The Pure Water Dilemma - Article by Marie Browning

Reminds me of the cigarette companies’ statements a decade ago. Nevertheless, there are dozens of studies that demonstrate the harm being done to us and especially to our infants and children, whose small size and developing bodies are bearing the brunt of toxin exposure levels.
How about dioxins, one of the most deadly classes of chemicals we have had the misfortune of developing? Remember the Love Canal disaster? These never break down, and now permeate our environment in varying amounts. Dioxins are a waste byproduct of chlorination processes, (also found in bleached paper products like coffee filters and toilet paper!) Then there are heavy metals. Mercury, arsenic, and lead are some of the most common metals found in our water supply.

By the way, mercury is used to produce chlorine, and the largest plant in the country (Olin) is just Northeast of Chattanooga. This Tennessee plant reports approximately 1,250 pounds of highly neurotoxic mercury emissions per year.
Much of our lead exposure comes from our aging water distribution pipes, since lead pipes and lead solder was legally used for this purpose until 1986. Even small amounts of lead exposure over time are known to cause mental retardation and many other serious disorders. Did I mention that US cities have until 2013 to get the lead out of our water supply?
Of course, water pipelines in some areas are a hundred years old. I’m not kidding. How pure is the water that flows through them to us? Replacing them is a monumental, time consuming, and very costly process.

Then there are the chemicals that are added for our “protection”. Chlorine and fluoride are both known to increase cancer rates wherever they are used.

Chlorine keeps our water bacteria free, but it is recognized as a potent carcinogen. There are other safe ways of disinfecting our water. Ozonation is the primary alternative used by a growing number of other nations, and a few cities in the US. It is more effective than chlorine at destroying many pathogens, and its by product is pure oxygen. This type of ozone is not harmful to the environment in any way. However, the process has not been perfected, and some safety issues remain.

If you lather up in hot chlorinated water with a soap or dishwashing liquid containing triclosan, a common antibacterial additive, you don’t just inhale a good dose of chlorine in the steam, but some of it will also have been converted into chloroform and dioxins. Of course, these chemicals are present in small amounts, but when you do this everyday, they accumulate in your body, and the damage adds up.
Chlorine does destroy harmful bacteria, but it also reduces the numbers of beneficial and necessary bacteria on and in our bodies, and many of these are vital to good health. Bathing in it dries out your hair, skin, and nails, while irritating your eyes and other delicate tissues.

During World War II, Alcoa Aluminum found itself with huge waste product piles of fluoride. They commissioned a study, which "found" that naturally occurring fluoride seemed to help "fix" calcium in teeth, even as it caused damaging discoloration known as mottling. The researcher in charge, Dr. H. T. Dean, later admitted to manipulating the information he provided.
No testing for safety issues was ever done before it became standard procedure to add fluoride to our water supply.
A former head chemist of the National Cancer Institute, Dr. Dean Burk implored the EPA to remove fluoride from our drinking water back in 1985, because of its links to significant increases in cancer rates.

Articles regarding fluoride-associated rates of hip fracture, osteosarcoma (bone cancer), osteoporosis, and neurological toxicity have been published by prestigious medical journals around the world, including our own Journal of the American Medical Association, The New England Journal of Medicine, and Neurotoxicology and Teratology. I encourage you to search these journals for the numerous fluoride related articles they have published. The Physicians Desk Reference (PDR) lists many effects of fluoride toxicity, including immune system disruption, skin irritations such as eczema, Down’s syndrome, heart problems, and mottling of the teeth, called fluorosis.

About half of us have this tooth enamel discoloration, and numbers of those affected is growing. Fluoride is a naturally occurring mineral, and present in small quantities in many of the foods we eat. There are a few communities, mainly in the west, in which it is found naturally in toxic amounts, and during the 1800’s caused major tooth discoloration (called "Colorado brown tooth").
Contrary to what you have been led to believe, studies do not show that fluoride prevents tooth decay. What they show is that it hardens tooth enamel. What is often omitted is that the tooth also becomes more brittle in the process.

I am thrilled that new parents are being warned not to mix infant formula with fluoridated water. Have you ever noticed the warnings on toothpastes urging small children not to swallow it, or to call the poison control center in case of ingestion?
A study done by Proctor and Gamble back in 1989, showed that genetic damage could occur with half the amount of fluoride that is normally added to municipal water.
The only methods that can remove fluoride from our home water are reverse osmosis and distillation, which I will discuss later.
I encourage you to check some of the resources I provide at the end of this article or do your own research into this national experiment in which we are all unwitting guinea pigs.

