Why Tap Water Can Harm Your Kids
Why do
most local governments prescribe large doses of one drug equally
distributed to every man, woman and child without regard to
need and without any scientific basis? Can you guess the drug?
The drug
is fluoride.
Many readers know it as a chemical waste product of the fertilizer
industry that is problematic environmentally in regard to how
to dispose of it. So the government and the industry figured
out that putting it in our drinking water would solve the problem.
Studies
have shown that fluoride can pull lead from pipes and add that
to the poisonous mix coming from our taps. That might be the
reason fluoride also seems to bring copper and aluminum with
it as well as the lead.
Animal studies
have demonstrated evidence of fluoride’s toxic effects
on brain tissue. These include brain cell damage, reduced lipid
content, impairment in anti-oxidant defense systems, increased
aluminum uptake, and the formation of beta-amyloid plaques.
These are the plaques which are indicative of Alzheimer’s
Disease. Maybe this explains why many dogs seem to prefer to
drink from puddles than their own tap-filled water dishes.
Complicating
the ability to control the level of fluoride is the presence
in many rivers of “naturally occurring fluoride”.
It has been hard to find research on the source of such “natural”
fluoride, but it possibly could come from the same source as
the pharmaceutical drug waste, or from fertilized soils along
the stream banks.
At least,
most kinds of water filters will filter out the fluoride and
chlorine in the tap water. A more difficult problem is filtering
out the pharmaceuticals and other toxins.
In an analysis of millions of tap water quality tests, most
of which were required under national regulatory agencies, the
Environmental Working Group found that water suppliers across
the U.S. detected 260 contaminants in water served to the public.
One hundred forty-one (141) of these detected chemicals —
more than half — are unregulated; public health officials
have not set safety standards for these chemicals, even though
millions drink them every day.
So what can you do about it?
In-home
filters come in several basic types: Reverse osmosis, carbon
filters, and distillation models. Until the levels and standards
have been set, comparing the abilities of the different types
for filtering out drugs will be difficult.
The Reverse
Osmosis (RO) filters have been very successful at filtering
out toxins and contaminants and possibly will work for drugs.
The problem with them is that they require good water pressure
and a large volume of water, 75% of which is wasted.
Not only
that, but this waste water takes in the contaminants, resulting
in a much more highly condensed brew. This water goes back down
the drain and into the water supply and the cycle repeats. The
best way to deal with this might be to drain this water into
a storage tank to be used for irrigation of one’s garden
or lawn or drain it directly to an irrigation hose.
Shane Ellison,
an organic chemist and author of The Hidden Truth about Cholesterol
Lowering Drugs, www.thepeopleschemist.com) , favors the five-stage
RioFlow Reverse Osmosis filter, priced at about $169. When asked
if one could safely run the leftover water out to the garden
to irrigate fruit trees or veggies, he stated “Cellulose
acts as a pretty good filter, stopping drug uptake. But I've
never tested this personally. Most plants only take up water
and a bit of nitrogen... Using the sun, they then make all the
nutritional components ‘in-house’ so to speak... It's
quite miraculous when you consider it...”
Carbon filters
are used in a variety of water filters. A few carbon filter
systems, depending on the makeup of their filtering material,
have been certified for the removal of lead, asbestos, volatile
organic chemicals (VOCs), cysts, and coliform. The inorganic
chemicals would not stick to the carbon, however. Another downside
is that carbon filters have to be cleaned often and/or replaced
to be effective.
One maker,
Aquasana, states “Pharmaceuticals and prescription drugs
are virtually all Synthetic Organic Chemicals (SOCs) or Volatile
Organic Chemicals (VOCs) and are effectively filtered out by
our filters. The coconut shell granulated activated carbon used
in all of our filters is recognized by the EPA as the best available
technology for the removal of SOCs and VOCs.” They failed
to mention what happens to the few inorganic chemicals, however.
Distillation
units work by steaming the water and separating out the contaminants
from the water. This type provides very clean water, but a charcoal
filter needs to be incorporated, since toxins like chlorine
can both vaporize and re-condense along with the water being
cleaned. Beneficial liquid trace minerals will be lost in the
distilling process, so they will have to be added back in. Electricity
is also required for these units.
The best
choice will probably be a combination of reverse osmosis filter
augmented by pre- and post-activated carbon filters. The filter
will definitely need several stages and different kinds of filtering
media. There is even a product which adds a special ceramic
filter to it and attempts to incorporate the best of all three
methods. It is the kind that is used by NASA in our space program.
Another
consideration is whether or not to filter ALL the water in the
residence, or just the drinking water. Whole house systems are
expensive, but shower filters are also effective in removing
chlorine and other toxins. It is even possible to find filters
that work with the tub faucet so bath water can also be chlorine-free.
In the next
few years, it can be anticipated that water filter companies
will be running tests on theabilities of their filters to remove
pharmaceuticals. Water companies will be fending off questions
from consumers and preparing statements. It is doubtful that
water companies and cities will be able to improve water quality
very quickly.
In the meantime,
filter your tap water like there is no tomorrow. Protect your
health and your children's.
Fluoride
In Your Water
Dr.
Vyvyan Howard, President of the International Society of Doctors
for the Environment, explains his concerns about water fluoridation.
Dr. Howard is a medical toxico-pathologist who specializes in
the impact of toxins on fetal and infant health. In this video,
Dr. Howard discusses his concerns about fluoride's impact on
infant health.
