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Is Your Water Pure?
By: Carol Fazari, RHN, RNCP
Water is the fountain of life on earth. Without water, mammals would become ill and die of dehydration (within about 3 days).
Research
shows, 141 contaminants are present in tap water with no enforceable
safety limits and we have no idea of the effects of these contaminants
on the health of the population.
More
than ⅓ of our nation's lakes, rivers and streams are unsuitable for
fishing or swimming due to pollution. Most of the contamination is from
sewage, bacteria, run-off from fertilizer, toxic metals, and city sewer
discharge.
Tap water is not a sound option when considering what type of water to
drink.
Recent failures of drinking water systems have resulted in illness and
(or) death in North Battleford, Saskatchewan, and Walkerton, Ontario.
For
these reasons, I recommend finding an alternative to tap water. There
are numerous companies that advertise pure drinking water ... so what's
the best source?
Our pure water options are: distilled water, spring water, glacier water, and filtered water.
Distilled Water
This
is arguably the purest alternative to tap water. However, it is also
completely devoid of all naturally occurring minerals making it
unsuitable for regular consumption. The World Health Organization (WHO)
published a study showing that consuming distilled water can lead to
negative effects in animals and humans such as an increase in
extracellular body water and sodium blood levels.
Spring Water
Keep
in mind that the same contaminants that find their way into our lakes
and rivers will find their way into spring water. Therefore, in my
opinion, spring water is not a good alternative to tap water.
Glacier Water
Glacier
water is a good quality pure source of drinking water. But let's face
it; there are very few affordable brands of glacier water that can meet
all of our drinking and cooking needs. Perhaps if you lived in Alaska or
Iceland this may be an option, but in most parts of North America
glacier water is not viable.
Water Filtration Systems
There are many different water filtration systems available and there is much debate over the best system.
Many
systems claim that they alkalize the water to support an alkalized body
system. Research exists on the importance of an alkalized diet for good
health and I completely support this approach, however, the more
important component of good quality water is the purity.
An important question to ask is: does this system filter out contaminants as well as alkalize the water?
Alkalized
water is not a good choice if the water still contains contaminants and
chemicals such as chlorine, arsenic, PCB's or THM's.
The
water filtration system that I use is reverse osmosis (RO). Opponents
to this filtration system will state that it produces acidic water. I'm
not going to argue that point, however, it is proven to filter 92-99.5%
of contaminants out of my drinking water - to me this is paramount.
Once
I have pure, filtered water I am able to alkalize it by adding an
attachment that puts minerals back in the water.
Alternatively, chlorophyll or various other nutraceutical products can
be added manually to aid in the alkalization process.
Most
health care practitioners don't agree on the optimal water purification
system and (of course) each company selling these systems claims to
have the superior product.
My
advice in choosing a water filtration system is: ensure that it filters
a minimum of 90% of the particles in tap water, including organic
contaminants and chemicals. Review the research on the product to ensure
it is conducted by an unbiased third party - not just an "expert" hired
by the company that manufactures the water filtration system.
Lastly, determine how long the company and product has been in business.
Ensure
there is longevity to the research - meaning if it's a new,
revolutionary filtration system with new research findings, you may want
to observe (over a longer period of time) to confirm the research
stands the test of time.
Many
people ask me if I know someone in the "water" industry ... the company
that I recommend is Superior Water Conditioning. The owner, Jim Bell,
installed a reverse osmosis system, water conditioning system and
chlorine removal system in my home about 15 years ago. I've been
completely happy with the products and continue to call Jim to service
these systems. He can be reached at www.superiorwaterconditioning.ca or (416) 985-3303.
Good luck in your search for pure water!
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