This is one of the few of many toxins that could be easily eliminated, and most other nations in the world have done so. Only a handful of countries still fluoridate their water and the healthiest ones have rejected or stopped water fluoridation. (Remember that the US ranks 27th in world health ratings.)
A few cities in the US are also getting fluoride out of their municipal water systems. Why not all of us? The words money, lawsuits, and propaganda come to mind. You should know that primitive societies have beautiful strong teeth without the help of fluoride. It isn’t until they begin eating sugar like we do, that tooth decay becomes common. But, let’s move on. I don’t want to stay on my soapbox too long!

Nitrates are released into the environment primarily through septic tank seepage and agricultural runoff (especially in corn growing areas). They are often present in well water, and in the body may be converted into highly carcinogenic nitrosamines. Radon gas permeates the ground and ground water in many areas, and is known to double the risk of soft tissue cancers.
If you use well water, test it regularly!

OK, so now you know you want to drink purified water. Is there such a thing as pure water?
A few of the spring waters are quite pure, but this is not a very economical long term option. What other options do we have?
Each month I learn about some new kind of water. Ionized, magnetized, alkaline; the choices are endless. Again, I encourage you to read about them if you wish, but for now, I am going to concentrate on the most widely known and available waters and purification systems you might be considering.

Tap water: You already know about this. It isn’t my first choice, but may be the only choice!
Bottled water: This is now a multi-billion dollar a year industry. You should know the three P’s:

Place of origin—where exactly is the water taken from.
Purification—how is it purified, how do they prove it is pure.
Packaging—what kind of plastic, is glass available.

Spring water comes out of the ground. Mineral water is spring water that is high in minerals. Spring and mineral water may be naturally carbonated or not. Most spring waters are bottled as they come from the ground, but should be tested often.
Some bottled water comes from municipal water systems, but may be purer than water that came through questionable pipelines. Still, contaminants are possible and common. Also, have they added fluoride or minerals?
Effective purifying methods are reverse osmosis, distillation, ozonation, and UV light.
Glass packaging is best, though almost impossible to find. I am hopeful that this will change, especially in the light of recent controversy surrounding plastics. (Finally!)
Plastics PET (#1) and polycarbonate (#7), leach fewer chemicals and plastic tastes into the water.

. Notice, I said fewer—the fact is that Nalge Nunc International, the makers of popular Nalgene, has announced that in the coming months it will begin pulling water bottles from its Outdoor line that contain BPA ,(bisphenol A), a hormone disruptor linked with early puberty, breast and prostate cancers, neurological & behavior problems in children, and a host of other serious health issues. Nalge Nunc said it would be using BPA-free plastic in the future.
Canada has announced a ban on the import and sale of polycarbonate baby bottles due to concerns about BPA.
The National Institute of Health gathered a panel of 38 academic and government researchers together in 2007, to discuss BPA. Their conclusion was that, "the potential for BPA to impact human health is a concern and more research is clearly needed."
BPA is also found in dental sealants, food cans and hundreds of other products.
PET plastic has its own safety isues, mostly related to breakdown. Exposure to heat (hot water washing, microwaves, and hot car storage) accelerates the breakdown and your absorption of harmful chemicals in any plastic. Don’t reuse disposable plastic bottles to drink from, and if the water tastes like plastic, toss it and get another bottle.

Check out the companies’ websites for reliability and water testing information. Call them. Make sure they provide full chemical assay information. You get what you pay for. Don’t throw your money away on water that may be worse than your tap water, or by buying costly imported waters that are no purer than some domestic ones. Come up with your own list of bottled waters that you are comfortable buying when the need arises.
I found Dasani by Coca-Cola to provide little information regarding their purification process beyond stating that they used reverse osmosis on tap water.
The same criteria apply to home delivery bottled water. You get what you pay for. Know what you are getting!

These bottled waters make my list:
Aquafina by Pepsi, and Pure Life by Nestle are good reverse osmosis, UV, and ozone treated, mineral enhanced municipal waters, and are widely available.
Mountain Valley (available in glass bottles!) and Trinity Springs mineral water are reliably pure spring waters. Trinity Springs has so many minerals, especially silica, it is classified as a dietary supplement!
I have found Mountain Valley locally, though not in glass bottles. You’ll have to look in Knoxville or Asheville for Trinity Springs.

Carbon/Charcoal filtration: These are mainly the pitchers and faucet attachments that you can buy in any store. Price ($20 and up) and effectiveness vary according to type. They all reduce odors and improve taste, and do a fair to excellent job of removing chlorine. Faucet and pitcher units are often least effective, as the water moves through them too quickly. Still, they do remove many pesticides and volatile organic compounds (VOC’s).
The tall column filters with spigots are better, and those with carbon blocks are the best of this type, capable of removing heavy metals, bacteria, and even cryptosporidium.

