TapWater

How Safe Is Your Tap Water, Really?  Lyle Loughry,  Copyrighted -- March 2008  
If, like most people, you bathe or shower in, or drink tap water from a government agency or municipality, HEED THIS WARNING! Contamination of your drinking water supply is much more common than you think — with bacteria parasites, viruses, and thousands of chemicals. Most municipal water systems simply weren't built to handle the influx of modern-day contaminants, and are outdated. These agencies also don’t want to invest, or can't afford to invest in costly new technology to guarantee that your water is clean and pure.  In 1974, Congress passed the Safe Drinking Water Act and established the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Unfortunately, the EPA has grown into a behemoth organization strongly influenced by politics and big business. Despite internal reports that our municipal drinking water supplies are cleaner and healthier than ever...there are other reports, usually buried within documents not readily available to the public, indicating that major problems still face us — and may, in fact, be worsening. We truly are on shaky ground when it comes to the condition of our water supply, especially during natural disasters such as floods. Hurricane Katrina allowed floodwaters to carry feces, pesticides and industrial chemicals into water lines — and contaminate the water supply of New Orleans. That should have been a wake-up call... We're all at risk for high levels of contamination due to other, even smaller, natural or man-made catastrophes.  Tens of thousands of synthetic chemicals have been produced since WWII ended. Giant industries have dumped untold tons of waste material into lakes, rivers and streams, polluting the groundwater. According to one environmental study group, US Drinking water contains more than 2,100 toxic chemicals that can cause cancer, yet the EPA has established enforceable safety standards for only 87. That amounts to just over 4%! Many of these chemicals are potentially harmful and can cause you and your family serious health problems. There are now more than 850 studies, conducted by federal, state and local government agencies, US Health organizations, major universities, and water quality monitoring groups that conclusively prove that our tap water is alive with deadly bugs that cause Hepatitis, E-coli infections and Heliocobacter pylori, the bacteria that causes stomach ulcers. Additionally, monitoring groups from all 50 states have reported drinking water containing arsenic, asbestos, cyanide, lead, mercury, bug and weed killers, embalming fluids, and even radioactive waste. Thousands of viruses, including the dangerous Norwalk virus, also exist in the vast majority of drinking water systems. Many of these viruses escape commonly-used water treatment methods.   The cumulative affect of drinking this water can be extremely dangerous to your health. According to the Center for Disease Control in Atlanta, nearly one million people get sick from drinking contaminated water each year with about 1,000 cases tragically ending in death. Many study groups believe these numbers are very conservative.   To control the growth of bacteria and fungus in most water, government water systems add chlorine or chloramines (known carcinogens, a dark side that you won't hear about from the EPA or even the traditional media), as well as fluoride (a known neurotoxin that can damage your brain, a fact also seldom reported). Most cities have aging water pipes, and when pipes become old and encrusted with debris and parasites like Cryptosporum or bacteria like Campylobacter and Shigella, purification by chlorination becomes virtually impossible.   After such “treatment” with chlorine and fluoride – municipal water then heads to your home. When it does, it may pass through unsafe water lines that re-contaminate the water before you use it. Someday if you ask your plumber to examine your water pipes – you'll be shocked to discover the insides of some of these pipes will be caked with mineral, biological and chemical deposits. In some cases, the pipes themselves may leach copper and lead! Another threat lurking inside older water pipes is bio-film, composed of layers of bacteria that can harbor pathogens, leading to diarrhea, vomiting, death, and even spontaneous abortions in pregnant women.   Modern farming methods have utilized billions of pounds of pesticides, herbicides and artificial fertilizers, polluting surface and ground water on an unprecedented scale. No one even realized that there was a problem until biologists started observing large numbers of dead fish, fish with tumors or mutations, and fertility problems in animals exposed to these pollutants.   