Current Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) guidelines allow for “acceptable” levels of pollutants, such as chlorine, lead, arsenic, and aluminum in our water. But even with these less than stringent EPA treatment standards, the 1993 and 1994 EPA reports indicate that some 53 million Americans drank from city water systems that violated EPA standards. In 1995, it was officially recommended by the EPA that people with compromised immune systems due to AIDS, chemotherapy, or transplant surgery boil their water or use bottled water.
Some experts claim that even all the measures we currently have in place do not insure a pure drinking water supply. The question facing the public is: if our municipal treatment plants cannot produce contaminant-free water, what can be done to create healthy drinking water?
The Pollutants
Landfills are still a major source of groundwater contamination in spite of new regulations. Industrial waste and municipal sewage continue to make their way into our waterways. Cesspools, septic systems, underground storage tanks and lawn treatments all runoff into our water. Rain and snow also help pollutants and pesticides in the air find their way into the water. Runoff from pesticides or nitrates from nitrogen fertilizer plague water supplies in agricultural areas. Even radioactive waste finds its way into our environment as a result of inadequate disposal procedures and enforcement.
Gasoline & MTBE
We use a lot of gasoline in this country. Any seepage, leaks, spills, or accidents lead to contamination. Gasoline hangs out on sediment and contaminates runoff water or water flowing through filtering beds on its way to underground aquifers. One gallon of gasoline ruins 5 million gallons of drinking water. There are thousands of underground gasoline storage tanks that still remain in the ground beyond their twenty year life expectancy.
MTBE is a gasoline additive that has been used since 1980 to limit gasoline's air pollution. Experiments demonstrate that laboratory rats and mice that breathe or drink it develop lymphoma, leukemia, testicular, thyroid, and kidney tumors.
Parasites
The CDC estimates about 900,000 cases each year of water-borne bacterial disease. Even though many municipal supplies have been treated according to the Safe Drinking Water Act, millions of Americans are still wary of drinking tap water. After all, as many as one-third of all gastrointestinal illnesses are said to be caused by bacterial and parasitic infections as well as 900 deaths each year.
Cryptosporidium is a kind of parasite that causes acute and chronic cases of diarrhea, cramps, fever, and vomiting. Because it is only 5 microns in size 250 of them can fit on the head of a pin it can slip through typical water treatment plants and enter our drinking water. What is more, it is resistant to chlorine. Once ingested, this unicellular parasite hatches eggs in the digestive tract.
As few as 30 parasites (one glass of water) can cause long-term infection. In other words, one glass of water can cause long term problems. There is no established cure. Healthy individuals can recover in 1-2 weeks, but crypto can be life-threatening to those with compromised immune systems. Distillation and submicron filtration at your tap are currently the best insurance to avoid Cryptosporidium.
Another chlorine resistant parasite is the protozoa Giardia lamblia. Giardia causes symptoms similar to colitis, irritable bowel syndrome, and lactose intolerance as well as cramps, diarrhea, and nausea. It is often mistaken for other ailments. One to two weeks of antibiotic or herbal antimicrobial therapy is required for recovery.
Escherichia Coli (E. coli) is a common, nonpathogenic bacteria that resides in our digestive tract and that of animals. Its presence in water is an indication of fecal contamination. E. coli infection from water or food can cause dysentery-like symptoms.
Additives to Water
There are dozens of additives used to treat municipal water. Chlorine and fluoride are the most common and the most infamous. There is a whole category of additives known as flocculants which cause pollutants to clump together for more efficient filtering. Even though the EPA classifies some flocculants as probable human carcinogens, it still allows their use in water treatment facilities. ”It is estimated that in 99 percent of the US population, their fatty tissue contains one or more of the toxic chemicals found in water.” Dr. Ronald Klatz, MD, Pres. American Academy of Anti-Aging Medicine
Chlorine
In the early 1920s, the United States successfully controlled the outbreaks of cholera, typhoid, hepatitis, dysentery, and other waterborne diseases using chlorine. Today, chlorine is still accepted as the only viable method of killing bacteria in water supplies. Ironically, this process that once rid our water of these infectious organisms, is now responsible for causing a new breed of dangerous pollutants.
Historically, chlorine was the world's first biological -weapon with its use as poisonous gas in WWI. Later it was drafted for civilian use to poison the bacteria in our water. At its most benign, chlorine makes it seem as if one is drinking from a swimming pool. But, if the chlorine in water is sufficient to produce an offensive smell, it could be enough to destroy helpful bacteria in our intestinal tract.
But chlorination is responsible for a more insidious problem. It is extremely volatile and combines rapidly with organic, carbon based pollutants from industry and the environment, to form a new breed of dangerous chemicals called tri-halo-methanes (THMs). There are hundreds of deadly THMs, among them carbon-tetrachloride, bi-chloroethane, and chloroform. According to a Norwegian study by Dr. Per Magnus of the National Institute of Public Health, Oslo, THMs have mutagenic and carcinogenic effects. Dr. Magnus found that the use of chlorine leads to a 14% increase in overall birth defects. In another study of 5,144 pregnant women conducted by the California Department of Health Services, women who drank five glasses of THM contaminated water had a 16.4% rate of miscarriage as compared to a 6.1% rate of those who had low levels of THMs in their water.
