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Subscribe to RSSChemicals used to treat drinking water actually might raise the risk of cancer or cause other health hazards by creating toxic byproducts that need tighter federal regulation, according to an environmental advocacy group.
Fair Warning reports that the Environmental Working Group, a Washington, D.C.,-based advocacy organization, also wants the government to reduce the need for chemical treatment by cleaning up sources of public drinking water.
The Environmental Working Group says the problem is that chlorine and other chemicals that public utilities add to drinking water to kill microorganisms can react with other material – such as sewage and manure – to create hundreds of toxic byproducts, many of which aren’t regulated at all.
According to Fair Warning’s post:
Researchers analyzed results from water quality tests done in 2011 at 201 large municipal water systems that serve more than 100 million people in 43 states. They found trihalomethanes, a byproduct of chlorination, in every system. The EPA calls some members of this class of chemicals “probable human carcinogens” and studies have linked them to bladder cancer, birth defects and miscarriages. However, only one water treatment system exceeded the EPA’s limits for the chemicals, which was set at 80 parts per billion in 1998.
But the report argued that the EPA’s limits are too lax, citing several studies linking even lower levels of the chemicals to health problems. For example, in 2011 a French research team analyzing data from three countries found that men exposed to more than 50 parts per billion of trihalomethanes [try-hal-o-MEH-thanes] had significantly increased cancer risks.
You can read the full Environmental Working Group report here.
Read more from Fair Warning here.
Here’s more coverage from Open Channel on drinking water and health issues:
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Did you say trihalomethanes? We surrender! Are we really taking anything a French research team says seriously? How can we take ANYTHING the French seriously?
Ignorance can be deadly. Too bad for you.
I forget...is coffee now good for us or bad for us? How about red wine? If we listen to the "experts", there won't be anything we can eat or drink without some risk.
Sounds a little like "chicken little" to me.
So you would dismiss news that impact your health because the source of the data is French?
Ive had this bitch since the early to mid sixties and no one ever listened, moved out of the cities to be where I control what goes in my water but I still have to drink the governments chemicals in other products the Truth is if we keep it natural it can not hurt you, try telling that to the government they want you to drink their toxic cocktail, its a liberal thing. now who wants to name Obama,s Unicorn? Michelle is coming up behind him on a fire red Pegasus, named Hades, the girls aren't allowed to ride. except in air liners with expensive air defense systems and security teams in them with overstocked armories and weapons systems with enough power to level a nation the size of Texas, a air wing for support and a company of infantry following close behind what a nice family. but whats with all those little flying hairy people with the long tails? are those bat wings?. who would do such a thing to your water, there are other ways to make things safe then chlorine and who needs fluorides in their water. now they are pumping our food full of gunk as well.
a conspiracy theory theorizes that fluorides added to water keeps the masses pacified, the theory being that fluoride is the base material that most antidepressants are created from or contain, cant remember exactly, research this if you dont think that at least the antidepressant made from fluoride is not true. Maybe there is an agenda, and fluoride is in the drinking water for different reasons beside cavity prevention.
Chlorine is a bad player. It combines with hydrocarbons in unintended forms. Low concentrations of chloroform generated by chlorination carry a cancer risk.
Europeans figured it out a long time ago. That is why they use ozone for water purification, not chlorine.
Anyone know the cost to convert to ozone?
I wouldn't suggest ozone either. Byproducts from ozone can be ketones and aldehydes in the same concentrations as the chlorine byproducts. Best practice which is cost prohibitive is to use a better filtration system like ultrafilters instead of DE to filter out the contaminants that when combined with these chemicals created those byproducts. Problem is we need a small amount of residual disinfectant in the distribution system (piping) to keep infiltration from water main breaks recontaminating the water after the water treatment plant. I would suggest hydrogen peroxide as the disinfectant because it creates a lot less byproducts than the other two and a better filtration system before disinfecting. The distribution system after is another beast of a problem altogether. Upgrading piping would be one measure, but I would consider home water filtration system beyond that.
@Friesoouwer, you made my point for me, which is, if we had hundreds of billions of dollars (hah hah) to replace all the crumbling infrastructure delivering the water, that would help a whole lot! Hindsight, to, makes me grind my teeth in frustration: funds to repair/replace water mains is always delayed until some undefined time in the future because "it can wait a little longer" and whatever issue is much more urgent. An here we are, now, in the future.
Hey, infastructure repair is damn expensive, why should they throw good money at all that is unseen for now when they can line their pockets instead.
If one studies the cancer rates from the 20th century, in the developed world, one has to come to inescapable conclusion that the rates are not simply higher due to longevity. My best guess is that the data would fill a good correlation with the increase of all manufactured organic materials in the food chain.
Sounds like one more reason I drink my water after it has been filtered!
