Toxic Acidic Chemicals

On the average, drinking water in the United States currently contains over 2,100 toxic chemicals that are known to cause cancerous states, cell mutation through acidic fermentation, and nervous system disorders created by these toxic acidic chemicals. This is not particularly surprising considering that there are close to 100,000 acidic chemicals now in everyday use -- with over 1,000 new ones being added each year.

In fact, according to the EPA, US industries generate some 79 million pounds of toxic acidic waste each year that is not disposed of properly - most of it ends up in our oceans leading to acid rain.

Second Hand Acidic Water

What is probably more surprising to most people, though, is the fact that, according to the EPA, 53 million Americans unknowingly drink acidic tap water that is polluted by feces, radiation, or other acidic contaminants.

Also according to EPA, some 45 million people drink water contaminated with the parasite cryptosporidium that killed more than 100 people in Milwaukee in 1993. Or that over half of all Americans drink acid water that has been used at least once before.

To summarize: You have to "make" good electron rich alkaline water because of acidic chemical residues, heavy metals, parasites, bacteria, human waste, agricultural waste, industrial waste, chlorine, fluoride -- all the insults imposed upon water by man.

"Man" does it, and we -- man by man, woman by woman -- have to undo it. And in doing so, as you'll see, we can even improve a bit on nature.

Industrial Pollution

Industrialization & technology have introduced new, complex, and sometimes lethal pollutants into our nation’s water systems. • The underground aquifers that feed city water supplies may catch runoff from dump sites, landfills, and even underground storage tanks. • The chemical we pump into the air from automobiles or factories eventually settle onto the land. Sooner or later, anything we bury, spray, emit, or flush, finds its way into our drinking water. • According to Environmental Defense Group, more than 4 billion pounds of toxic chemicals are released into the environment each year, 72 million pounds of which are known carcinogens. This is why about half of America’s ground water is contaminated; meaning about 1/4 of the population is exposed to contaminated drinking water.

Agri-Pollution

• Pesticides, herbicides and fertilizers used in massive quantities end up in underground aquifers

Drugs and Shampoo

• Pharmaceuticals end up in wastewater treatment plants then recycled for water use. Antibiotics, hormones and painkillers have been found in public drinking water. • Personal care products like cosmetics, toiletries and fragrances are chemicals put into water supplies

Little Critters

• Cities treat water to kill most bacteria; they usually cannot kill all viruses and parasites, such as amoeba, Guardia, and cryptosporidium.

Chlorine in Drinking Water

• Cities add chlorine to kill microorganisms but it is not entirely safe. It can combine with organic materials to form thihalomethanes – a cancer promoting substance. • Bladder cancer has been linked to chlorinated drinking water in 10 out of 11 most reliable studies. • Chlorinated water has also been linked to birth defects and spina bifida. • Chlorinated tap water can hurt you even if you don’t drink it. Those trihalomethanes get into your body when you shower they evaporate out of the water and you inhale them. They are also absorbed into your body, more than drinking ½ gallon of chlorinated tap water.

Fluoride

Fluoride is a proven toxin. • Sodium fluoride is added to toothpaste and is created by aluminum smelting. • The more toxic hydrofluosilicic acid or sodium silicofluoride is most commonly used in the water systems in the US and considered one of the most corrosive chemical agents known to man. • Fluoride can interfere with vitamin and mineral functions; it is also linked to calcium deposits and arthritis. • Dr. Charles Gordon Heyd, past President of the American Medical Association, stated, “Fluoride is a corrosive poison that will produce serious effects on a long range basis.” Aluminum Problems • Water is also treated with aluminum to remove organic material. Aluminum coagulates organic material into clumps but it is impossible to remove all the aluminum. • Boiling water may get rid of bacteria but the chemicals remain. ________________________________________

Pharmaceuticals Found in Water Supplies

Summary: Reporters from the Associated Press’ National Investigative Team reviewed hundreds of scientific reports, federal databases and environmental studies and interviewed more than 230 officials, academics and scientists and private water suppliers in all 50 states. Following this exhaustive project, it was concluded that a surprising array of pharmaceuticals have been found in water supplies across the U.S. Partial Findings: Following is a partial list of what the Investigative Team uncovered:

1. Philadelphia: 56 pharmaceuticals or byproducts in treated drinking water, including medicines for pain, infection, high cholesterol, asthma, epilepsy, mental illness and heart problems. Sixty-three pharmaceuticals or byproducts were found in the city’s watersheds.

