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Chlorine has
been used as an effective disinfectant in drinking water
supplies for nearly 100 years. Chlorine is considered necessary
to destroy many of the bacteria in your drinking water.
If it
cleanses your water, then what is the problem?
Health officials are concerned with the
chlorinating by-products, also known as "chlorinated
hydrocarbons" or trihalomethanes (THM's). Most THM's are formed
in drinking water when chlorine reacts with naturally occurring
substances such as decomposing plant and animal materials. Risk
for certain types of cancer are now being correlated to the
consumption of chlorinated drinking water. The President's
Council on Environmental Quality states that "there is increased
evidence for an association between rectal, colon and bladder
cancer and the consumption of chlorinated drinking water."
Suspected carcinogens make the human body more vulnerable
through repeated ingestion and research indicates the incidence
of cancer is 44% higher among those using chlorinated water.
Even though the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) adopted
new regulations in 1980 for cities to lower the chlorination
by-products in water to level not exceeding 100 parts per
billion, experts believe that it still doesn't provide proper
safeguards and should be strengthened. Unfortunately, there is a
little likelihood that the use of chlorine will be discontinued
since it is currently the most economically acceptable chemical
for bacterial control at this time. It is ironic that the
process of chlorination, by which we cleanse our water of
infectious organisms, can create cancer-causing substances from
otherwise innocent chemicals in water.
Expert voices from now and earlier
"Chlorine is the greatest crippler and
killer of modern times. While it prevented epidemics of one
disease, it was creating another. Two decades ago, after the
start of chlorinating our drinking water in 1904, the epidemic
of heart trouble, cancer and senility began."
SAGINAW HOSPITAL
J.M. Price, MD
"Showering is suspected as the primary cause of elevated levels
of chloroform in nearly
every home because of the chlorine in the water."
ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY
Dr. Lance Wallace
"Taking long hot showers is a health risk, according to research
presented last week in Anaheim, California, at a meeting of the
American Chemical Society. Showers – and to a lesser extent
baths – lead to a greater exposure to toxic chemicals contain
din water supplies than does drinking the water. The chemicals
evaporate out of the water and are inhaled.
They can also spread through the house and be inhaled by others.
House holders can receive 6 to 100 times more of the chemical by
breathing the air around showers and bath than they would by
drinking the water."
NEW SCIENTIST, 18 September 1996
Ian Anderson
"Studies indicate the suspect chemicals can also be inhaled and
absorbed through the skin during showering and bathing."
"Ironically, even the Chlorine widely used to disinfect water
produces Carcinogenic traces."
"Though 7 out of 10 American drink chlorinated water, its safety
over the long term is uncertain."
"Drinking chlorinated water may as much as double the risk of
the bladder cancer, which strikes 40,000 people a year."
U.S. NEWS & WORLD REPORT – July 29, 1991
Is Your Water Safe – The Dangerous State of Your Water
"A long, hot shower can be dangerous. The toxic chemicals are
inhaled in high concentrations."
BOTTOM LINE – August 1987
Dr. John Andelman, Ph.D.
"Scientists found there was a higher incidence of cancer of the
esophagus, rectum, breast, and larynx and of Hodgkin's Disease
among those drinking chlorinated surface waters."
"Volatile organics can evaporate from water in a shower or
bath."
"Conservative calculations indicate that inhalation exposures
can be as significant as exposure from drinking the water, that
is, one can be exposed to just as much by inhalation during a
shower as by drinking 2 liters of water a day."
"People who shower frequently could be exposed through
ingestion, inhalation and/or dermal absorption."
IS YOUR WATER SAFE TO DRINK?
Consumer Reports Books
Chlorinated
Drinking Water Linked to Cancer
November 21, 1999 The Toronto Star
Task force to conduct tests in hundreds of communities!
Ottawa (CP) - A new federal analysis concludes that chlorinated
drinking water may pose a cancer risk to humans, particularly
the risk of bladder cancer.
