Consuming clear, pure water is important for sustaining optimum well being, but over 2 billion individuals worldwide nonetheless lack entry to secure ingesting water.1 The rising contamination of faucet water with dangerous substances has led many to hunt options like bottled water and residential filtration methods in an effort to guard their well-being.
But, regardless of this shift, there’s nonetheless an absence of complete scientific information on the security of those water sources, significantly in relation to the presence of hazardous chemical compounds and pollution. This prompted researchers from California to analyze the security and aesthetic qualities of three frequent ingesting water choices — bottled water, faucet water and household-treated faucet water.
Not too long ago printed within the journal PLOS Water,2 their findings reveal alarming ranges of carcinogenic chemical compounds and different harmful pollution throughout all varieties of ingesting water, elevating issues about what is actually secure to devour.
Most cancers-Linked Chemical substances Detected in Consuming Water
To conduct their evaluation,3 the researchers collected 100 bottled water samples from 89 completely different manufacturers, 603 faucet water samples and 111 household-treated faucet water samples from the San Francisco Bay Space. They examined these for 100 completely different contaminants, together with metals, risky natural compounds (VOCs), disinfection byproducts and microbial indicators, in addition to evaluated elements that affect shoppers’ selections in water supply, together with style, odor and colour.
One of the crucial alarming findings was the widespread presence of trihalomethanes (THMs) in all examined sources of ingesting water. THMs are a gaggle of disinfection byproducts which can be fashioned when chlorine, which is used to deal with ingesting water, reacts with pure natural matter within the water. THMs are recognized carcinogens and have been linked to elevated liver toxicity in addition to reproductive and developmental issues.
The examine revealed that faucet water samples contained the best concentrations of those chemical compounds, accounting for 94.5% of its whole cumulative toxicity. In the meantime, THMs accounted for 76.7% of the whole toxicity noticed in household-treated faucet water.
Furthermore, the researchers discovered that 2% of faucet water samples exceeded the regulatory threshold for THMs, which is ready at 80 micrograms per liter — a restrict that’s already greater than ranges deemed secure for long-term well being. In household-treated faucet water, 25% of the samples nonetheless contained chloroform, a standard THM, at concentrations that surpassed health-protective benchmarks.
Along with THMs, the examine discovered troubling ranges of heavy metals in each faucet and household-treated waters. Lead was detected in 51% of faucet water samples and 30% of the household-treated samples, which researchers recommend is a results of getting older water infrastructure and corroded pipes. Publicity to steer, particularly in youngsters, causes extreme neurological injury and developmental delays.
Moreover, arsenic was present in 8% of household-treated faucet water samples and three% of faucet water samples, whereas uranium was detected in 2% of each household-treated and direct faucet water samples. Each contaminants pose vital long-term well being dangers, together with most cancers and kidney injury.
Bottled Water Is Not a Safer Different
Whereas shoppers usually swap to bottled water as a consequence of issues in regards to the style or security of faucet water, the featured examine4 revealed that bottled water isn’t essentially a safer possibility. Whereas it typically displayed decrease total toxicity, it was not free from contamination.
Researchers discovered that 8% of bottled water samples exceeded California’s strict regulatory restrict for THMs, with chloroform detected in 32% of the samples. Curiously, some petroleum-derived compounds, together with benzene and toluene, have been detected solely in bottled water and weren’t present in faucet or household-treated samples. Because the researchers said:5
“In BW [bottled water], further detections and exceedances recommend that bottle manufacturing and processing could play a job in water high quality. Two petroleum-derived compounds — benzene and toluene — have been detected in BW solely.
One benzene detection was in exceedance of the well being benchmark, and all 5 toluene detections have been under the well being benchmark. One risk is that these contaminants have been launched to bottled water merchandise throughout processing.”
One other stunning discovering was the prevalence of heterotrophic micro organism in bottled water, present in 43% of the samples. Though these micro organism aren’t sometimes related to pathogens, their presence contradicts the frequent notion of bottled water as a purer different. In keeping with the authors:6
“These findings corroborate earlier research figuring out HPC [heterotrophic plate count] in BW, which discovered detections in 30% to 71% of samples. Whereas faucet water samples are more likely to have HPC as effectively due to its ubiquitous presence within the surroundings, these findings are significantly attention-grabbing in BW due to advertising and marketing claims in regards to the purity of BW.”
The outcomes name into query the idea that bottled water is inherently safer or cleaner than faucet water. Each sources carry their very own dangers, and whereas bottled water addresses some aesthetic issues, it nonetheless has its justifiable share of health-related points you’ll want to be careful for.
Bottled Water Additionally Exposes You to Endocrine-Disrupting Chemical substances
The usage of plastic water bottles introduces further well being issues past the contaminants discovered within the water itself. The featured examine7 famous two main classes of endocrine-disrupting chemical compounds (EDCs) related to plastic water bottles — microplastics and per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS). Lengthy-term publicity to those EDCs by common consumption of bottled water may have cumulative results in your well being.