Yes, ozone should be used for water purification instead of chlorine, and fluoride needs to be eliminated from water supplies. Fluoride is very good for topical application to teeth, but very bad when ingested. Both chlorine and fluorine leach iodine from people's bodies, and the iodine from iodized salt is not sufficient to put it back. In fact, tests have shown that there are only approx. 20 to 24 minerals left in our depleted farmland soils, and there are anywhere from 74 to 90 trace minerals (measured in micrograms) which our bodies can potentially benefit from. These deficiencies lead to excess cravings for food, which is one of the insidious driving forces for our overweight population. Modern day water treatment processes also remove these trace minerals from our water supplies, leading to increasingly poor health for our nation. Unfortunately, we cannot look to our government to solve this growing problem for us, so we have to solve it for ourselves. - RC
Michelle blames McDonalds, I blame the government on obesity and the people pointing fingers at the popular belief is the problem, its the chemicals in the water that started this problem and the government is the reason those chemicals are their. and the food additives will only make things worse. and we have known this for half a century but still refuse to see it.
they have been puting flouride in water for years and its poison in high amounts, not to mention theres no scientific proof it prevents cavaties.
Fluoride is EXTREMELY Toxic and is the waste product of the fertilizer industry. It's been dumped into our water for decades under the guise of "cavity prevention" (for which there is ZERO proof ) but in reality this scheme was concocted because of the "cost" to properly dispose of this toxic waste. Dumping it into the water supply is FREE.
Chlorine and fluoride are the two chemicals you should be most worried about. Chlorine is also INHALED as well as being absorbed through the skin while showering. You should have a filter on your shower head to remove the chlorine unless you have a whole-house filtering system. Also you cannot remove FLUORIDE w/a regular filtering system... PUR, BRITA etc. In fact, you will notice on the boxes there will be a message specifically stating that the "ADA recommended Fluoride" will not be removed. What a scam. The ONLY way to remove both Chlorine and Fluoride is by REVERSE OSMOSIS.
Watch out when buying bottled water too. DO NOT BUY "DRINKING" water. "DRINKING" water is usually not RO filtered/processed AND has usually had FLUORIDE ADDED to it. Only buy PURIFIED water that has been treated by RO. *Note...there's actually a law for bottled water that FLUORIDE must be listed if it has been added.
Fluoride is a natural substance and is found in wells all over the world. I have a well that is 320 feet deep and will never hook up to city water. For 40 years and three droughts I have never been low on water. It has been tested several times and is still chemical free!
Only loonies like these people would be unwilling to accept a very tiny risk that something might happen to them over the daily risk of diarrhea, fluid loss, weight loss, diseases, parasites and even death from untreated water.
True but there are other ways of treating water without chemicals.
Geez, you're killing us out here, EPA. Grow some balls and do your job. Stop coddling these chemical and energy companies. They don't care about the collateral damage; just profit. My nephew was just diagnosed with aplastic anemia...and benzene levels have risen in his air there due to new drilling 2 miles away from his home...in a suburb with tons of kids.
I've had it. One of our kids in MY FAMILY now has a pre-leukemia condition I'm sure was brought on by benzene exposure. He'll be getting bone marrow transplants now. Poor little guy. He's 13 and a high achiever at school - awesome kid. He was the picture of health until last month. The recent Barnett Shale development expanded into their suburb recently. I smell a rat.
I read online all about what's been going on down there since 2008...those air quality reports and those drilling companies. You've protected the oil industry out there above the children all along. Even NOW!
The NRDC should take over your role in our government.
Now I REALLY HATE YOU. Your Texas branch is corrupt. You do nothing about it. FIX IT! Before more kids get bone marrow diseases out there. You're some really sick f***ers to allow us to all be poisoned out here.
I'm trying to find stats on prevalence and rates of bone marrow diseases in fracking and drilling areas...benzene air quality reports...pregnant women need to stay away from those areas. And children. The $$$ these oil and gas companies waive at those families for lease rights comes at a horrible price. I know I can count you out now for helping me stop this benzene exposure to kids. YOU SUCK EPA. :(
Go EPA, ignore those scientifically challenged Republicans.
And exactly who is mandating all the chemicals used to treat our water - that unloveable bunch of ultra liberals known as the EPA! When they forced all the water providers to change chemicals a few years ago it came with a warning about making sure the water was not used in aquariums or garden ponds because it would kill the fish (it really does), but in their overwhelming wisdom they think it's just fine for anything else. Then, when there is a "fish kill" that does not result from their mandated poison, they rush in to blame anyone else they can.
Sodium fluoride was first added to water by Hitler as it helped keep prisoners under control. With all the known serious consequences of fluoridation including dementia, lowered IQ, kidney damage, thyroid damage, cancer, reproduction problems, skeletal fluorosis, osteoporosis, and even death (to name a few) you have to wonder why America still fluoridates their water.
The benefit of adding fluoride to water for the purpose of preventing tooth decay began in the 1940's from the belief that fluoride’s primary benefit came from ingesting fluoride during the tooth forming years. The dental research community has long stated that fluoride’s primary benefit comes from topical contact with teeth and not from the ingestion of fluoride as previously assumed. They also go on to state that fluoride is ineffective in preventing tooth decay in the pits and fissures of teeth where the majority of decay occurs.
