WATER, WATER EVERYWHERE, BUT WHAT IS FIT TO DRINK?
>Is there such a thing as "paleo" water?
Yes, it is purified water free of herbicides, pesticides, heavy metals, THMs
(trihalomethances), chlorine, and microcysts such as giardia and
cryptosporidium.
>Lots of cities put fluoride and chlorine in their water. There are people
out there touting the negatives of drinking fluoridated water.
Price-Pottenger Nutritional Foundation newsletter had an article on it
>recently.
If you want the fluoride out, you have to buy a Reverse Osmosis system.
Personally, I think the fluoride is less of a concern when we look at the
other contaminants in our tap water, such as lead, heavy metals, THMs, and
chlorine which reacts with organic material in tap water to create potent
endocrine disruptors and carcinogens. If you want research, I have some in
a file. Crypto is also an issue; recall the outbreak in Milwaukee several
years ago: 400,000 became ill; 4,000 were hospitalized and 100 people died.
Cryptosporidium has since shown up in water supplies across the country.
There have been many boiling alerts across the U.S. since then.
>
>You can buy gallons of spring water in the supermarket. You have two choices.
You will often pay the price of gasoline for bottled water. If you use
bottled water for cooking, drinking, ice and beverages, you will go through
a lot of it in a day, week, month, year....Also the bottled water industry
it totally unregulated. Sometimes people get barely reconditioned tap water
and don't know it. It is impractical to lug so many jugs to and from the
store. Delivered 5-gallon jugs of water can cost a couple upwards of $360 a
year.... you could buy a lot of top of the line water purifers over the
course of a lifetime for that!
>>
Martin Fox, Ph.D, author of HEALTHY WATER FOR A LONGER LIFE: A NUTRITIONIST
LOOKS AT DRINKING WATER, says that there are growing indications that the
minerals in drinking water may be more bio-availalbe than minerals in food.
>
>What about the water purifiers you can put on your faucet or the pitchers
you can use with filters? Does
>anyone feel that these are a viable alternative to buying bottled spring water?
They are definitely NOT a viable alternative to bottled water, not if health
is your main concern. The Britta pitcher isn't either (it removes only
lead, zinc, copper, chlorine, and particulate matter down to 30-50 microns.
(It does not remove THMs, pesticides, herbicides, parasites, turbidity,
asbestos, or VOCs (volatile organic chemicals). These pitchers and faucet
mount filters are taste and odor filters and do not remove the widest range
of contaminants nor very many at all. This is not an opinion; this is based
on solid facts.
OKAY, I COULD NOT RESIST. All these questions are right up my alley. This
was in my files, due out in a body building & fitness magazine this fall.
If anyone wants more articles and refs, e-mail me privately.
TOP TEN QUESTIONS TO ASK BEFORE BUYING A WATER PURIFER
BY Rachel Albert-Matesz
More than 2100 contaminants have been identified in our nationıs drinking
water supplies, yet less than 100 are regulated by the EPA. Among these are
³endocrine disrupters², which have no detectable appearance, odor, or taste.
When several endocrine disrupters are combined in our water, they become
hundreds of times more potent. Most of these are ³estrogen-mimickers²,
which can increase your risk for cancer, infertility, birth defects, and
endocrine disorders.
Several studies have linked chlorinated tap water to cancer and coronaries.
In December of 1987, a study carried out by researchers from the National
Cancer Institute and 10 other organizations concluded that long-term
drinking (15 years or more) of chlorinated water appears to increase your
risk of developing bladder cancer by as much as 80%.
Donıt expect the government to protect you. Despite 25 years of government
regulations under the Safe Drinking Water Act, our water has gotten worse!
Today the worst violations have only a one in 10 chance of facing legal
action. Every day millions of Americans turn on their taps and take in
water which exceeds the legal limits for dangerous contaminants.
It would cost billions of dollars to improve the quality of water coming out
of municipal water treatment plants. Even so, weıd still face serious
contamination problems which occur after water leaves the treatment plants
and is recontaminated--with lead, asbestos, disease causing organisms, rust,
turbidity--by miles and miles of antiquated water pipes.
The solution: If you want the job done right, do it yourself. There are
more than 2500 drinking water systems on the market. Many look alike,
although they do not all have the same performance capacities.
How do you decide? Ask these 10 questions before you buy.
1. Is it NSF certified?
NSF is an internationally recognized, third party, non-profit organization
with more than 50 years of experience testing and certifying consumer and
industrial products to ensure that they meet the most stringent public
health standards.
For NSFıs seal of approval a) the contamination claims must be true; b) the
water purifier must not add anything harmful to the water; c) the unit must
be structurally sound; d) the advertising, literature, and labeling must not
be misleading; and, e) the materials and manufacturing process must not
change. (Unannounced inspections are conducted to ensure continued
compliance.)
The best systems are NSF certified under Standards 42 & 53, indicating that
they effectively reduce chlorine and particulate matter, asbestos, certain
pesticides, cysts (e.g., Cryptosporidium, giardia), lead, THMs
(Trihalomethanes), turbidity, and VOCs (41 volatile organic chemicals and
pesticides).
Only 66% of the water purifiers on the market are NSF certified; only 40%
are certified to remove offensive tastes and odors; about 376 have been
certified to remove one or more contaminants. Only about six units are
certified to reduce a wide range of contaminants, including some of the more
difficult to treat substances---asbestos, VOCs and THMs.