Microplastics leach from the plastic bottle itself or is current within the water supply. In actual fact, a January 2024 examine8 printed within the Proceedings of the Nationwide Academy of Sciences revealed that buyers may very well be ingesting roughly 240,000 tiny plastic particles for each liter of bottled water.
Microplastics comprise numerous components and chemical compounds, together with bisphenols (resembling BPA and its options), phthalates and heavy metals, which intrude with the endocrine system in a number of methods.9 Bisphenols are recognized to imitate estrogen, resulting in hormonal imbalances, reproductive points and sure cancers.10 Phthalates, then again, are related to antiandrogenic results, impacting reproductive well being and improvement.11
As for PFAS (aka “endlessly chemical compounds”), a 2021 examine12 performed by researchers at Johns Hopkins College discovered their presence in 39 out of over 100 bottled water samples examined. PFAS infiltrates bottled water by contaminated supply water, manufacturing processes or cross-contamination.
These chemical compounds disrupt thyroid operate, resulting in metabolic problems and developmental points. They’ve additionally been related to decreased fertility, altered immune operate and elevated threat of most cancers.13
EWG’s Faucet Water Database — What Contaminants Are in Your Water?
If you wish to know what different contaminants are lurking in your water, you will get the outcomes of your native ingesting water evaluation out of your water utility. It is your proper to view the annual water high quality report out of your space, which ought to spotlight contaminants of concern (though there may very well be others which can be legally “secure” however nonetheless pose a long-term well being threat).
The Environmental Working Group (EWG) additionally provides a complete Faucet Water Database that enables shoppers to entry detailed details about the standard of their native ingesting water. This database offers insights into the contaminants detected in municipal water provides, together with their ranges and potential well being dangers.
By merely coming into your zip code, you can study particular pollution present in your space, resembling lead, chlorine and numerous pesticides. This useful resource permits you to make knowledgeable selections about your water high quality and encourages native utilities to enhance their requirements.
Spend money on a Excessive-High quality Filtration System for Your House
Whereas the outcomes of the featured examine14 raised issues in regards to the effectiveness of some water filtration methods, the authors additionally emphasised that “household-scale remedy could scale back the potential for aesthetic points and well being dangers of faucet water.”
The secret is to decide on a system designed to successfully goal the pollution current in your water provide. The most effective water filters I’ve discovered thus far is the Pure & Clear Entire Home Water Filtration System, which makes use of a three-stage filtration course of — a micron sediment pre-filter, a KDF water filter and a high-grade carbon water filter15 — to filter out chlorine, detergent byproducts and different contaminants.
Ideally, your greatest guess is to filter the water at each the purpose of entry into your house and at factors of use. This implies putting in filters on the most important water provide line coming into your house and once more at particular areas the place water is consumed or used, such because the kitchen sink and showers.
For added steering, the EWG provides a useful water filter information that permits you to search by filters sort, expertise and particular contaminants. This useful resource make it easier to make knowledgeable selections about which filtration system is essentially the most appropriate to your residence.16
Extra Methods to Shield Your Consuming Water
Along with utilizing high-quality water filtration methods, under are a number of efficient methods to guard the standard of your ingesting water at residence whereas contributing to a more healthy surroundings:17
1. Keep knowledgeable about native water high quality by commonly checking stories out of your municipal water provider. These stories present particulars on contaminant ranges, security compliance and any advisories. You too can get native ingesting water high quality stories from the U.S. Environmental Safety Company (EPA).
2. Keep your plumbing system, particularly if your house has older pipes product of lead or galvanized metallic. Common inspections and changing outdated pipes stop dangerous substances from leaching into your water.
3. Retailer bottled water correctly by conserving it in cool, darkish environments. Keep away from leaving it in heat areas or direct daylight, which trigger plastic to degrade and launch chemical compounds into the water. Higher but, remove using plastic water bottles and go for glass or chrome steel containers as an alternative.
4. Undertake good environmental practices by correctly disposing of hazardous supplies like chemical compounds and medicines. Lowering plastic use and collaborating in native clean-up efforts additionally shield water sources.
5. Check your water commonly, particularly for those who use effectively water or dwell in an older residence. House water testing kits make it easier to determine contaminants resembling lead, nitrates and micro organism, permitting you to take applicable motion to make sure your water is secure.
Progesterone Mitigates the Results of EDCs in Bottled Water
To successfully decrease publicity to endocrine-disrupting chemical compounds (EDCs) from plastic water bottles, essentially the most easy strategy is to keep away from utilizing them altogether. As an alternative, use glass or chrome steel containers to retailer water.
Nevertheless, if you end up often utilizing bottled water or uncovered to different sources of EDCs in your surroundings, I like to recommend utilizing transmucosal progesterone mixed with vitamin E by way of buccal or gingival administration (i.e., rubbed into your gums), as detailed under, to counteract the dangerous results of those chemical compounds.
Progesterone is a hormone that acts as a swap to “flip off” estrogen’s exercise, serving to mitigate the consequences of phthalates and different estrogenic compounds. By counteracting the consequences of those disruptive chemical compounds, progesterone helps restore stability in your physique’s hormonal methods.
