Our Drinking Water is Regulated and Tested, so it is Safe, Right?... Wrong!
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The EPA has not established Maximum Contaminant Levels (MCLs) for many hazardous chemicals in our water supply, ie.: PFAS chemicals, chromium, halo-acetic acids, BDA, and pharmaceutical compounds.
Legal Does Not Necessarily Mean Safe
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The EPA only requires public utilities to test for 90 contaminants in public drinking water, even though potentially hundreds of hazardous chemicals, elements, and pharmaceuticals exist in our water resources.
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Many of the 324 contaminants detected in local utility water tests are at levels that may be "legal", but far exceed levels that authoritative scientific studies have found to pose health risks.
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Legal limits for contaminants are set, not only based on health considerations but also on economic and political considerations.
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Many MCLs are Outdated.
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The last time EPA updated legal limits for contaminants in drinking water was the year 2000.
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Many MCLs have not been updated in over 50 years.
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There is extensive scientific research to justify more stringent regulations.
Chlorine, Cancer, and Heart Disease
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Research has concluded that the use of both chlorine and chloramine is hazardous to your health if left in the water that you consume.
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Trihalomethanes (THMs) are compounds formed when chlorine or chloramine are used to purify water.
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THMs create free radicals in the bloodstream which are linked to cancer cell formation.
Medical Research
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“We don’t use chlorine because it’s the safest or most effective means of disinfection, we use it because it is the cheapest…we essentially pour bleach in our water before we drink it. – Josef Tyls, PhD, Industrial Engineer specializing in H2O processing.
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University of Wisconsin research study concluded: “We are convinced there is an association between cancer and chlorinated water.”
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“Cancer risk among people drinking chlorinated water is 93% higher than for those people drinking non-chlorinated water.” - U.S. Council of Environmental Quality.
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"An association between water chlorination and the development of colorectal carcinomas is well established." "The risk to develop tumors is dependent on the exposure to trihalomethanes in drinking water." - World Journal of Gastrointestinal Oncology, April 15, 2016.
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Evidence exists to prove that low levels of calcium and/or magnesium in drinking water increases the carcinogenic effect of THMs. Colorectal Cancers and Chlorinated Water, World Journal of Gastrointestinal Oncology, April 15, 2016.
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A Johns Hopkins research team study - Using chlorine produced a large number of by-products. A number of these by-products were found to be highly toxic, noting "One reason regulators and utilities are not monitoring these compounds is that they don't have the tools to find them." - Carten Prasse, assistant professor of Environmental Health and Engineering, Johns Hopkins University
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"The basic cause of arteriosclerosis and resulting entities such as heart attacks and stroke, is chlorine.” – Dr. Joseph M. Price, in Coronaries/ Cholesterol/ Chlorine, published in late 1960’s.
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Chlorine byproducts trigger the production of free radicals in the body, causing cell damage. Cancer scientists believe this is responsible for the majority of human cancers in the United States. – The Environmental Defense Fund.
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“Simply stated, chlorine is a pesticide, as defined by the U.S. EPA, whose sole purpose is to kill living organisms. - Josef Tyls, PhD, Industrial Engineer specializing in H2O Processing.
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“Only recently have researchers found a link between common chlorine disinfectants and breast cancer, which affects one out of every eight American women. Women with breast cancer have 50-60 percent higher levels of organochlorines (chlorine by-products) in their breast tissue than cancer-free women.” – January 25, 2010, “Tapped Out?: Are Chlorine's Beneficial Effects in Drinking Water Offset by Its Links to Cancer?” - Scientific American.
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Up to 2/3 of the harmful exposure to chlorine is due to inhalation of steam and skin absorption, while showering. - The American Journal of Public Health.
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One can absorb as many toxins during one shower as you would from drinking tap water for an entire week. - The American Journal of Public Health.
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Studies has shown that after a 10 minute shower in chlorinated water, your blood level of THMs can potentially increase by as much as 700%. - The American Journal of Public Health.
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Our research data indicates that hot showers can liberate 50-80 percent of the dissolved chemicals into the air. - Julian Andelman, University of Pittsburg Graduate School of Public Health.
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Inhalation is a much more harmful means of exposure since chlorine gas (chloroform) inhaled goes directly into your bloodstream. It is a suspected cause of asthma and bronchitis, especially in children, which has increased by over 300% in the last two decades. - Dr Lance Wallace, U.S. Enviromental protection Agency.
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Health Canada (department of Canadian government responsible for public health) concluded that 14 to 16 percent of bladder cancers in Ontario are attributable to drinking water containing chlorination byproducts.
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A 1992 Norwegian study published in the International Journal of Epidemiology concluded the consumption of chlorinated drinking water has been associated with a 20-40 percent increase in colon and rectal cancers.
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Harvard University found that the consumption of chlorinated drinking water accounts for nearly 15 percent of all rectal cancers and nine percent of all bladder cancers in North America.
In conclusion, it is clear that chlorine (and its by-products) represents a very real and serious health threat, and should be removed from your water at the point of use.