The Quest for Clean Water
Chlorine, Fluoride, Bisphenol A, and Other Tap and Plastic Hazards
Safe water sources are difficult to find (and expensive!) as the hazards of tap water, plastic water bottles, chlorine, fluoride, and estrogen-like chemicals mount.
It's difficult for the educated modern consumer to find a trustworthy source of water. Tap water is loaded with chlorine, fluoride, and other chemicals to kill bacteria and "purify" city water. Plastic bottles are said to leach a host of toxic compounds into water. How can we find water that is safe?
The Importance of Pure Water
Water is vital to health: Depending on your age and body type, 45-80% of your body is composed of good, old-fashioned water, which is needed for nearly everything the human body does.
Despite the importance of water, worldwide pollution threatens the planet's most abundant resource: pure, clean, healthy water. The once-joking prediction that clean water will be to the 21st Century what oil was to the 20th seems more real every day.
Problem Water Source: Tap Water
With the vast majority of the world's population living in cities, turning on a tap is the accepted way to get water. But tap water may be loaded with lead (and rust) from old pipes, parasites and bacteria, and always (in North America, at least) the chemical duo of chlorine and fluoride.
These potential contaminants leave many people turning to the second most common city water source: bottled spring water.
Problem Water Source: Plastic Bottles
Plastic bottles have been shown to "leach" toxic chemicals into water, juice, or baby formula that is stored in them, particularly after long periods of time or at higher temperatures.
- Antimony – Bottled water contains higher levels of antimony, a trace element with similar characteristics and toxicity to lead, the longer it is stored in plastic bottles. (1)
- Bisphenol A (BPA) – Found in plastic bottles and metal can liners, where it can leach into foods and beverages, bisphenol A is supposedly safe but some say it mimics naturally occurring estrogen and animal studies indicate that BPA may cause infertility, cancers, and hyperactivity. (2)
- Other Endocrine Disruptors – Chemicals that mimic estrogen and other hormones, altering the body's hormone signals, metabolism, and reproductive health.
More recently, it was found that some companies' bottled water isn't "spring" water at all, but tap water that has been sterilized again with chlorine and more, then purified for taste. Despite clever marketing, this is little better than glorified tap water.
Healthy Water Sources
The water resource situation is hardly an easy one to resolve, but there are a few sources of water that may be better than others:
- Filtered water – Charcoal or reverse osmosis filters provide readily available, reliable sources of clean water. Check to ensure that your filter actually removes what you want it to: many of the most popular brand-name filters take out only the most pungent chemicals, leaving the rest of the harmful (but tasteless) tap water additives in your drinking water. It's worth investing in a whole-house filter or, at the least, a kitchen filter for drinking water and a shower filter for the water you bathe in.
- Well water – One of the safest and purest sources of clean water, as long as the well is checked regularly for contaminants like bacteria, metals, and pesticides. Unfortunately not available in most cities.
- Distilled water – Distilled water is evaporated and then condensed, leaving nothing there except pure water. There is some concern about the way distilled water interacts energetically with the body. It also, unfortunately, carries absolutely no minerals.
- Bottled Water in Glass – One of the safer options is spring water that has been bottled in glass. But glass bottles are expensive and difficult to find – especially in large quantities.
Despite the importance of a clean water source, a large-scale solution to the water dilemma isn't yet available that combines mass availability, cost effectiveness, and practicality.
Reference:
(1) CBC News, December 21, 2006
(2) National Geographic Green Guide, May/June 2006