The report by the Laboratory Center for Disease Control, made
public yesterday, is based on an exhaustive review of dozens of
studies carried out over recent years in Canada and abroad.
The review has already spurred the Federal-Provincial Drinking
Water Committee to re-examine existing standards for levels of
chlorine by-products (CBPs).
Despite the undisputed benefit of chlorination in controlling
infectious diseases, the epidemiological studies indicate an
elevated incidence of bladder cancer among those who have been
exposed to chlorinated drinking water for long periods.
"If you put those two lines of evidence together I would say it
comes out as a probable link (between chlorinated water and
cancer)," said health department expert Donald Wigle, who wrote
the review.
He said a task force would test drinking water in hundreds of
communities across Canada to determine precisely the current
concentrations of chlorination by-products.
The task force will also survey equipment and practices at water
purification plants across the country to determine how costly
it would be to lower the current limit on the chemicals.
One of the most effective ways to reduce concentrations of the
chemicals is to use a water filtration system.
But many communities, especially smaller ones, don't have
up-to-date water filtration systems.
Wigle said a new standard, if one is deemed necessary, probably
won't be proclaimed until late next year. He said consumers
could protect themselves from the risk by using household water
filters or drinking bottled water.
Chlorine's
Health Effects
In addition to diet and exercise,
maintaining optimum health involves controlling toxic pollutants
commonly found indoors. Many people who suffer from allergies
find their complaints aggravated by substances that have become
part of everyday life. Whether we like it or not, most of us
spend 70 to 90% of our time indoors, bombarding our immune
systems with chemicals and irritants from carpeting, cleaning
products, tobacco smoke, pesticides, dust, plastics, fiberglass,
asbestos, automobile exhaust, and even the chlorine that is
routinely added to municipal water supplies.
Young children, the elderly, and the chronically ill are among
the most noticeably affected. The American Medical Association
reports a 75% increase in asthma cases since 1984. "Sick
buildings" are routinely reported in newspapers and magazines,
largely the result of poorly circulated air, toxins emitted by
plastics and other. synthetic materials, and out-gassing of
paints and chemically treated wood. A "sick building" is defined
as one where more than 20% of a building's occupants report
illnesses that are building related, with symptoms such as skin
rashes, nose bleeds, headaches, mental fatigue, eye, nose and
throat irritation, nausea and dizziness.
Indoor pollution can frequently be the cause of feeling run down
and generally out of sorts. Yet this shouldn't surprise us if
our bodies, particularly our respiratory systems, are being
overtaxed by contaminants, then no matter how much we control
our diet and how much time we spend getting exercise, we won't
be able to perform at our peak. While chlorine occurs in nature,
chiefly as a component of sodium chloride in sea water and salt
deposits, it irritates the eyes and throat, and it is poisonous
when swallowed or inhaled. In 1992, the American Medical
Association published information that stated "nearly 28% of all
cancer of the intestines and 18% of all cancer of the bladder
were caused by the drinking of chlorinated water." Chlorine may
also be a culprit in cancer, although studies undertaken to
determine
if this is the case remain incomplete.
A surprising but growing concern is the effect that chlorine and
other chemicals have on serotonin levels. Recent research
demonstrates that recalcitrant organochlorines may play a role
in the etiology of chronic fatigue syndrome. The chlorine
emitted from showering and other household water use breaks down
into free radicals that can lead to cancer and cardiovascular
disease. Chlorinated water also contains hypochlorite, which
increases levels of singlet oxygen in the body. Clearly it is
vital to good health to filter as much chlorine from your home
water system as possible.
