
Our drinking and bathing water is likely to contain:
- Chlorine: Chlorine is universally used to disinfect water, killing bacteria and other micoorganisms. But once it arrives in your home, chlorine can negatively affect your family's long-term health, comfort, and even personal appearance.
According to the U.S. Council Of Environmental Quality, "Cancer risk among people drinking chlorinated water is 93% higher than among those whose water does not contain chlorine."
- Shower filters and waterfiltration systems are relatively inexpensive and easy to install. You will find it well worth the effort.
- Fuoride associated with lower IQ & alzheimer's disease, damaged liver & kidney functions, bone cancer and other forms of cancers, poisoning (children specifically), bone fractures, altered endocrine function
- Aluminum: One study (McLachlan, et al. 1996) found a 250% increase of Alzheimer's disease in people drinking municipal water with high aluminum levels for 10 years or more.
- Pharmaceuticals: A 5-month Associated Press investigation revealed traces of pharmaceuticals in the drinking water supplies of 41 million Americans, including antidepressants, sex hormones, antibiotics and other drugs. The drinking water of 24 metropolitan areas - including Philadelphia, San Francisco and Washington, DC - were tested after it went through the normal filtration process and it was found that the treatment plants are unequipped to filter these contaminants out. Even bottled water isn't safe and 40% of them contain repacked tap water. The best solution is a filter - a nanofiltration and reverse-osmosis systems have been shown to remove several drugs.
Our drinking and bathing water may contain:
- heavy metals / lead,
- giardia and other parasites.
TIPS:
Tap Water:
You can check the water quality in your area by calling the EPA's Drinking Water Hotline at (800) 246-4791.
If you use a private well, test your water every year for nitrates and bacteria. Depending on where you live, you may also want to test for pesticides, organic chemicals or radon.
Bottled Water: When buying bottled water, purified water is better than spring water, as purified water will go through processes to remove contaminants / bacteria, while spring water can be taken from just about any place.
- How safe is your favorite brand? Click here for a summary of NRDC's Test Results on Bottled Water Contaminants
Water & Your Health: "At birth you were about 75% water. If you make it past 95 and die of old age, you will be about 25% water. You will have transformed from a plum to a raisin in your 95 plus years. This is called age-related dehydration. Therefore, one of the most important anti-aging strategies is to remain well hydrated at all times."
Mineral Water: The minerals in mineral water are inorganic and they crystallize in the body, both inside and outside the circulatory system. When they crystallize outside the circulatory system, they cause such problems as arthritis. When they crystallize inside the circulatory system, they are deposited in the walls of your arteries and, over the years, contribute to the plaque formation of atherosclerosis. It is generally agreed that this is not a good source of water.