2. Is the system certified or registered in five states?
The following states currently have departments with testing procedures for
certifying and registering drinking water systems: California, Iowa,
Wisconsin, Colorado and Massachusetts.
3. What kind of warranty does it have?
The best units will have a 30-day money back guarantee in case of
dissatisfaction with the product, a one-year warranty on connectors, and a
25-year warranty on the housing.
4. Is there an easily replaceable filter?
Maintenance of some RO systems may require professional assistance. Look
for a system with a replaceable cartridge that even your grandmother could
change.
5. What does it cost?
The initial purchase price of a water purifier with a replaceable cartridge
is a one time cost. A greater expense will be the ongoing replacement filter
cost. Some systems are throw-always (usually costing $180-$200); they donıt
have replaceable cartridges, so you must throw out the entire unit every
1000-2000 gallons (1-3 years), then buy a new one!
Pour-through Pitchers: (mixed media or loose carbon granules which the water
runs through, or around) $20-$30 initially. Replacement filters: ~$7; must
be replaced every 35 gallons; every 10 days for two people, @ 3 gallons per
day, each person drinking 8-16 cups of water and using purified water for
cooking. If purified water is used for ice and washing produce you plan to
eat raw--a good idea--a new filter will be needed every 5-7 days! Youıll
spend $20-$30 per month, $240-$360 each year!
Small, faucet mount, Granular Activated Carbon or KDF Filters (a loose bed
of charcoal which water runs around or through): $30-$50 initially.
Replacement cartridges: ~ $12; must be replaced often, as with Pitchers.
Solid Carbon Block: (forces water through increasingly smaller pores of a
densely compacted carbon block) initially $200 to $300 for a counter-top:
$350 to $400 for an under-the-counter model. Replacement filters: $40 to
$50; must be replaced every 400-1200 gallons (about once a year; once every
six to nine months for a smaller unit or larger family. Pays for itself
after three to four years. Ongoing cost: only $50 a year!
Reverse Osmosis: (runs water through a pre-filter, post filter, then a
Module or Solid Carbon Block). Cost: $500 to over $1000. RO membranes must
be replaced every 6-12 months ($85-$90); their modules or solid carbon
blocks must be changed every 18-24 months ($50-$220 each, depending upon
style).
Distillation units: (purify by boiling water to create vapor, then allowing
the water to condense). Average cost: $500-700; if the system contains a
Solid Carbon Block, replacement filters may run $40-$50 every 6-12 months.
6. How long has the manufacturer been in business?
Look for an established company which has been in business for at least 20
years, is a member in good standing of the Better Business Bureau, and has a
large number of satisfied customers (the more the better!). You donıt want
some fly-by-night company that could be out of business tomorrow. After all,
youıll be buying replacement filters for the rest of your life!
7. Does the system remove the natural, dissolved trace minerals (e.g.,
calcium, magnesium, potassium)?
³Soft [mineral poor] water appears to contribute to a higher incidence of
hypertension and heart disease in areas where it is used. Hard
[mineral-rich] water may oppose these conditions,² according to Hamilton and
Whitneyıs Nutrition. ROs and Distillation Units make water soft; Solid
Carbon Blocks Systems leave healthy minerals in the water.
8. Does it use electricity or waste water?
You want one that doesnıt do either. Distillation units require
electricity, costing upwards of $240 per year to operate, more if you cook
with and drink much water! ROs waste three to four gallons of water for
every one gallon of purified water produced.
9. Is the device easy to use and does it provide water on demand?
³Pour-through filters work slowly, making them something of a nuisance to
use. Typically the instructions tell you to keep them in the refrigerator
where bacteria are less likely to multiply...² (Consumer Reports Magazine,
Jan. 1990.) These usually hold only 2-3 gallons of water, making them
impractical for all of your cooking and drinking needs.
Faucet-Mount Mixed Media, KDF or GAC Filters: May require removal for
dish washing and/or cumbersome maintenance procedures such as back washing
or chlorine disinfection.
Distillation Units: Slow to process water, taking several hours to produce
the first quart of water; impractical for cooking, drinking, ice, active
people, large families, pets.
Reverse Osmosis systems: Water passes through three filters into a holding
tank--a slow process, taking several hours to produce three to five gallons
of water. Counter-top ROs keep your faucet out of commission for several
hours, or longer, as they filter and waste water.
Solid Carbon Block: Conveniently produces pure water on demand,
(three-fourths of a gallon per minute).
10. Does it remove the widest range of contaminants?
Pour-through Pitchers: If filter is changed every 35 gallons as
recommended by manufacturer, these remove two harmful contaminants and two
healthy minerals; taste and odor filter only; will not remove THMs,
pesticides, micro-cysts, turbidity, asbestos, or VOCs. (GACs perform
similarly.)
Mixed Media (KDF, ATS) Filters: Effectively reduce chlorine, lead;
ineffective against other contaminants (e.g.,THMs, herbicides, pesticides,
and VOCs).
Reverse Osmosis: Canıt effectively reduce VOCs, pesticides, or THMs
unless combined with a Solid Carbon Block; reduces healthy trace minerals.
Distillation Units: Effectively kill cysts, remove heavy metals; not as
effective at removing VOCs; removes beneficial minerals.
Solid Carbon Block: Most effective system; reduces widest range of
contaminants; leaves in beneficial minerals.
Sorry it is so long, but I'd had to see any of my Paleo-Pals buy an inferior
product or get crypto-poisoning, or other problems for which there are ways
to reduce one's risk...
Rachel Albert-Matesz :-)
Passionate about good water and pure Paleo food!
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