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Polluted Drinking Water Deserves Serious Health ConcernsShould we be concerned with cleanness of our drinking water? Also find on this page: Cleanness of drinking water and the same for bathing was a major concern of the Romans. Many of us are aware of their extensive elaborate filtration system, much of which is still used even today. It wasn’t until the 19th century that poor sanitation methods began to be widely recognized as a major source for disease. In the mid-19th century, diarrhea-related diseases were the third leading cause of death in the United States, mostly due to contaminated drinking water supplies. Changes in public sanitation led to dramatic declines in epidemics. This was before aggressive industrialization of our (USA) country, which gradually outdated many previously used drinking water purification approaches. Tens of thousands of synthetic chemicals were produced for the first time, and these chemicals ended up in our drinking water in increasing varieties, amounts and concentrations. Likewise, with modern farming, billions of pounds of pesticides, herbicides, and artificial fertilizers are being used by the nation’s farms. Surface and ground waters were polluted on a previously unknown to humanity scale. What our science and statistics are telling us? Medical scientists were not prepared to the impact this enormous amount of pollution would have on human health. Congress didn’t respond till 1974 when it passed the Safe Drinking Water Act and established The Environmental Protection Agency, which quickly became very effective in two directions – growing into an enormously huge organization and becoming totally influenced by politics and big corporations. Epidemic diseases, such as cholera, are no longer a major problem in the developed world. But particular strains of the bacteria called E. coli are still a concern these days. Most of the species of this organism are quite harmless, but one nasty form of it, known as 0157:H7, is responsible for a number of severe cases of diarrhea and deaths. About 20,000 infections and 250 deaths a year from this organism come from contaminated drinking water supplies. So, medical scientists were prepared handing most infection diseases, but the chemical contamination of our drinking water, which came with industrialization and modern farming was a new and completely unknown subject for them.
Four billion pounds of pesticides are used every year worldwide, and they contaminate not only the soil, foods and drinking water, but also the air we breathe. A recent study discovered an average of 287 chemical residues in the blood of newborn babies, 217 of which were known neurotoxins. An average adult was found to have over 180 chemicals in his or her fat tissue, showing that a person’s brain stores a large number of these toxins over a lifetime.
The EPA has over 65,000 chemicals in its registry, and most of them have never been examined for brain toxicity. Also, and unfortunately, virtually none of them have been tested to see what happens when these chemicals co-exist in a human body. It is known that many of these chemicals exhibit dramatic magnification of their toxicity when combined - in animals. In addition, virtually all of us are exposed to mercury, lead, cadmium, aluminum, fluoride, nickel and a host of other toxic elements. Many of these toxins, such as mercury, lead and fluoride — are known to accumulate in the brain, so exposure to even very small amounts over long time can become extremely toxic to this essential organ. Thousands tons of synthetic chemicals were dumped in lakes, streams and rivers, before the problem was even recognized. Over the years, scientists and biologists discovered that a significant number of these chemicals are carcinogenic or become such over years. Over a long term exposure they can cause cancer in animals and humans. Causes of previously unknown health issues The most studied carcinogens coming from industrialized farming include: * arsenic The following industrial byproducts are also a common source of carcinogens: * vinyl chloride These chemicals in our drinking water have been linked to increased rates of Colon, Bladder, Brain, Lung, Rectal, Skin and Stomach cancers. Most of these chemicals are fat soluble and because of that are locked in the fat cells of the body for very long periods, some for life. As a result of some latest studies, a new concern over the dramatic rise in industrial compounds and pesticides called xenoestrogens, infiltrating water supplies came to the picture. They act pretty much like human estrogens and interact with estrogen receptors much like natural estrogen. The concern is that they increase the risk of breast cancers, causing early development and over-development of female sexual organs, impair male sex organs development, and adversely affecting the Human brain function. The most common pollutants include: * DDT, If you are using bottled water and believe it is any cleaner and safer than water from your faucet, a number of studies have discovered that plastic containers leech bisphenol-A and other chemicals in quantities sufficient to cause * premature and excessive female breast development The state of California has banned the use of polycarbnonate plastic containers that contain bisphenol-A and phthalates in products that will be used for children under the age of 3 years. Hopefully, this is just the first step. Are Bottled and water treatment facilities providing a solution? Americans are consuming about 5 million gallons of bottled water a year. There hardly is any justification for paying extraordinary prices for these very questionable in relation to our health products. Another chemical, also leeched from plastics, is a phthalates. A number of studies have shown that high levels of phthalates can cause abnormalities in the development of male genitalia and lower testosterone levels. There are many complains lately on men not behaving as such. A combination of Aluminum and Fluoride is being used by our government supervised Water treatment facilities. Aluminum in water is associated with a significantly increased risk of Alzheimer’s disease, especially if the water is fluoridated. Fluorine is a very reactive element and readily combines with aluminum to dramatically increase absorption of both chemicals from the intestines and drive the compound into the Human brain. Both fluoride and aluminum are toxic to the brain. This toxic fluoro-aluminum compound causes chronic brain inflammation and also interferes with receptors in the brain that control a number of neurotransmitters called G-protein receptors. A number of very large studies have shown that there are no reasons for water fluoridation, since no reduction in cavities come with such treatments. Many good holistic physicians have observed (mainstream ones don’t observe much – they just write prescriptions) that adults, the elderly in particular, do not drink enough water, leading to a number of problems, including a higher risk of kidney disease and a greater risk of sudden heart attacks or strokes. When we are dehydrated, the blood becomes sluggish and tends to clog the microscopic vessels in the organs, especially the brain. It also makes the blood more likely to clot, which is linked to both - a heart attack and a stroke. The elderly often avoid drinking water, especially in the evening, trying to avoid night trips to the bathroom. This is a very bad and dangerous practice. Many strokes can occur repeatedly without any outward signs, except for a gradual loss of mental abilities and memory. These so called “mini strokes” involve the small blood vessels in the brain, which often become the very first victims to dehydration. What is the solution? There are two basic approaches to the issue suggested by the best holistic health doctors. * Having our own high quality water filter, installed after analyzing features of many offered on the market, considering our specific situation – do we have our own well or a municipal water supply, which is definitely fluoridated. A cost of a high quality reverse osmoses filter can be quite high, but if we are currently buying bottled water, a simple arithmetic calculation of our purchased bottled water monthly expense will show how fast we can amortize the cost of this filter. * Using a much less expensive and totally clean of any environmental contaminants distilled water. There are two related negative considerations. First, we need not to forget that if you purchase distilled water it also comes in plastic bottles. We also need to see how recent its manufacturing date is and avoid keeping it for too long before use. Possibly a better solution is having our own water distiller. A simple research will define the best one for our specific needs. The second negative consideration relates to distillers removing all minerals from the final product. We need to supplement ourselves, especially with calcium and magnesium. You can find these supplements in any good Health Food Store. Health Concerns Page Loading
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