Tap water can cause severe birth defects

[GOD]

Pregnant Women Shoud Stop Drinking Tap Water - A recent study found that chemicals in tap water can cause severe birth defects

People stopped regarding tap water as a luxury a long time ago - in some parts of the world, at least - and for all of us fortunate enough to live in a modern, developed society, tap water is part of our daily lives and we need it as strongly as we need to breathe or sleep. Tap water is cleaned via a process known as "chlorination", during which a series of chemicals are pumped into it to kill germs and dangerous bacteria while still making it fit to be drunk. Although many of us do not particularly enjoy drinking tap water and some even avoid it completely, we often forget that we also wash our hands and shower in it on a daily basis - thus getting regular exposure to the chemicals it contains.And this may be a problem - especially for pregnant women. Scientists from Birmingham University recently conducted a study on almost 400,000 babies and found a clear connection between chemicals formed during chlorination on the one hand and the occurrence of three severe birth defects, on the other hand. The "guilty" chemicals are called trihalomethanes, or THM for short, and we're all exposed to them daily by drinking, showering or taking baths, swimming in pools or even breathing in steam from a boiling pot of water. THM were found to affect pregnant women more and cause a higher incidence of three birth defects - hole-in-the-heart defect, cleft palate or anencephalus (in which, parts of the baby's brain, skull and scalp are missing).Doctors say that pregnant women should thus avoid drinking tap water of any kind. As for the other types of exposure, it would, of course, be impractical to stop showering with tap water, so scientists insist on the use of further disinfection methods which limit levels of the chemicals - which, they warn, may harm the unborn baby directly or damage the mother's eggs and thus cause any of the three problems mentioned above. "Water disinfection has an important purpose in reducing microbial load and reducing acute gastro-intestinal infections. Some have claimed it is the best public health measure ever introduced[...]. I don't suggest stopping using tap water but we have to be conscious that at population level some risks may be related to increased levels," warned a member of the research team.

 

[Meduzz]

No water is 100% healthy

In Belgium, there has recently been a research project by "test-aankoop" (consumer protection) about the quality of bottled water.

Couldn't find any copies in english, here are some dutch newspaper articles:
http://www.pidpa.be/nl/waterkwaliteit/onderzoek_TA.htm

In most cases a high sulphate level was noted. High sulphate levels dehydrate (!) and irritate the intestines. Of 48 tested brands 13 were unfit for daily use because of high levels of sulphate, fluoride and/or sodium.

 

[druglessdouglas]

ive read simmilar reports in the past- that hypochlorate ions can oxidise urea in the sweat to produce hydrazine, a known carcinogen, and manganese can enter the olfactory nerves causing nerve and even brain damage(through showering). in some rural parts of scotland they are using H2O2/NH3 as a bactericide. im glad i dont have to drink that

 

[acim2]

Any ideas on what types of filters (in any) would filter this stuff out.

We have a filter on our shower...which I think it important. When the water is spraying like that, it releases a lot of gases (like chlorine gas) which will be taken in quickly through the lungs, sometimes more readily than by drinking. Some filtering systems (like the ones used to get radon out of well water) work by bubbling the water to get the gas out, which is pretty similar to running water in a shower, except the you end up inhaling all the bad stuff since you are in a closed chamber with the escaping gases.

I agree that bottled water is often worse than tap water. There's not much regulation on bottled water in the US while there is at least some regulation on public tap water. (Maybe not good: I remember early on in the Bush administration they stopped some regulations that were going to go into effect that would limit the amount of arsenic in public drinking water....how nice.) I think Consumer Reports magazine had an article a long time ago on what they discovered when checking bottled water and it wasn't good.

I think at least some of the bad stuff in tap water will dissipate into the air if you just let is sit out in a pitcher for a few hours. That tends to work with chlorine smell anyway. I think it turns into a gas and goes into the air....so maybe you just breath it in anyway....

 

[druglessdouglas]

you can buy ion exchange resin filters for domestic water supply but the resin filter needs to be changed fairly regularly and theyre not cheap.