All processes within your cells are depending on water in one way or another. Also, your bodies are made to two-thirds out of water. So, it is no wonder that you depend on a constant supply of drinking water, and that dehydration can cause all sorts of illnesses or diseases, or can make you feel bad.
Drinking enough clean pure water every day is so important to your health that one doctor wrote a whole book about it: ‘Your Body’s Many Cries for Water’ by Dr. F. Batmaghelidj.
Disclaimer: This article is not designed to provide medical advice or professional services. It is intended to be for educational use only. The information provided in this article is not a substitute for professional care and should not be used for diagnosing or treating a health problem or a disease. If you have, or suspect you may have, a health problem you should consult your doctor.
And obviously the quality and purity of your drinking water is of highest importance. You can imagine that drinking polluted water is not going to help your body to improve its health. I am going to emphasize the benefits of drinking pure or – as it is in reality – of purified filtered water by pointing out the negative health impact of common contaminants in tap water. Although water companies are regulated and have to control the quality of the water they supply to your home, there are limits in how the water companies have to treat the tap water, resulting in residual contamination.
Sediments and Turbidity
Often considered more a nuisance than a health threat, sediments and turbidity, very small particles, in your tap water can spoil the enjoyment of drinking water. Turbidity can come from various origins and can make the water taste ‘metallic’ or ‘foul’. It can also stain the sink or bath tub.
Chlorine
This is the main chemical that water companies add to your tap water to kill micro-organisms and bacteria to prevent the spread of waterborne diseases. The same chlorine is the active ingredient in bleach, a very aggressive chemical. Also, you may remember the smell and feel of chlorine in water from the public swimming pool – and also how it made your eyes itch. Now, it is interesting that chlorine is not even the most effective chemical to treat drinking water – but the cheapest. The reaction of chlorine with other contaminants in tap water can cause the generation of chloroform and other trihalomethanes THMs, a group of chemicals suspected to cause cancer and are linked to a higher rate of birth defects. Your body is particularly exposed to the chlorine, when your are taking a hot shower, and when your skin and lungs open up to the the hot water and the vapours.
Heavy Metals
Recent surveys found lead in the tap water of over nine out of ten households. Lead is a heavy metal that accumulates in the body and leads to nervous defects. Lead pipes have been used in the past for house plumbing systems, and may still be installed if you have a house more than 20 years old. Copper from the water pipes is less dangerous and will only get into the drinking water in areas with soft, acidic water supplies.
Cysts and Other Microorganism
The most dangerous micro-organisms in tap water are Cryptosporidium and Giardia. These micro-organisms are just 4 microns small, so they can pass through the filter systems of the water companies, and they can survive the chlorine desinfection of tap water. They can cause severe stomach upsets and diarrhea. An infection can be fatal for someone with a weakness to the immune system, i.e. the very young or the elderly.
Chemical Contaminants
Pesticides, herbicides, volatile organic compounds VOCs, pharmaceuticals, solvents, and others, are also found in tap water. They come from run-offs from farms and industrial operations. Over 2000 contaminants have been found in tap water, and many of these are carcinogenic. Of course, usually the levels of these chemicals are quite low – below the legal levels – but nobody really knows what effects so many chemicals at the same time can have on the human body. The filter systems of most water companies are not fully equipped to remove all of these chemicals.
What Can You Do?
Just be aware of the whole list of substances that can be in your tap water. They all can have negative effects on your health. To filter these out before you drink the tap water, you have to use a state-of-the-art multi-stage water filter system, like the ones you can read about in www.domesticwaterfilter.com. These filter systems leave the healthy minerals calcium, magnesium, and potassium, and also sulfates and carbonates, in the water, as they can be found in natural clean spring water. These minerals not only contribute to the good taste of clean water, they are also vital for many bodily processes.
A domestic water filter is a must for any health conscious person.
Please consider those who are less fortunate to have clean drinking water available:
Roughly one sixth of the worlds population – 1.1 billion people – do not have access to safe water.
water charity: wateraid
and
water charity: justadrop