Someone once said that life is a race between education and catastrophe. That statement could not be more true than when it comes to educating ourselves about water and its relationship to our health.
A vast array of pharmaceuticals-including antibiotics, anti-convultants, mood stabilizers and sex hormones-have been found in the drinking water supplies of at least 41 million Americans, an Associated Press investigation reported recently after a five month-long study.
And that is just the tip of the iceberg.
Despite the small concentrations of pharmaceuticals, and despite water utilities insistence that their water is safe, there is much evidence to the contrary.
The presence of so many prescription drugs and over-the-counter medicines like acetaminophen and ibuprofen that have been flushed down toilets are easily found in much of our drinking water and is heightening worries of long-term health consequences.
Unfortunately, water providers rarely disclose results of pharmaceutical screenings, unless pressed. They claim that the public does not know how to interpret the results and might be unduly alarmed.
Because of information like this, and because of many other abuses of our water system-sewage waste, poisons used in agribusiness, acid rain, industrial and household chemicals just to name a few-I have for many years now gone on record as stating that a good, dependable water ionizer has already become a necessity for every family in America.
Even users of bottled water and many of the home filtration systems don’t necessarily avoid exposure. Bottlers, some of which simply repackage tap water, do not typically treat or test for all toxins, especially pharmaceuticals, according to the industry’s main trade group.
I have been researching water for over two decades. I know beyond a shadow of a doubt that the contamination of our water supply in the US is a clear and present danger. I have personally tested the water supplies of nearly every major city in the U.S. and there is NO safe water to drink that is clean, pure and alkaline. Even the majority of the bottled waters being sold in the U.S. and around the world are questionable at best.
A National Assessment of Tap Water Quality found 260 contaminants in our nation’s tap water; 141of these contaminants have no enforceable safety limits. Of the 141 unregulated contaminants utilities detected in water supplies between 1998 and 2003, 52 are linked to cancer, 41 to reproductive toxicity, 36 to developmental toxicity, and 16 to immune system damage, according to chemical listings in seven standard government and industry toxicity references. Despite the potential health risks, any concentration of these chemicals in tap water is legal, no matter how high. (part par 1 of 2)