These chemicals plus the larger family of chlorinated hydrocarbons, such as DOT, PCBs, TCE, 2,4,5-T, have been linked to heart disease, senility, and cancers of the bladder, liver, pancreas, colon and urinary tract.
A new alternative disinfectant, used in many cities, is chloramines - a mix of chlorine and ammonia. Much is unknown about the safety of this disinfectant and there are many concerns such as the ability of aquarium filters in fish tanks and home dialysis machines to remove it.
Hydrocarbons
Hydrocarbons are everywhere. They are the mainstay of the chemical industry and they are both very stable and fat soluble. When they enter our environment, they stay for a long time and are hard to get rid of. Hundreds of millions of tons of hydrocarbon waste are produced in the United States every year. Many make their way into our water supplies through agricultural runoff, industrial effluents, sewage, and chemical dumps. They end up in our rivers, lakes, reservoirs, and groundwater. Hydrocarbons are so insidious, they have made their way into such far-reaching places as the fat of the arctic penguin and human breast tissue.
Fluoridation of Municipal Water
Fluoride is without doubt the most controversial ingredient in our water. Since it was first introduced into municipal water supplies in the 1940s, it has been the subject of a heated battle between established medical associations, scientists, researchers, politicians, and consumer groups. Some 130 million people living in this country drink fluoridated water. Fluoride has been banned in Sweden, Denmark, and Holland, and abandoned in Belgium and West Germany. America has not budged in its loyalty to fluoride, yet our rate of tooth decay is among the highest in the world. On the other hand, there are many nations that are not fluoridated, yet largely decay free. The Otomi Indians in Mexico, the Bedouins in Israel, and the Ibos in Nigeria are all primitive societies with no fluoride and no tooth decay. Why? Because they consume almost no refined carbohydrates and sugar.
The idea for adding fluoride to the nation's water supplies was first proposed in 1939 by Dr. Gerald Cox of the Mellon Institute, a research organization that is funded by the Mellon family, owners of Alcoa Aluminum. Fluoride is a waste product of the aluminum industry. Their research showed that fluoride in drinking water accumulated in teeth and made the tooth enamel more insoluble thus reducing the incidence of cavities.
Most major medical organizations in the country continue to support mass fluoridation: The American Medical Association, the American Dental Association, and the federal government's U.S. Public Health Service. One defection from the ranks is the Worcester Dental Society, who repudiated its own endorsement of fluoridation. The society said that its endorsement had been given after having heard only one side that relied on tests “of an unscientific nature” conducted in the 1940s, and reported on by the aluminum trust. They further stated that fluoride does not prevent tooth decay and that better nutrition, hygiene and supervision were the cause of the benefits attributed to fluoride.
Ecological Hazards of Modern Society
Unfortunately, our water is subject to nearly every kind of pollutant in our society. As if contamination from gasoline, parasites, chlorine, fluoride, and aging pipes were not enough, pharmaceutical drugs, pesticides, lead, asbestos, nitrates, and even radioactive waste all have an impact on our water.
Pesticides and Herbicides
If you happen to live in an agricultural based state, chances are fairly strong that your well or public water supply is laced with pesticides or nitrates from nitrogen fertilizer runoff.
A recent report by the Environmental Working Croup in Washington, DC revealed that over 14 million people living in a 14 state area are drinking water laced with herbicides and pesticides. The herbicides found were used to treat corn and soybeans. Over 67 pesticides have been found in water supplies throughout the Midwest, the Chesapeake Bay region, Louisiana and the District of Columbia. Birth defects, genetic mutations, neurological damage, oxygen starvation, blue baby syndrome, heart and artery disease, and cancer are all worsened by the ingestion of these chemicals.
Quality of Pipes
Over 90% of the water distribution pipes in this country are over 100 years old. Galvanized pipes began to be widely used in the 1920s and copper pipes replaced lead. But a major source of lead contamination today is the lead solder used. It was legal up until 1986 to use lead pipes, lead solder, and other lead materials in water pipe repair and construction. Lead plumbing is therefore ubiquitous and because these pipes are buried underground and hidden behind walls, they are likely to be with us for decades.
Dioxin
Dioxin was developed as a defoliant for use in the Vietnam War and is one of the most deadly chemicals ever made. It was the prime contaminant involved in the infamous Love Canal chemical spill. It never breaks down in the environment.
