by Thomas Manso
Getting ready to buy drinking water filters? That’s a great decision. Some people believe that a drinking water filter for their home is not a necessary expense. This is difficult to believe because they are not expensive, at all.
Drinking water filters are far less expensive than a personal computer or a television set. But, many people feel that those are “necessary” items. It is rare to find a household these days without a TV and a computer, but it’s just as rare to see a house with a drinking water filter or filtration system.
Scientists and environmental groups keep warning governments about the dangers of chlorination, but the dangers of not chlorinating are real too. During the outbreak of cholera in Peru in 1991, health experts strongly suggested to local facilities to kill the cholera pathogen with chlorine. Because chlorination by-products or THMs increase the risk of cancer, local officials in Peru and other countries were resistant to use chorine.
A total of 703 cancer cases per year, estimated by Researchers in Canada, have been caused by exposure to THMs. On the other hand, between the months of January and February in Peru in 1991, 10,000 people died from cholera.
THMs do increase the risk of cancer and everyone should consider having a showerhead and drinking water filters to reduce the risk. But, we can’t petition the government agencies to stop chlorinating the water, because it isn’t practical or objective.
Chlorine is used nearly everywhere and government agencies try to control the amount of exposure as much as possible, but in reality no other disinfection method is as effective as chlorine. Buying a drinking water filter that removes chlorine and THMs is the sensible solution.
If treatment facilities do not add chlorine, algae will begin to grow in the pipes. Algae itself will affect the taste of water, but microorganisms that cause cholera and other waterborne illnesses would begin to flourish among the algae. I mention this in case you were wondering why treatment facilities couldn’t use carbon filtration to remove the chlorine as the water leaves the facility.
Another recent study warns that the risk to those who swim in chlorinated pools, combined with exposure at home from drinking and showering, is “unacceptable” and “something should be done”. Why don’t they just advise swimmers to get showerhead and drinking water filters?
The water treatment facilities in the US are required to publish an annual water quality report. The Environmental Protection Agency asks them to include on the list chlorine, chloramines and THMs.
They began to require facilities to do this report after a California study showed that women who drink five or more glasses a day of regular tap water have a higher rate of miscarriage, possibly due to chlorine. Why don’t they just suggest that pregnant women get a drinking water filter? A filter is less expensive than prenatal vitamins and it’s a reasonable solution that could achieve healthy results right away.
Scientists want you to be aware of the risks and government officials expect you to make your own decisions. It just seems so logical to me, so go ahead you can get the best drinking water filters on the market for less than $125 and showerhead units cost even less. Don’t you think your family’s health is worth the investment?
Dr. Buttar recommends the Wellness Filter.