Research also indicates that tooth decay has declined in all Western countries irrespective of whether the countries have fluoridated their water or not. The United States is the only technically advanced country that continues to fluoridate their water. One cannot but wonder why.
Despite all the evidence to the contrary, despite all the ruined lives and reputations of doctors and scientists who took a stand against the fluoridation of America's drinking water in the mid-20th century, and despite all the environmentalists and celebrities who have spoken out against adding fluoride to our drinking water the government still continues to require fluoride to be added to our water supply.
Dr. Robert Carlton, a former employee of the United States Environmental Protection Agency, stated, "Fluoridation is the greatest case of scientific fraud of this century, if not of all time." In no other country was the level of pseudoscience exposed to its very core than in America. Almost every modern medical ailment since the 1950's can be blamed on the consumption of fluoridated water to one degree or another. Despite the fact that fluoride is more toxic than lead the American government continues to spend millions of dollars to convince the American people that adding fluoride to their water supply is a good thing...
Read more about the Poisoning of America here: http://www.galacticexaminer.com/Poison-Water.html
All big government intrusion into our lives, why? All in the name of public safety, to protect us from ourselves. Big government knows what is best for us; we are all too dumb and can't make our own choices. So they MUST do it for us. The health care law, speed limiters, motorcycle helmets, felony laws for releasing 5 balloons into the air over Florida. It’s all got to stop, says big government and the lunatic politicians. People cannot be allowed to think for themselves. So laws need to be in place, no dancing in schools, no pencils or pens of any kind, children could use them to harm other students. No books, they could be used as lethal weapons. Demon Crat politicians know what is best for our kids, mandate what they can eat and what is for lunch, outlaw homemade lunches (they don't fit federal nutrition guide lines) or we the government must inspect them before you hand them out to your own children, where, what and why you can shop for clothes, etc. Enough is enough, Washington is mentally ill, do not re-elect one politician, ever. Put a stop to this crazy stuff they are doing. They could collect and spend 100% of your income and it still wouldn't be enough for them, they would still spend twice what they collected Demon Crats know that they must rule all the people, all the time, it’s no different Lunatic Muslims, Nazi's, Progressive's, Leftist's, Socialism, they all fail and they all try to force their will on the masses. All these terms, anything other than FREEDOM is one thing and one thing only, Communism. Freedom, for and by the people is the only thing that will survive. Hitler used the Jews as a scapegoat and Obama is using the exact same playbook on you, instead he substituted those that have more than you, because no matter who you are, how little or how much you have, somebody always has more than you. So he goes after the people near the top and works his way down. Wake up, he's just the latest Hitler and anybody with money is his scapegoat. The Fed's are out of control, they can't manage their own personal finances, so how and why would we trust them to manage ours? No matter how much they get or take it will never be enough, until the day we are all surfs or slaves and that day isn't far off. We don't need any police, debates or laws to protect our children from nuts with guns in our schools. All we need is proactive parents, willing to take the time and show some interest in protecting their children and when some nut comes to the school wanting to do their children harm, show that nut what smart Americans we are. Police respond to crimes, not prevent them, which is our job, the freedom loving people of this great nation. Put somebody in the Whitehouse that thinks like that, not somebody that tries to fix or cover up the mess after it happens, but somebody that will prevent it from happening in the first place.. The nuts in Washington threaten us every day, they want total control of your life, control over everything you do. They go from one scare tactic to the next, keeping the general public scared to death, if we don't allow them to do this or that then we are all doomed and the economy will slam to a stop and we will all fall off the edge of the earth and then next Monday it starts all over, it’s on to the next scare tactic, one after another, constant fear they try to inject into your life, so they can have their way with you and you continue to let them chip away at your rights and the constitution. They have America in a constant state of fear and panic, scared to ride a train or plane, fearing terrorists and empty boxes lying on the street. Soon its report your neighbor for suspicious behavior and earn your reward. The IRS already has the program in place. (Hope and Change) = Nazi youth patrols and turning in your parents for hoarding beans or having 10 gallons of gas for the lawn mower. How you vote, how you spend, how you earn, what you can own, what you can't own, what light bulbs you use in your own home?, where, why and how much electricity you can use or buy. Today it’s protecting us from gun owners, (really?) How many illegal’s or criminals are watching these debates? They can't wait until those laws are passed, making even more Americans easy, helpless targets. How about a law that makes sense? Say, if you are caught using a gun to commit a crime you can't have any health care to fix your wounds? You think that would cut down on gun crimes? Common sense would say yes, I can hear it now, leave the gun at home when you rob the bank, if you get shot they will just let you bleed to death. (Ever hear the song, don't take your guns to town?) How long are you going to let them chip away at your freedom? Don't let them keep threatening us, Vote them out and vote in somebody that can be and is personally and financially responsible.
What is then the best way to treat water? Water is essential and it is just important that we are provided a clean and safe water.