The Two Faces of Chlorine
If you are like most people, you don't enjoy the taste of chlorine in your drinking water. Nevertheless, you're willing to put up with it because it kills certain bacteria that are harmful to your health. This article will look at the "Dr. Jekyll/Mr. Hyde" characteristics of chlorinated water. These characteristics are much more ominous than the mere combination of bad taste and health benefits might suggest. The Dr. Jekyll of Water Treatment . . . Time magazine hailed the use of chlorination in water treatment as one of the major scientific achievements of the 20th century. Chlorine was first used to treat the public water supplies of Jersey City, New Jersey in 1908. Since then, it has achieved almost universal application in the industrialized nations. The impact of chlorinating public water supplies has been dramatic. In 1908, the average life expectancy in America was 49 years. At the turn of the 21st Century, the average life expectancy had risen to 77 years and it is still climbing. In 1941, Mathieson Alkali Works published the document, "Hypo-Chlorination of Water." The document colorfully described the lifesaving benefits of chlorine: "The fearsome specter of water-borne diseases, including typhoid fever, so prevalent before the advent of chlorination, can be successfully laid to rest. The water works operator, by his testing and treating, stands as a vigilant sentinel to prevent armies of billions of disease organisms from invading the homes of his community." The use of this chemical in the treatment of drinking water is responsible for the elimination of typhoid and cholera, especially in developed countries. The Mr. Hyde of Water Treatment . . . The benefits of using chlorine as a sanitizing agent are obvious. However, this water treatment agent has a darker side. All the time we thought we were preventing epidemics of one disease? we were creating another. Two decades after the start of chlorinating our drinking water the present epidemic of heart trouble and cancer began. When water treatment facilities employ chlorine and other disinfectants to control microbial contaminants, they react with naturally occurring organic and inorganic matter in the water. This reaction produces Total Trihalomethanes (TTHM). These trihalomethanes are chloroform, bromodichloromethane, dibromochloromethane, and bromoform. According to the EPA, trihalomethanes are present in most public water supplies. The scarey thing is that some scientific studies link TTHMs to an increased risk of cancer. The U.S. Council of Environmental Quality reports that Cancer risks among people using chlorinated water are up to 93% higher than among those whose water contains no chlorine. Other studies suggest that TTHMs may cause problems in the reproductive process. They may also be linked to heart, lung, kidney, liver, and central nervous system damage. Skin Absorption of Chlorine . . . Most assessments of the effects of water borne contaminants on the human body assume that ingestion through the drinking of water is the primary route of exposure. However, recent studies at the University of Pittsburgh found less chemical exposure from drinking chlorinated water than from showering or washing clothes in it. The study found that, on average, absorption through the skin accounted for 64% of water borne contaminants entering the body. Recent research shows that we have underestimated the amount of contaminants absorbed through the skin. This research reveals that ingestion may not be the sole or even primary route of exposure. Besides penetration of contaminants through the skin, the contaminants can adversely affect the skin and hair. Chlorine bonds chemically with proteins in the hair, skin and scalp. As a result: (1) the hair can become rough and brittle and lose its color, (2) the skin can become dry and itchy, and (3) it can aggravate sensitive areas in the eyes, nose, throat and lungs. Inhaling Chlorine By-Products When Showering Is a Major Threat . . . Evidence clearly shows that contaminants like chloroform and trichloroethylene do serious harm when ingested or absorbed into the body. However, the major threat caused by these water pollutants is far more likely to be as air pollutants. Hot showers can release these dissolved contaminants into the air. The lungs absorb these contaminants, including chlorine, trichloroethylene, chloroform, benzene. They pass from the lungs into the bloodstream. Conclusion . . . While chlorinating public water supplies is perhaps the most efficient way to address the problem of water contamination, it does present a "catch 22" situation. We are damned if we do and damned if we don't. How do we deal with this seemingly impossible situation? It appears that the better part of wisdom would show that chlorine should do its work until it gets to the point of use. At that point we can remove it along with the trihalomethanes and other contaminants with a quality home water filter. Earl Calvert is a freelance writer and lives in Birmingham, AL. As an advocate for clean drinking water, Earl designed his website on drinking water to educate the public water quality issues. For more information, go to http://good-clean-water.com
MORE RESOURCES:
|
Elderly NutritionSioux City JournalPersons 60 years of age and older, and their spouses may participate in the elderly nutrition program in Siouxland. In Sioux City, meals are served Tuesday-Friday at Riverside Lutheran Church, 1817 Riverside Blvd.; on Monday at Riverside Gardens' ... |
|
Soccer for Success after-school program makes net gains in nutritionDetroit Free PressThe free afterschool program, developed by the US Soccer Foundation, was designed to positively impact the lives of children in underserved urban communities by promoting health and nutrition while learning skills of the most popular sport in the world ... |
|
30 nutrition rehab centres to come up by JulyIBNLive.comHYDERABAD: Thirty Nutrition Rehabilitation Centres, proposed under the National Rural Health Mission, will come up in the state by the end of July. Of those, 23 will be set up at the district headquarters and seven in tribal areas. |
|
High Point company creates art prints with nutritional messagesWinston-Salem JournalParadigm Nutrition Inc., formed in late 2011, offers "nutritional facts in a nonthreatening, easy-to-understand way," said Bill McKenzie, who owns the company with his business partner, Ted Johnson. "It just delivers an easy message to people. |
Care2.com |
Nutrition Classes for Parents and TeachersCare2.comI recently interviewed a woman who coordinates nutrition classes for parents and teachers. I found her work to be both inspiring and encouraging. There is often the assumption that children don't like healthy foods. We often believe that, if given free ... |
|
At Hana Fresh, health and nutrition step forwardHonolulu Star-AdvertiserBy Cheryl Chee Tsutsumi ~~. ASK Cheryl Vasconcellos what she most enjoys about her job as the executive director of Hana Health, and there's no doubt pruning, planting and harvesting will be on her list. That's because in addition to her administrative ... |
Google News
|
 |
|
|
RELATED ARTICLES
Focus on Trans Fat
There's no doubt--carbohydrates have taken center stage in public discourse about dietary practices. You can't turn on the TV, open a newspaper or walk past the office water cooler these days without hearing a debate about this nutrient du jour.