Indoor air is often more contaminated than outdoor air. During
the summer months especially, pollens, smog, and bacteria
increase. Along with the harsh chemicals used to control germs
and bacteria, our homes may also be polluted by organic gases
from paint, wallpaper, insect repellent, air fresheners, and dry
cleaned clothing. The levels of organic gases can be as much as
five times higher inside the home than outdoors. Ordinary
household dust may contain lead, asbestos, other respirable
particles, and dust mites, an especially annoying problem for
allergy sufferers, who may experience eye, nose, and throat
irritation occluded breathing, bronchitis, and respiratory
infections from inhaling dust mite feces. Biological pollutants
in the home may be found in damp walls (especially in humid
climates), in basements, air conditioners, carpeting, bedding
and furniture.
Chlorine is one of the most reactive elements found in nature.
It readily dissolves in water, where it combines with molecules
of oxygen and hydrogen to form hypochlorous acid and
hypochlorite ion. Chlorination of water is achieved by adding
chlorine gas directly to the water supply, or by adding the
chemicals calcium hypochlorite or sodium chlorite, both of which
are known as "free available chlorine".
Water utilities routinely disinfect drinking water to prevent
microbial diseases, especially cholera, dysentery, and typhoid
fever. Top date, the greatest contribution to the protection
of public health in the United States has been the disinfection
of public water supplies, yet chlorine itself has been shown to
cause a number of health problems.
Two decades after the start of chlorinating our drinking water,
the present epidemic of heart trouble and cancer began.
Potential Contribution to Heart Disease
The patent for chlorination was granted in 1888 to Dr. Albert R.
Leeds, Professor of Chemistry at Steven's Institute of
Technology in Hoboken, New Jersey. The next year, the first
chlorination of a public water supply was attempted in Adrian,
Michigan. It wasn't until 1908, however, that chlorination was
used on a large scale, at Boonton Reservoir waterworks in Jersey
City, New Jersey. By the 1940s, chlorination was widespread in
the United States.
Concerns about chlorine and health began in the 1960s. In one
study, an association was shown to exist between chlorination
and heart disease, evidence that was, interestingly, discovered
in Jersey City, the site of the first large-scale chlorination
project. The severity of heart disease among people over the age
of 50 correlated with the amount of chlorinated tap water they
consumed. A statistically significant correlation demonstrated
that those persons over 50 who did not suffer from heart disease
drank mostly unchlorinated fluids such as bottled water, or
boiled water (chlorine is released as a gas when boiled).
Dr. Joseph Price, author of Coronaries, Cholesterol, Chlorine,
has stated that he believes chlorine is the cause of "an
unprecedented disease epidemic which includes heart attacks and
strokes. Most medical researchers were led to believe it was
safe, but now we are learning the hard way that all the time we
thought we were preventing epidemics of one disease, we were
creating another. "Two decades after the start of chlorinating
our drinking water in 1940, the present epidemic of heart
trouble and cancer began."
Although numerous studies have been conducted in the attempt to
discover how chlorine may be a factor in cancer, no research has
determined specifically that chlorine is a responsible agent.
(See, for example, T. Pate, R. H. Harris, S. S. Epstein,
"Drinking Water and Cancer Mortality in Louisiana," Science Vol.
193, 1976, 55-57). But the relationship between heart disease
and chlorinated water is well established-alas, even chickens
and pigeons used in tests to determine the effects of chlorine
showed evidence of either atherosclerosis of the aorta or
obstruction of the circulatory system.
Removal of
Chlorine from Showers
In confined spaces, such as a shower or
bathroom, we can sometimes smell chlorine. Frequent exposure to
chlorine gas even at the low levels found during normal
activities such as showering may reduce the oxygen transfer
capacity of the lungs.
When we shower, we also expose our skin to a large amount of
diluted chlorine. It's likely, given the strong oxidizing power
of chlorine, that regular exposure to chlorinated water will
hasten the skin's aging process. Fortunately, over the last ten
years, water filters & water filtration systems have become more
sophisticated and it is now possible to remove chlorine from
your home shower.
References:
Paul Caro, Water, McGraw Hill, 1993, passim.
