Health Blog

Another thing that is not mentioned about bottled water vs tap water is that unless bought specifically with flouride, bottled water does not contain any.  I have heard that dentists are saying that children who drink mostly bottled water are coming in with a higher rate of cavities than those who drink mostly flouridated tap water.  This would be an interesting fact to further explore.

This is an article found in the NewsMax website which is an advertisement for a water filter.  I know they are trying to sell a water filter, but I would like to know your assessment of their claims.

The following is from the advertisement:
If you think the water you are drinking is safe — think again!
According to one environmental study group, U.S. Drinking water contains more than 2,100 toxic chemicals that can cause cancer, yet the EPA has established enforceable safety standards for only 87.
Many of these chemicals are potentially harmful and can cause you and your family serious health problems.
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.
Like most people, you probably get your tap water from a government agency or municipality.
But the blunt truth is that many municipal water systems simply weren’t built to handle the influx of modern-day contaminants.
These agencies also don’t want to invest in costly technology to keep your water clean and pure!
If your water comes from underground wells and aquifers, remember that a host of pollutants such as pesticides, herbicides, toxic waste from landfills, chemical and oil spills, acid rain and more find their way into your water supply.
If your water comes from reservoirs – it’s often loaded with ground run-off contaminants such as pesticides and even acid rain.
And to control the growth of bacteria and fungus in most water, government water systems put chlorine or chloramines into your water.
These chemicals kill bacteria – but remember chlorine is a toxic substance. Chlorine has not only a disagreeable odor, but in larger doses can be poisonous!
Not content to use only chlorine, some municipal water systems add fluoride – another toxic chemical. Fluoride is a known neurotoxin that can damage your brain. It’s also been linked to cancer.
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 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 like E. coli.
The truth is that drinking a little bit of contaminated water probably won’t immediately hurt you – and your body won’t show any noticeable reaction.
But that’s where the real danger comes: you don’t know that your home tap water is slowly poisoning you.
Consider that over the course of your life, you will drink approximately 13,000 gallons of water.
If that water is indeed contaminated – the cumulative affect on your health will be extremely dangerous.
That’s why it’s so important you make doubly sure the water you drink is 100 percent steam distilled – the safest and cheapest way to get pure water.
Water Is Your Key to Good Health
Make no mistake; water is the single most important substance that keeps your body alive.
Among all the nutrients that humans consume, water is, as one scientist described it, the “indispensable nutrient” on which all forms of life depend.

No. This scientific support is full of inaccuracies, half truths and marketing hype. The data cited as being from CDC relates to diseases and illnesses from water is NOT coming from municipal sources. Filters may be useful for taste purposes but there is no compelling health reason if water is obtained from municipal or epa monitored systems. In fact, higher rates of illness have been reported from wells, springs, etc.

I'm not sure of the state of studies of use of filters in these settings though it may make sense.

(On behalf of Dr. Mike), A Lumen

Historically, I have been terrible at getting my daily eight glasses of water. But last year when I was pregnant I started eating my 5 a day and chugging water - up to 3 liters a day. Now that I'm breastfeeding I still try to drink 80oz a day. This has mostly been filtered or bottled water since I've always thought our city water has a funny taste to it. Recently, as an economic move I've started drinking our tap water and was surprised to discover that it's pretty much the same as the filtered water. For me, taste has always been the deciding factor for the choice between bottled/filtered or tap water. I use the tap water to mix in my baby's cereal and will give that to him when he starts drinking water. To me it's the same concept as getting used to skim milk from 2% - it's just a matter of what we're accustomed to having.

well water our source of life = cancer/tumors

One of my concerns was a study that came out around 2000 that linked higher risk of miscarriage to women who drank tap water. I don't have the specifics at hand, but it basically turned me off tap water along with the smell from the high cholrine content in the water where we lived that was strong enough to curl my eyelashes! I do worry about the plastics in the bottled water and it's impact on hormones, especially in my young children. I haven't had a chance to research it enough, but I had heard that the phlates in soft and certain sorts of plastics could be a concern for babies and small children. Are you aware of info about either issue? thanks.

All I know is that when I had pneumonia, my physician told me to stop drinking tap water because there were so many things added to make it safe to drink that it actually inhibited my immune system. When I started drinking bottled water I got better.  The down side is, that not drinking tap water can damage your teeth because of the lack of flouride so I drink about half and half now.

Hot Mama

I'm not sure, but I only drink filtered water. Country water just has way to much of everything in it and it taste horrible. I drink my jug of 64 oz a day and I feel alot better than if I don't drink none. Down fall from city water and well water. They don't prove Floride in well water.

I've always been a tap water drinker.  I've never had any problems, unusual sicknesses, miscarriages or any other bad thing that each study (probably funded by bottled water companies) says is a danger.  The only reason I ever buy bottled water is for the convenience of portability.  But after I drink the bottled water, I fill the bottle with tap water.  

I drink bottled water because there have several outbreak in the water in Wisconsin. But I do drink tap water from time to time so my immune system will build up a resistance if my body has to fight off germs.