Consider that over the course of your life, you will drink approximately 13,000 gallons of water, and are exposed to hundreds of thousands of gallons from bathing and showering. According to numerous studies, " Showering is suspected as the primary cause of elevated levels of chloroform (a carcinogen) in nearly every home in America, and is considered by many to be the third-leading cause of lung cancer, behind smoking and radon." A recent study comparing groups of people who drank a liter of tap water, sat in a tub for 20 minutes, or took a 15-minute shower, revealed that those who took showers absorbed the highest levels of carcinogens into their bloodstream's. Those "carcinogens" include chlorine and chloroform, of course, and also Dichloroacedic acid (DCA) another chlorine byproduct known to alter cholesterol metabolism, MX, another chlorinated acid known to cause genetic mutations that can lead to cancer growth, and Microbes like E. coli 0157, Cryptosporidium, Giardia, hepatitis A, and pfisteria that cause nearly one million cases of illness, yearly.   A recent joint study undertaken in Japan by research scientists at the National Institute of Health Sciences and Shizuoka Prefectural University revals that "Cancer-fighting nutrients become deadly when combined with chlorinated water." Some of nature's most valuable and essential anti-cancer and anti-disease phytonutrients commonly found in food have been discovered to form deadly cancer-causing substances when consumed or combined with chlorinated tap water! The studies showed that these substances are created by the reaction of chlorine with natural organic plant phytochemicals such as catechins, contained in tea, and flavonoids, found in fruit. Societies that consume large quantities of tea, fruit, soy, and other health products, generate high amounts of residues from the foods, ending up in the wastewater treatment and water recycling systems. Studies in Finland in 1997 determined that one of these substances, named MX, is 170 times more deadly than other toxic byproducts of chlorination.   Make no mistake; water is the single most important substance that keeps your body alive, and healthy. Among all the nutrients that humans consume, water is the “indispensable nutrient” on which all forms of life depend. History tells us that civilizations that had the cleanest, purest and most abundant water were typically the strongest, healthiest and most vibrant of their times. Water is rightfully called the “elixir of life.” In fact, recent research reveals healthful water may actually be the ultimate age-defying nutrient. Imagine something as simple and ordinary as water helping you to maintain or perhaps even increase physical youthfulness. But its true! You can gain amazing health benefits from a steady diet of 6-8 glasses of purified water a day. For example, according to a six year study of more than 20,000 healthy men and women that appeared in the May 1, 2002, American Journal of Epidemiology, it was found that women who drank more than five glasses of water a day were 41 percent less likely to die from heart attack than those who drank less than two glasses. The heart benefits were even greater in men.  However, tens of millions of Americans are in a "catch-22." Its obvious that if you don’t drink enough water you may encounter health problems. But, on the other hand, if you drink unpurified tap water, you may be slowly poisoning yourself. Clean, pure water can bolster your health and performance throughout life. But there has always been an unseen struggle — the struggle of creating and maintaining a clean water supply.   Unfold the chronicles of history and you’ll discover that people commonly died from waterborne diseases like cholera, dysentery, and typhoid fever. As populations have increased, the demand for properly treated water has also increased. That's why its so important you make doubly sure the water you drink, and in which you bathe and shower is 100 percent safe! And the best way to do that is by investing in safe, healthy water that comes from your own in-home water treatment system.   It's now possible to take control of your water quality and enjoy peace of mind. Recently patented technology makes it possible. This amazing technology effectively kills bacteria, parasites and viruses, and removes chlorine, fluoride, herbicides, pesticides, heavy metals, and a whole list of organic, and synthetic, inorganic chemicals and industrial pollutants, safely and inexpensively, and is virtually maintenance-free. Don't spend hundreds of dollars more for less effective, high maintenance RO or distillation equipment that produces questionable results, or waste money on expensive bottled water. The Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) conducted a four-year review of the bottled water industry, comparing national bottled water rules with national tap water rules. Their conclusion: There is no assurance that just because water comes out of a bottle it is any cleaner or safer than water from the tap. This IS NOT THE BEST ANSWER!   For more information on technology that will allow you to enjoy safe, clean, healthy showers for around five cents, and drink healthy, pure water for about three cents a gallon, consider the PRODUCT section above. Call Lyle (800-829-9913) or e-mail him at ultrasource@cs.com, to learn about current specials.

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