in Part 1 of this series, you learned why drinking water is important to your health. You learned that drinking water is necessary to prevent toxins from building up in the body’s organs. But, what if the water itself is toxic?
There are toxins in the air we breathe and the foods that we eat. There isn’t much we can do about that.
We can try to buy organic foods whenever possible. But, there’s not much we can do about our air quality, short of moving to a remote mountaintop.
It is safe to say that all of the water on the planet is now polluted. Recent tests conducted by the USGS revealed that mercury was present in all of our streams, lakes and rivers.
The mercury contamination occurs as a result of rain mixing with mercury in the air before it falls into the water. The emissions of coal-fired fuel plants are the primary cause of mercury pollution. Mercury is a poison. Exposure can cause disease, nerve damage or death.
Farmers use pesticides to kill bugs and protect their crops. Local governments use bug killer to keep the mosquito population under control and prevent diseases from spreading.
Weed killer is used by everyone from the average homeowner to the federal government. The chemicals end up in our water supply. Most of them are known to cause cancer. All of them are toxic to some extent.
Industries dump thousands of different chemicals into our water supplies. There are some regulations in place concerning the amount and type of chemicals that can be dumped.
At one time, there were few regulations. As a result, there are still traces of benzene, PCBs and other chemicals in our water supply. The toxicity of the chemicals that can still be dumped has yet to be determined.
You probably saw some of the recent news reports about traces of prescription and non-prescription drugs in public water supplies. Everything from caffeine and nicotine to estrogen and heart medicine were found in some areas.
Traces of anti-depressants and drugs to prevent epileptic seizures were a cause of worry to scientists. They were also concerned simply by the sheer number of different drugs that were found.
Drugs are known to interact with each other. One drug can exponentially increase the activity of another. Certain drug combinations are deadly.
In one laboratory study, scientists looked at the effect the combination found in one city’s water supply had on living cells. They were shocked to see that the combination killed healthy cells while promoting the growth of cancer cells.
Lead in the water is one of the things that have worried scientists for many years. The use of lead paint in homes has been banned. Toy manufacturers in the US are not allowed to use lead-based paint.
Exposure to the toxic heavy metal causes nerve damage. It can cause brain damage and death.
Some of the lead in our water supplies is naturally occurring. It is an element or mineral present in dirt and rocks. Rainwater passes through it and flows over it.
The primary source of lead contamination is older pipes. Lead solder is no longer used by plumbers, but just a few short years ago, it was one of the major components of public waterlines. As the pipes degrade, lead seeps into the water. Chlorine contributes to the problem.
Chlorine is caustic. It damages and degrades pipes of all kinds. Were it not for the use of chlorine, lead might not have become such a problem in city water supplies.
Chlorine itself is a toxin. It is present in water supplies because it is pretty good at killing bacteria and other illness-causing pathogens. Anything that can kill bacteria can kill a human being. All it takes is a higher dose.
Chlorine consumption causes anemia in children. It is a common allergen and irritant. It dries out the skin and hair. The fumes are particularly toxic. Chlorine gas was the first chemical weapon. It was commonly referred to as mustard gas.
Inhalation of chlorine fumes triggers asthma attacks and aggravates other respiratory problems. If it builds up in the air of your home, it can cause fatigue, headaches, depression and other ailments. When chlorine or any other disinfectant kills bacteria and algae, chemical compounds called trihalomethanes are released. They are called THMs for short. You will see them listed on your annual water confidence report if you get one from your local treatment facility. They cause cancer.
Years ago, doctors saw an increased incidence of bladder cancer among their patients that drank chlorinated tap water. They blamed the chlorine, but it was soon proven that chlorine is not a cancer-causing chemical.
It took years before scientists realized that exposure to THMs was the actual problem. They are still debating about how much exposure is safe.
The more toxins we are exposed to, the more of a burden there is on our livers, kidneys and other bodily organs. They have to work overtime to try and cleanse the bloodstream. We need to drink water to help cleanse the body of toxins. Drinking toxic water is self-defeating.
So we should use a best water filter or best water pitcher filter to drink safe water. To see top water filter reviews visit our review blog www.waterfilterhub.com
