As our population increases our water quality and supply is deteriorating.
Water Authorities are having to add more and more chemicals, to disinfect and guard again dangerous E.coli including Salmonella Typhi, Vibrio Cholera, Shigella as well as Giardia & Cryptosporidium parasites.
Add to this, the byproducts of chlorination which include Chloroform, Pesticide and Insectide residue, the health effects of these toxic chemicals range from kidney damage to cancer.
Councils around Australia are also advocating fluoridation of their local water supplies, with more and more residents now ingesting this questionable mineral. With 70% of our body made up of water, drinking 6 - 8 glasses of safe water will safeguard your health and the health of your family and a great start to a healthy and active life.
Chlorine - the disinfectant you drink!
Adding chemicals to our drinking water will lead to the same sort of cancer epidemics in Australia they've now got in the US. There's a growing view among environmental scientists that high cancer rates in certain cities relate to the fact that they've been drinking a chemical cocktail for the past few decades... Professor Harry Recher, Australian, 12 March 1991
Every year around 80,000 tones of poisonous and reactive chemicals, including sulfuric acid, hydrogen peroxide, copper sulphate, hydrofluorosilicic acid, sodium hypochlorite, lie, aluminium sulphate, liquefied chlorine, ammonia and another 50 assorted compounds are added to Australia's drinking water - to make it `safe' for human consumption.
As our water sources degrade, more additives are necessary to achieve disinfection. Year by year the tonnage of chemicals in our drinking water keeps increasing.
Chlorine is a high reactive chemical, which is one reason why it makes such a good disinfectant. Chlorine and its allied chemical compounds are the most economical and efficient killers of almost all living things - bacteria, animals, insects, fish, reptiles and humans. Long ago, people called these substances poisons.
Chlorine has been linked to high blood pressure, anaemia and diabetes and is a contributor to heart disease. Even in the minute quantity, sufficient to kill germs, chlorine undermines the body's defences against atherosclerosis - the hardening and thickening of the arteries.
Several years ago a link was established between certain types of cancer and the presence of trihalomethanes (THM's) in our drinking water.
In the US Environmental Protection Agency table of drinking-water standards and potential health effects, opposite THM's is just one word `cancer'.
In summary, chlorination represents a long-term threat to public health of unknown magnitude. There are no guarantees, no laws and no standards to protect you. Until the actual level of risk is known, concerned consumers would be wise to consider the following precautions.
Drink spring/mineral water or install a EPA certified water purifier (not just any type of filter that can do more harm) that will remove THM's and chlorine tastes and odours.
Ventilate kitchens, laundries and bathroms during use. A shower filter will remove THM's
Fluoridation / Fluoride Toxic Chemicals In Your Water
Fluoride compounds which are put in water (fluoridation), toothpaste and supplement tablets (including some vitamins) were never tested for safety before approval.Recent independent research by scientists not associated with dental trade organizations has shown the following:
Neurotoxic and Lowers IQ
In 1995, neurotoxicologist and former Director of toxicology at Forsyth Dental Center in Boston, Dr. Phyllis Mullenix published research showing that fluoride built up in the brains of animals when exposed to moderate levels. Damage to the brain occured and the behavior patterns of the animals was adversely effected.
Causes Cancer
The Department of Health in New Jersey found that bone cancer in male children was between two and seven times greater in areas where water was fluoridated.
Changes Bone Structure and Strength
Fluoride gradually builds up in the bones and causes adverse changes to the bone structure. Quite a few studies have shown that fluoridation leads to increases in hip fractures. The tensile strength of the hip is destroyed over time by fluoride ingestion.
Causes Birth Defects and Perinatal Deaths
A toxicologist in the United Kingdom recently found that perinatal deaths in a fluoridated area was 15% higher than in neighboring non-fluoridated areas.
Proven Ineffective
Fluoride compounds in water and in supplements do not provide any significant cavity-protecting effects.
Impairs Immune System
Independent research has shown that fluoride impairs the functioning of the immune system.
Causes Acute Adverse Reactions
Several double-blind studies have shown that fluoridated water can often cause acute adverse reactions including gastrointestinal symptoms, stomatitis, joint pains, polydipsia, headaches, visual disturbances, muscular weakness, and extreme tiredness.
Causes Initial Stages of Skeletal Fluorosis
Fluoride can cause severe skeletal fluorosis at high levels. Chronic, long-term exposure to levels of fluoride commonly found in water and food in the U.S. can cause the beginning stages of skeletal fluorosis including: pains in bones and joints, sensations of burning, pricking, and tingling in the limbs, muscle weakness, chronic fatigue, gastrointestinal disorders, reduced appetite, backache, osteoarthritis, etc.