Dietary Guideline USA
Are you sick and tired of the confusion about our dietary guideline? Don't do this, do that, no not this, lose weight this way and on and on. Too much fat, more of this and it goes on and on and on.
How Essential Fatty Acids Improve Your Brain Power and Mental Health
What is your brain made ofOver 50% of your brain is made of good fat. Twenty percent of this good fat comes from EPA and DHA.
Why Many Fat Free Diets Do Not Work
Most people understand that it is wise to limit the amount of fat grams in their daily diet. The dietary reference intake amount for an adult ranges from 20% to 35%[i] of daily calories; or about 44 to 55 grams per day[1].
Lingzhi A Miracle Herb For Peak Health
The secret of success is knowing how to deal with your body to maintain peak health condition. The dictum Health is Wealth hold more truth in the modern context than ever before.
Summer Sun Cures
With summer comes more sun and with more sun comes an extra desire to be outdoors and with spending additional time outdoors comes ? you guessed it, sunburn.We all know the major importance of using sunscreen these days.
Whats Missing Could Be Making You Sick
Here's something you probably don't know. The fruit and vegetables you eat today are not as nutritious as the food from fifty years ago.
Is It Possible to Improve Your Health by Simply Drinking More Water?
To many people, this may seem a simplistic answer to a complex question: How can doing something so simple produce such noticable & quick results? Surely there must be some deep scientific & comlex way to improving health. The body, after all, is a very complex organism and scientists and health professionals have, over the centuries, espoused numerous ways of improving health, from specially fomulated foods & diets to drugs designed to fight obesity and reduce fat etc.
Adding to Your Level of Health is the Key
Here is a continuation of the light and darkness metaphor: a bucket of water. The bucket represents you.
Cranberry Juice To The Rescue
Cranberry juice was first made by American settlers in 1683. It is a love it or hate it beverage.
Our Livers Need for Water
Although many realize that the liver has its own cleansing system, it does need help - as it cannot maintain its healthy state if its being abused. Abuse occurs when too much of the wrong foods are entering the body.
Clues for Fibromyalgia Relief
Fibromyalgia is a chronic and potentially life-altering disorder with symptoms such as extreme muscle pain, extraordinary fatigue and multiple tender and painful points. Fibromyalgia itself tends to be similar in many aspects to rheumatic diseases although it differs from arthritis in that there is no known inflammation or damage to the joints, muscles or tissues.
Juicing - A Beginners Guide
You can spot a juicer a mile off at the supermarket or greengrocer. Apart from the huge number of carrots and apples they are loading into their trolley, they also have that slightly smug, see-how-healthy-I-am look about them.
Nutrient Requirements of Women in Sport
Female and male athletes respond to training in a fairly comparable way. As volume and intensity of training increases, so does aerobic capacity and hence performance.
The Cost Of Being Sick And One Possible Alternative: Glyconutrition
A lot of people I've talked with about health supplements usually are coming from about the same place - you know: "been there, done that." People are tired of hearing about the latest and greatest and - for the most part - figure that all supplements are pretty much the same.
Mangos: Treat Your Skin and Your Taste Buds
Mango is my favorite fruit next to pineapples. They're sweet, juicy and delicious.
Macrobiotics: Diet and Lifestyle for Long-term Health
A frequent misunderstanding about macrobiotics is that itis a diet sick people use - cancer patients especially - inorder to heal. While it is true that a macrobioticapproach has helped a great many people get well,macrobiotics is much more than a mere diet, and it is foreveryone.
Alcohol Addiction and Obesity
People who consume too much alcohol have good chance of making it to the Obesity chart. Pure alcohol contains 7 calories per gram.
Essential Fatty Acids - Americas Major Dietary Deficiency
America's major dietary deficiency - EFA a panacea for good healthToday you cannot so much turn a corner without seeing a sign on a fast food restaurant's window boasting the "Low Carb" menu. You cannot read a magazine without seeing an ad for "Adkins friendly" foods.
Beware of Eating Too Much Protein
The typical American diet already provides plenty of protein and there is no point in adding any more, unlike fat cells, there is no place in the body to store protein so the excess is eliminated or is seen as fat rather than muscle.So what you need to do is to consume just enough protein to allow your muscles to be healthy, perform work and grow.
|
