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Americans pride themselves
on having very high quality water from every tap. A thorough study
of water in America and the world in general tells a different story. A few well-placed
hours on the Internet show that the world is in an unprecedented
water quality crisis as well as water shortage. Depending
on what part of the country one lives in, it is easy to find
trace amounts of chlorination byproducts, organics, nitrates, pesticides, heavy metals, radioactive
compounds, petrochemicals, pharmaceuticals, and parasites coming from the local
municipal water supply. Even if you get your water from a private
well, most of these contaminants can still be present.
Pharmaceutical Drugs
In March 2008 the AP reported on their dramatic findings, which estimated at least
41 million Americans in 24 major metropolitan areas are exposed to low levels of pharmaceuticals
ranging from over-the-counter drugs like Ibuprofin and Acetaminophen to prescription drugs such
as antibiotics, anti-convulsants, mood stabalizers, and sex hormones. To find out more about what
this means to you, please click here.
Toxins
The toxins and free radicals in these waters are made significantly
more toxic to humans by the addition of chlorine -- a compound
mandated by the public health department. The Environmental
Protection Agency now reports that individuals who drink and
bath in chlorinated surface waters (i.e., water from lakes,
rivers and shallow wells) have a 50% greater likelihood of
getting cancer in their lifetime.[1] [2]
Even if you think you are safe because you drink bottled
water, you may be surprised to learn that one can absorb
up to 600% more contaminants in your body in a ten-minute
shower than in all the water consumed in a day.[3]
MTBE
In January 2000, the investigative TV program Sixty Minutes
reported that as many as 100 million Americans were drinking
water contaminated with MTBE, a gasoline additive that has
been leaching into our water supplies since 1992. MTBE is
believed to cause cancer in concentrations as low as 10 parts
per billion and unfortunately local water companies are helpless
to remove it. Because of such contaminants, two out of every
five households now have a water filter or drink bottled water, with no
assurance of safety. The problem is that the average consumer and
even most medical professionals do not know what is the best way
to treat water or the best source of water to drink.
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[1] “Cancer Incidence and Trihalomethane
Concentrations in the Public Drinking Water System”,
George L. Carlo. American Journal of Public health, Vol. 74,
No. 5, 1984, pp. 479-484.
[2] “Organic Chemical Contaminants in
Drinking Water and Cancer”, American Journal of Epidemiology,
Vo. 110, 1979, p.420.
[3] “Showers Pose a Risk to Health”,
Ian Anderson, New Scientist, 9/18/86.
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