Increases Lead and Arsenic Exposure
Fluoride compounds put into water are often contaminated with lead, arsenic and radio nuclides since the fluoride compounds are toxic waste byproducts which largely come from pollution scrubbers of fertilizer plants.
Contributes to the Development of Repetitive Stress Injury
A clinical study in New Zealand showed that fluoride ingestion may be a contributing factor in the development of Repetative Stress Injury (RSI) since such ingestion may encourage the development of apatite crystal formation.
Causes Permanent Disfigurement of the Teeth in Many Children
A very large and increasing number of children are experiencing dental fluorosis which is a permanent adverse structural change to the teeth.
Causes Large Numbers of Acute Poisonings
Fluoride is an extremely poisonous substances at exceptionally low doses and has caused a large number of acute poisonings. This is why a poison warning is now required on fluoridated toothpastes sold in the U.S.For more detailed information go to www.holisticmed.com/fluoride/
GIARDIA AND CRYPTOSPORIDIUM PARASITES..
They live in the human intestine and cause diarrohea, nausea, abdominal cramps, weakness and chronic fatigue. These debilitating symptoms may persist for months.
Media Release - The Hon Dr Michael Wooldridge, Federal Minister for Health and Aged Care ..September 2000
The Ministers said that Cryptosporidium and Giardia occasionally occur in drinking water supplies following contamination by human or animal faeces. This may occur during periods of unusually high rainfall when they can enter the water supply via surface run-off. This is what happened in 1998 in Sydney, resulting in people having to boil their drinking water.Both organisms can infect the gastrointestinal tract of humans, resulting in persistent diarrhoea. In severely immuno-compromised people, the infection can be life threatening.
How do these parasites cause illness?
Both parasites produce cysts that are very resistant to harsh environmental conditions. When ingested, they germinate, reproduce, and cause illness. After feeding, the parasites form new cysts, which are then passed in the faeces. Studies with human volunteers have shown that ingestion of only a few cysts will cause illness.
What are the symptoms?
Diarrhoea, abdominal cramps, gas, malaise, and weight loss are the most common symptoms caused by Giardia. Vomiting, chills, headache, and fever may also occur. These symptoms usually surface six to 16 days after the initial contact and can continue as long as one month
Copper Poisoning.
If you drink water that contains higher than normal levels of copper, you may experience vomiting, diarrhoea, stomach cramps, and nausea.High intakes of copper can cause liver and kidney damage and even death. Very young children are sensitive to copper, and long-term exposure to high levels of copper water may cause liver damage and death … We do not know if copper can cause birth defects in children. Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry Public Health Statement 1990
Most of Australia's drinking water is by nature soft, acidicand corrosive. Chlorine is also acidic and corrosive. When you add the two together you get a powerfully corrosive mixture that is not easy to manipulate or control. One consequence of this is the increasing occurrence of so-called "blue" water, telltale symptoms of the poisonous corrosion of copper water pipes. Corrosion of domestic copper plumbing is now a serious heath problem. Copper corrosion is widespread throughout eastern Australia. A 1999 Queensland Department Report indicated that thousands of children at country schools were drinking water contaminated with lead, copper, and other metals from school drinking fountains. These residues, caused by the action of acid water on copper and brass, can have significant long-term health effects on children including impaired intellectual development.
What steps can you take if you suspect that your copper plumbing is corroding?
Corrosion is more likely if your house or apartment is less than five years old, the water is soft, and it sits in the pipes undisturbed for several hours.Researchers have found that first flush tap water - the water that comes out as soon as you turn on the tap can be a major source of lead and copper contamination. It takes about 10 litres of water to flow through your tap to assure its safety. This should be done every time the system remains unused for four hours or more.
The only way to be sure about the levels of lead and copper in your household water is to have the water tested by a competent laboratory. Testing is especially important in high-rise buildings, because flushing may not be effective. Unlike household supplies, the volume of water necessary to flush all of the polluted water from the pipelines of a building fifteen or twenty storeys high, makes flushing impractical.
Conclusion
You can remove consistently till the last drop - 99.99999% (not reduce) of all chlorine, fluoride, parasites and heavy metals in tap water with a point-of-use EPA certified micro-biological water purifier. Always check the device's capabilities and documented performance for reducing lead and copper and other heavy metals and contaminanents .
Set up an effective and practical maintenance program to make sure that the system is maintained as recommended by the manufacturer."
extract Australia's Drinking Water - the coming crisis John Archer.
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