Acid Rain
The eastern seaboard (including Canada) receives the effects of some 27 million tons of sulfur dioxide and 21 million tons of nitrous oxides a year generated from Midwest smoke stacks. The result: acid rain, snow, dew and fog creating polluted reservoirs and watersheds, dead lakes, damaged crops, and forests of stunted trees. An investigation by the Congressional Office of Technology Assessment in June, 1984, concluded that 17,000 lakes and 112,000 miles of streams are threatened by acid rain creating widespread water pollution and an impending national disaster.
Scientists have known for many years that emissions from factories, cars, smelters, coal, and electric generating plants travel into the atmosphere and make their way back to us with the next rain. This “acid rain” not only damages the quality of our water in lakes and streams, watersheds, and forests, but also harms the fish, wildlife species, and most important of all, human health.
Heavy Metals
Lead. One in six Americans drinks water containing excessive levels of lead, a systemic toxin. The EPA has found that the drinking water in some 130 cities serving 42 million people has lead levels in excess of federal limits. The cities must remedy this, but they have until 2013 to do so. Most cities won't meet this deadline due to lack of funds.
Many older buildings still contain lead pipes and if the pipes are not lead, lead solder was probably used on the joints. The longer water is in contact with lead, the more lead it picks up. Lead will dissolve more readily when water is acidic (having a pH of less than 7.0); and hot water dissolves lead more quickly than cold water. Natural and industrial soil deposits and brass alloy faucets are another source of lead contamination. The disposal of lead paints can further pollute our water supplies. The EPA estimates that lead from drinking water contributes about 20% of the average person's total lead exposure.
Lead. Lead can impair the reproductive and central nervous systems and may cause problems with behavioral and emotional development. It can increase blood pressure in adults, and affect hearing. High levels of exposure can cause anemia, kidney damage and mental retardation.
Children absorb a much greater percent of ingested lead than do adults. Bottle-fed infants may absorb as much as 85%. In infants and children, lead causes behavioral problems, learning disabilities, retardation and stunted growth. Studies have shown that continuous small doses of lead from drinking water can lower the intelligence of gifted children to that of normal children, and drop children of normal intelligence to the bottom of their class.
Arsenic. Arsenic occurs widely in the environment from natural sources such as air, water, food, and tobacco, as well as arsenic containing pesticides. Its maximum level is set at 0.05 mg/1. At present it has not been labeled as a definite carcinogen, but it does attack the digestive tract and lungs, and can cause lethargy and fatigue at low levels.
Aluminum. Scientists suspect that aluminum accumulates in long-lived cells such as nerve cells, where it acts as a neurotoxin causing degenerative damage in the brain. Aluminum enters the body most commonly through diet, including baking soda, salt, vitamins, and even toothpaste. The main source of aluminum is industrial polluters, cooking utensils and appliances.
Nitrates. Nitrates result mostly from agricultural runoff and seepage from septic tanks. They enter both surface and veil water and have caused “baby blue” syndrome (methemoglobinemia). In adults, they can help manufacture nitrosamines, which are known carcinogens. Boiling water increases nitrate concentration.
Iron. Iron is a commonly available mineral that gives your water the unsavory orange-red color you usually see first thing in the morning. Although it certainly detracts from your water's aesthetic, it is not a dangerous metal. Its main damage is to the taste or color of your coffee or tea. Iron is actually a necessary mineral used in the manufacture of red blood cells. It is a transporter of oxygen and is needed to prevent anemia. Common filters will remove the rust.
Radioactivity.
Radioactive pollution in drinking water is a serious problem. Atomic power plants, military weapons and new medical techniques create radioactive waste products and disposing of them is a problem. Leaks with measurable effects on aquatic life have appeared in the oceans where 20-30 years ago the first dumps were created. Part of the criteria for a nuclear dump is that it has the capacity to prevent a leaks for over 10,000 years - the time it takes for radioactivity to decay to safe levels.
Radon. The EPA estimates 17 million Americans are threatened by excessive radon levels. Radon is a radioactive gas that permeates ground water in New Jersey, New England, and the Western Mountain States. Preliminary studies found that radon in drinking water can double the risk of soft tissue cancers.
Mercury. Prolonged ingestion of mercury can result in loss of muscle control, kidney disease, and brain damage. The National Wildlife Federation reported that snow and rain in the Midwest contains mercury levels in excess of EPA safe limits. Mercury levels were found to be 42 times EPA safe levels in Chicago and 65 times EPA safe levels in Detroit.
The Canadian and Swedish scientists conducting this study concluded, extrapolating to humans, “that mercury and other toxins could accumulate in human brains via nerve transport.” This is especially true for children and fetuses.
Copper and PVC Piping
By current EPA standards, copper pipes are acceptable and copper tubing is used in many under-the-sink filters. But if blue or blue-green stains appear in the sink, it usually means that the copper plumbing fixtures are corroding. Aquarium fish die from copper contaminated water. Polyvinylchloride (PVC) pipes can leach vinyl chloride into the water causing damage to kidneys, the nervous system, the liver, the immune, and circulatory systems. If there is contamination in our water supply, what can be done about it?