Polluted Water is NOT Sustainable
Water is essential for all living things. No matter what any animal does, it doesn’t destroy the water. It’s not the same for humans. By polluting the water, we are affecting every living thing on this planet: Including ourselves!
Hopefully you are involved in efforts to stop FRACKING, and mountain-top removal, as well as other terrible practices that pollutes the water. But until the world wakes up and stops all of these myriad practices that is making clean water undrinkable and unavailable, if you are lucky enough to have a source of water, you must protect your health.
Here are some of the issues that have been investigated by scientists all over the world describing the way plastics and fluoride can affect your health. Fracking is even worse, and I’ll post about that in an upcoming post.
BPA, that white inner lining in many canned items (tomatoes) is still widely used in everything from soups cans, food containers, plastic utensils, the paper from cash register receipts, and even steering wheels in cars! And to make matters worse, although many corporations removed BPA from their products due to public outcry, they replaced it with ANOTHER un-tested plastic, which has even more estrogenic effects than BPA!
- Reproductive disorders – scientists from Brigham and Women’s Hospital showed that BPA exposure can affect egg maturation in humans.
- Male impotence – Dr De-Kun Li, a reproductive and perinatal epidemiologist at Kaiser Permanente’s Division of Research in Oakland, California, reported in the journal Human Reproduction that BPA exposure may raise the risk of erectile dysfunction. Sexual desire and problems with ejaculation were also linked to BPA exposure among men.
- Heart disease (females) – BPA can cause heart disease in women, scientists at the University of Cincinnati found.
- Heart disease in adults – another US study linked BPA exposure to diabetes and heart disease in adults.
- Sex hormones in men – an August 2010 study linked BPA exposure to changes in sex hormones in men.
- Type 2 diabetes – A UK study linked higher levels of urinary BPA to type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease and liver-enzyme abnormalities.
- Brain function, memory, learning – US researchers linked BPA exposure to loss of connections between brain cells in primates, potential problems with memory and learning, as well as depression.
- Women’s eggs – Californian researchers found that exposure to bisphenol A may affect the quality of a woman’s eggs retrieved for in vitro fertilization (IVF).
- Chemotherapy – University of Cincinnati scientists found that BPA exposure may reduce chemotherapy treatment efficacy.
- Breast cancer – A Yale School of Medicine study found a possible increase in breast cancer risk among females exposed to BPA and DES (Diethylstilbestrol) in the womb.
- Asthma – A US study suggested a link between increasing asthma rates and a particular threshold of BPA.
Research by a British team of scientists published in the Journal of the American Medical Association found a link between abnormal liver enzymes in people and BPA, suggesting that the chemical alters how the liver functions.
Dr. Sara Gottlieb, a prominent woman’s doctor in the US reported:
Estrogenic compounds are synthetic chemicals that are now rampant in plastic materials, cosmetics, cleaning supplies and other products we use on a day-to-day basis. The problem is these chemicals, aptly called “obesogens,” have the potential to make us sick and fat. And since these environmental toxins are almost impossible to avoid completely, they may be wreaking havoc on your body without you even realizing it. Moreover, these chemicals can also increase the number and size of fat cells. In other words, they can predispose you to weight gain and present a serious barrier when it comes to weight loss.” These compounds are nasty: They stimulate hormones that can increase appetite and reduce metabolism, a dangerous one-two punch when it comes to weight gain.
PET or PETE, commonly used in water bottles (you’ve been told drinking water is healthy for you?) was tested and 75% of samples leached estrogenic activity! Futhermore, the bottled water, when exposed to UV rays and heat, increased the release of these dangerous chemicals right into that water. When you drink water in plastic bottles, you have NO idea where that water came from, or how long it’s been sitting in plastic!”
Fluoride is another nasty chemical in water!
An article published in the UK Telegraph where corporate media is not as strong as in the US reports: Fluoride could be causing depression and weight gain and councils should stop adding it to drinking water to prevent tooth decay, scientists have warned. A study of 98 per cent of GP practices in England found that high rates of underactive thyroid were 30 per cent more likely in areas of the greatest fluoridation. Fluoridation caused suffering needlessly from thyroid problems which can cause depression, weight gain, fatigue and aching muscles.
Do yourself a big favor, and do the environment a favor at the same time and use stainless steel or glass water bottles – and put in your own SAFE, filtered water! I have finally found the perfect system to treat water, and not waste it, like reverse osmosis does. Pure Effects has a variety of systems that delivers clean, delicious fresh water that has not been sitting in plastic.
If you own a home and have a dishwasher, this unit can be easily installed under your sink. If you are renting, counter-top units are also available. And one of the things I really appreciate is the company sends you a reminder when you are due to change the filters.
If you’re thinking that you use a Brita type water pitcher and this is purifying your water, think again!
- Do BRITA cartridges remove fluoride?
The BRITA cartridge is not designed to remove fluoride. Some fluoride is naturally present in tap water, whilst some water companies add fluoride to the water. If you are concerned about the presence of fluoride in your tap water, you should check with your water supplier.
- Can bacteria or viruses be filtered out (On Tap)?
The technique of a carbon block is not designed to filter out bacteria or viruses.
Reverse osmosis is not the answer because it wastes 3 gallons of water for every gallon you use – and that clearly is not sustainable, especially in places like California where there is a drought!
We cannot be worried about everything that can make us sick and kills us. But when there is clear evidence that something upon which we rely: WATER, can be a delivery system for pollutants and plastic and we CAN do something to prevent illness, then it should be a priority in your life, don’t you think? And especially so when you have children in your home who will be exposed to these chemicals as their bodies are small and growing.
Get rid of plastic utensils, saran wrap, plastic containers and especially water bottles. Get stainless steel and reuse it. You’ll be doing something good for yourself, AND for Mother Earth at the same time!