Disadvantages: Filters add considerable "hidden costs" to the process. Hot water can destroy the effectiveness of the filters, and unless they are changed often,possibly as often as every 2 weeks, filters can become a breeding ground for bacteria.
It often requires guesswork to determine when the filter needs to be changed, and some designs may allow contaminants back in the water. If chosen, used, and maintained carefully, however, these are better than not filtering at all. Change the filter sooner, rather than later if the filter has a "change" indicator on it.

Whole house systems are usually heavy duty carbon block/charcoal combination filters that treat all the water coming into the house, and are usually designed to prevent contaminants from being reintroduced into the water supply. These units vary widely in price, from $750 to $3-4,000. Research them carefully before making a decision about these units that generally require professional installation. The main advantage to this system is that all house water is relatively pure, and you don’t have to worry about the water you use to bathe, feed pets, or water plants with. Rather than keep up with a dozen small filters, you have only one system to monitor.
Most require changing an inexpensive prefilter every few months, though the main unit filter may have to be replaced after 5 years at a fairly high cost.

Calculate how much the various small filters cost over the course of 5 years, though, and you may find (as I did) that the whole house system comes out better.

KDF filters: these are copper-zinc alloy blocks that use a process of reduction oxidation to remove chlorine and heavy metals from hot tub and shower water. The filter blocks do not allow bacteria to grow, and last about a year. At between $40-80, I consider them a good investment. Science News estimated that we inhale the same amount of chlorine and contaminants in a ten minute shower that we would in drinking a gallon of contaminated water. Your skin and hair will also become smoother and healthier.

Reverse osmosis: Water is forced through a membrane which filters out contaminants. RO removes lead, mercury and other heavy metals, radioactive particles, fluoride, chlorine, and other unwanted agents like pesticides, nitrates, and pathogens. Virtually all pharmaceuticals are also removed. Many of these units are designed to be installed under a counter, so a dedicated spigot makes them convenient to use. Pre & Post treatment filters make this a complete purification method, This is the only method that can desalinate water, but is also one of the more costly.

Disadvantages: The initial unit may cost $350-$1,500. System must be designed with a holding tank, as water pressure and instant availability are impacted. It may require several gallons of water to produce a single gallon of purified water, and the RO membrane must be replaced every 1-3 years at the cost of $100+ each year. Pre & post treatment filters must also be replaced every six months or so, at a cost of $30-$70 per year.
Old or deteriorated membranes and filters can breed bacteria.

Distillation: Distillation is a water treatment system that boils water and condenses the steam, which is then collected in a bottle. It is highly effective when used with post treatment carbon filters.
Fluoride, nitrates, chlorine, and all heavy metals are removed, as are bacteria, other pathogens, pesticides, and virtually all pharmaceuticals.
Some people dislike the flavorless water of distillation, but many prefer it. You can add mineral drops to the water if you wish. This water does not leach minerals out of your body, as is sometimes claimed.

It does not add any to your body either, so it is important to make sure your diet or multivitamin supplies adequate minerals. Distillers use carbon filters to complete the purification process, but only use a pre or a post process filter. These must be replaced about every 3 months at a cost of about $20-60 per year. Distillation wastes 3-5 ounces of water for each gallon of purified water processed.
Disadvantages: Prices of home distillers vary from $300-$1,500. Distillers require electricity to use, they take 3-4 hours to produce each gallon of water, some heat and humidity are created, purified water must be stored.

Deciding how to deal with the pure water issue will require some time and effort.
Keep in mind that when water tastes good, you are likely to drink more of it and choose it over less healthy alternatives. Two people generally use 2-3 gallons of water a day for drinking and cooking.
If you use humidifiers, or special medical devices that require distilled water, you will need to take them into account as well.
Our family deals with the water dilemma with a combination of solutions. It’s not a perfect system, but we feel we have made the best choices for ourselves. We now have a whole house filter, which provides chlorine-free water for bathing and washing.

We have a small distiller that we use to further purify our drinking water. It paid for itself within 6-8 months, as opposed to buying bottled water, and we spend about $50 a year on filters for it and the whole house system combined. We each have a stainless steel bottle to carry our own pure water with us when we are out, and occasionally buy bottled water as necessary. We are more aware of the chemical smell and taste of tap water, and avoid it whenever possible.
I place a high priority on quality water and I hope you do, too. I can’t make your decision for you, but I hope I have provided you with enough information to help you choose what is best for you and your family.