Posts Tagged ‘substandard water’
Tap Water May Not Be Such A Good Choice
Most of us think nothing of giving our cats a nice fresh bowl of cold tap water, but that may not be such a good idea, for either you or your cat.
Many pharmaceutical and personal care products are entering rivers from sewage treatment plants or leaching into groundwater from septic systems.
Antibiotics, painkillers, sunscreen, hormones, drugs and much more are routinely found in U.S. waters. In some parts of our nation, male fish are growing female parts because they’re literally swimming in hormones.
Tests have shown that American drinking water is contaminated with perchlorate – the chemical used to make rocket fuel, and pharmaceuticals have been found in the drinking water of 51 million U.S. homes. Perchlorate can interrupt the production of thyroid hormones, and lead to hypothyroidism.
Tests on U.S. drinking water routinely find the residue of legal and illegal drugs, poisons, and synthetic chemicals.
Heavy metals are also seeping into our water. These are inorganic chemical elements with relatively high density, such as mercury, arsenic, chromium, cadmium, nickel and lead.
Did you know that if you drink chlorinated water while pregnant, it can increase your child’s risk of heart problems, cleft palate or major brain defects?
Independent studies in such journals as Reviews of Environmental Contamination and Toxicology; Environmental Health Perspectives; American Journal of Public Health; and Archives of Environmental and Occupational Health, as well as reports published by the National Academy of Sciences, suggest that millions of Americans become sick each year from drinking contaminated water, with maladies from upset stomachs to cancer and birth defects.
One recent study showed that 62 million Americans drink substandard water. Many of the chemicals, drugs and toxins are unregulated, (meaning nobody checks to see if they’re in your water supply) so millions of people drink dangerous water that actually still meets U.S. government standards.
Water bottled in plastic is not really safer, and some has been proven to be just plain tap water anyway. Reverse osmosis filtering systems are the best bet, and a less expensive option is a high quality water filter.