2. Southern California: Anti-epileptic and anti-anxiety medications were detected in a portion of the treated drinking water for 18.5 million people.

3. Northern New Jersey: Drinking water treatment plant, which serves 850,000 people, found a metabolized angina medicine and the mood-stabilizing carbamazepine in drinking water.

4. San Francisco: A sex hormone was detected in drinking water.

5. Washington D.C.: The drinking water for Washington, D.C., and surrounding areas tested positive for six pharmaceuticals.

6. Tucson AZ: Three medications, including an antibiotic, were found in drinking water supplied to Tucson, Ariz.

7. Hospitals Flush 250 Million Pounds of Expired Drugs Into Public Sewers Every Year! Click here to read the article in NaturalNews.com.

There is NOT a Federal Government mandate for municipalities and well owners to test for pharmaceuticals in the water, or have the Agencies set any maximum contaminant levels. As a matter of fact, the common water quality tests available through certified water quality labs would not even detect these levels of pharmaceutical contaminants. NSF,(www.nsf.org) the gold standard for private water quality certifying organization in the USA has not established a standard for the testing of these contaminates. Of the 62 major water providers contacted by the Investigative Team, the drinking water for only 28 was tested. Among the 34 that haven’t: Houston, Chicago, Miami, Baltimore, Phoenix, Boston and New York City’s Department of Environmental Protection, which delivers water to 9 million people.

Health Risks

Researchers do not yet understand the exact risks associated with persistent and prolonged exposure to random combinations of low levels of pharmaceuticals. However, some studies uncovered dangerous effects on humans and animals. To nobody’s surprise, the Pharmaceutical Industry had initially gone on record to state that: "Based on what we now know, I would say we find there’s little or no risk from pharmaceuticals in the environment to human health," said microbiologist Thomas White, a consultant for the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America. But at a conference last summer, Mary Buzby, Director of Environmental Technology for drug maker Merck & Co. Inc. said: "There’s no doubt about it, pharmaceuticals are being detected in the environment and there is genuine concern that these compounds, in the small concentrations that they’re at, could be causing impacts to human health or to aquatic organisms."

The reaction from the Federal Government was: "We recognize it is a growing concern and we’re taking it very seriously," said Benjamin H. Grumbles, assistant administrator for water at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

Removal of Contaminants

Some time will be needed to determine the optimal solution for removal of pharmaceuticals in drinking water due to the need for extensive testing. However, as with removal of other contaminants in water, the more barriers to treatment that are installed, the greater the particulate removal.

Initial studies indicate that some reduction in pharmaceuticals is achieved from Granular Activated Carbon (GAC). The FILOS 45 utilizes a 3 stage filtration process with GAC filtration media as one of the three stages. GAC has been used for decades in water treatment to adsorb many dangerous compounds.

Reverse Osmosis (R/O) treatment was specifically designed to provide a way to remove up to 98% of all dissolved and suspended materials in water. The disadvantage of R/O is the fact that water produced is virtually mineral free and typically highly acidic on the pH scale. Both of those properties in R/O water are not natural for the body. The FILOS 45 removes the contaminants but leaves the good minerals in the water. Furthermore, R/O systems can waste between 5 to 20 gallons of water for each gallon of drinking water produced!

Some consumers may see bottled water as an alternative, but bottled water in many cases comes from sources that are contaminated, and is typically treated with R/O. Bottled water also has disadvantages due to leaching of plasticides into the water inside the bottle and environmental damage created by manufacturing and disposal of the plastic bottle itself is now widely known to be a huge and looming environmental issue in our landfills, oceans, lakes, streams and rivers. We are now contaminating our environment along with our bodies!