"We are quite convinced, based on this study, that there is an association between
cancer and chlorinated water." - Medical College Of Wisconsin, Senior Research Team - U.S. EPA
The addition of chlorine to our water began in the late 1800s and by 1904 was the standard in water treatment, and for the most part remains so today.
We don‘t use chlorine because it‘s the safest or even the most effective means of disinfection, we use it because it is the cheapest. In spite of all our
technological advances, we essentially still pour bleach into our water prior to use. The long-term effects of using chlorinated water have just recently
been documented.
"One common factor among women with breast cancer is that they all have 50-60% higher levels of these chlorination by-products (THMs) in their fat tissue than women without breast cancer..."
- BreastCancerFund.org
It is not uncommon to find more chlorine in tap water than is recommended safe for a swimming pool. A simple chlorine test kit from the local discount department store, around 6.00,
will typically yield surprising results, try it! According to the U.S. Council of Environmental Quality, "Cancer risk among people using chlorinated water is as much as 93% higher than
among those whose water does not contain chlorine." There is a lot of well-founded concern about chlorine. When chlorine is added to our water, it combines with other natural compounds
to form Trihalomethanes (chlorination byproducts), or THMs. These chlorine by-products trigger the production of free radicals in the body, causing cell damage, and are highly carcinogenic.
Chlorine is also suspected to contribute to hardening of the arteries, the primary cause of heart disease.
"We are learning the hard way that 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."
- Dr. Joseph M. Price, PhD
Often there are out breaks of chlorine resistant parasites like Cryptosporidium and Giardia in city water supplies, as was the case recently in Milwaukee WI, when over 100 people died and 400,000 became sick in less than a month, mostly children and the elderly,
when the water system became contaminated with Cryptosporidium. This intestinal parasite causes flu like symptoms, but can be fatal to small children and older adults... and is not controlled by chlorine.
Childhood Asthma Cancer Leukemia and immune disorders have all risen in the last decade. Many experts and studies suggest that this is partially due to children‘s increased exposure to environmental toxins and their decreased ability to detox. Water plays a major role
in a child‘s exposure to toxins and in their body‘s ability to get rid of them. A child consumes 3 times as much water per pound of body weight than an adult does, so they get a bigger dose of the chemicals in their water, and they‘re developing bodies are simply much
more sensitive to the harsh effects...
"Up to 2/3 of the harmful effects of chlorine are due to inhalation and skin absorption while showering."
- The American Journal Of Public Health
An increased intake of clean healthy water is one of the easiest and best ways to help promote good health for our families. Many illnesses are directly linked to chlorine and other chemicals from drinking and
showering with tap water. Home water filtration products are a great investment in the health of our families. The simple act of installing a shower filter in our showers, a drinking water filter in the kitchen tap,
and even a whole house water filtration system will do wonders to protect ourselves and our families against so many of the prominent illnesses of the day.
