Water is an essential in every day life and we all expect to be able to go to the kitchen sink and get a clean glass of water. But can we ?
Water in many municipalities is heavily processed and the use of chemicals for purification and PH balancing leaves trace amounts of toxins on tap in your daily water supply.
Flouride
Some cities go as far as to add fluoride to the drinking water. This has been a highly debated subject about the toxicity and carcinogenicity of drinking water for some time. Fluoride is a inorganic toxin, and what is considered safe levels have been established. We feel that there is NO reason to introduce toxins of any level to our children or ourselves and feel that fluoride is definitely not a toxic risk we will take with our children.
Recent studies show fluoride is a human developmental neurotoxicant that reduces measures of intelligence in children, placing it into the same category as toxic metals (lead, methylmercury, arsenic) and polychlorinated biphenyls.
The National Research Council of the National Academies of Science report from thress years of research determined that what is considered the safe level of fluoride in tap water (4 ppm) causes significant damage to teeth, and places consumers at elevated risk for bone damage, including bone fracture and joint pain. There is a wide range of effects that can be proven as a result of fluoride exposure.
Arsenic
Arsenic is a highly toxic carcinogen.
It is estimated that 15 million Americans drink water contaminated with arsenic. Arsenic is a common pollutant in water, though not artificially introduced into our water by our municipalities it is something that we need to be concerned with. Removing this potent toxin from our drinking water is essential to good health. Arsenic levels in water can be introduced my industrial activities including farming and mining that can raise levels of arsenic in water. This is something to be highly aware of. and long term exposure is related to a long list of cancers.
Aluminum
To start with aluminum is non-essential to humans and is considered toxin.
Aluminum is used in water treatment plants so the likelihood of exposure whether incidental or accidental is a risk. The WHO reports that in 1988, about 20,000 individuals in the UK drank elevated aluminum sulfate levels for five days after their water supply was accidentally contaminated. Nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea were the three most common gastrointestinal symptoms experienced by the individuals.
Aluminum is a contaminant that is present in many forms, beware aluminum cookware, this is just a bad idea.
Lead:
Lead was a commonly used material for piping in residential and commercial plumbing for a very long time. There are still many places where lead is contaminated into the drinking water from the plumbing. Though there have been many steps taken to reduce the amount of lead plumbing. Make sure that your water is actually safe enough to drink.
General pollutants and toxins-
Almost everything in our society has the potential to end up in our water, from disinfectants to pharmaceuticals. Even well water, when you are not reliant on your community polluting your water.
Run off and soil contamination is widespread all over the world from industrial and agricultural pollutants. We take it for granted that we will have clean water just going to the kitchen tap. Dont be sure about this and take the steps to protect your family. There is not a safe exposure level for lead contaminants. If you have an older home or live in an older building it is a good idea to get your water tested. In the years between 1900 and 1950 many of Americas largest cities mandated installation of lead pipes. In the year 2020 it was estimated that over 50 percent of the population drank water that was contaminated with lead. You need to take steps to prevent exposure.
Steps to clean water.
Probably the best thing you can do is to filter your water, a whole house system is ideal , but at the very least a Reverse Osmosis system to cleanse your drinking water is an absolute must. A tap filter can provide small amounts of water for cooking and drinking.
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Sources and further reading
More Reading NIH Toxicity of Fluoride
Natural Resources Defense Council: Arsenic in Drinking Water
National Academies of Sciences -Neurotoxicity and Neurobehavioral Effects
Fluoride Alert condensed facts from National Academies of Sciences
Arsenic Poisoning Symptoms
World Health Org Report on Aluminum in drinking water