R. Hugh Dunstan et al, "A Preliminary Investigation
of Chlorinated Hydrocarbons and Chronic Fatigue
Syndrome," The Medical Journal of Australia,
September 18, 1995; 163: 294-297.
Patrick Flanagan, Elixir of the Ageless: You Are What
You Drink, Flanagan Technologies, 1986.
Colin Ingram, The Drinking Water Book: A Complete
Guide to Safe Drinking Water, Berkeley, CA:Ten
Speed Press, 1991.
Durk Pearson and Sandy Shaw, Life Extension: A
Practical Scientific Approach, New York: Warner
Books, 1983; 260-261.
Sanetaka Shirahata et al, "Electrolyzed-Reduced
Water Scavenges Active Oxygen Species and
Protects DNA from Oxidative Damage," Biochemical
and Biophysical Research Communications, 234,
269-274, 1997 (Article NO. RC976622).
J.C. Steward, Drinking Water Hazards,
Envirographics, 1990.
Excerpts taken from http://www.triangularwave.com/
Chlorine's Adverse Health Effects
CONTAMINANT PROBABLE HEALTH EFFECTS
- Arsenic
-- Malignant tumors of skin and lungs, cramps, spasms,
effects to nervous system
- Barium
-- Prolonged stimulant action on muscles, nerve block
- Benzene
-- Cancer, leukemia, anemia
- Cadmium
-- Bronchitis, anemia, gastrointestinal upsets, cancer in
rats
- Carbon tetrachloride
-- Central nervous system depression, gastrointestinal
effects, liver and kidney damage, coma, death
- Chlordane
-- Carcinogen, liver and kidney damage
- Chlorobenzene --
Irritation to respiratory system, central nervous system
depression
- Chloroform
-- Possible liver, kidney and heart effects; carcinogenic in
at least one animal species
- Chromium
-- Kidney damage, cancer
- Copper --
Gastrointestinal tract irritant, possible infant fatality,
Wilson's disease
- Dichlorobenzene
-- Suspected carcinogen
- 1,1-Dichloroethane
-- Central nervous system depression, liver damage,
suggested animal carcinogen
- 1,2-Dichloroethane
-- Nausea, mental confusion, liver and kidney damage
- Dichloroethylene
-- Nausea, dizziness
- Ethylenedibromide
(EDS) -- Decreased
fertility
- Fluoride
-- Skeletal damage when present in high levels
- Heptachlor
-- Possible tumor induction, carcinogenic in test animals
- Lead
-- Damage to nervous system, kidneys, reproductive system;
cancer in rats
- Lindane
-- Chronic liver damage, anemia, leukemia
- Mercury
-- Kidney impairment, possible death
- Methylene chloride
-- Toxic
- Nickel
-- Signs of hyperglycemia and gastrointestinal and nervous
disorders
- Pentachlorophenol
(PCP) -- Loss of
appetite, respiratory difficulties, anesthesia, coma, death
- PCBs
-- Damage to skin and liver; nausea, loss of weight,
jaundice, coma, death
- Selenium
-- Carcinogen; irritation to
mucous membranes, dermatitis
- Sulfate
-- Laxative action
- Tetrachloroethylene
-- Central nervous system effects; confirmed animal
carcinogen, anesthesia, death
- Toluene
-- Narcosis, irritation to eyes and respiratory system
- Toxaphene
-- Possible liver damage
- 1,1,1-Trichloroethane
-- Narcosis, depression of central nervous system,
unconsciousness, death
- 1,1,2-Trichloroethane
-- Possible liver and kidney effects, possible carcinogen in
animals
- Trichloroethylene
-- Central nervous system depression, loss of coordination,
unconsciousness strong irritant and carcinogen
- 2,4,6-Trichloropheno
-- Suspected carcinogen
- Trihalomethanes
(THM's) -- Effects to
nervous system and muscles, loss of consciousness
- Vinyl chloride
-- Central nervous system depression, dulling of visual and
auditory responses, possible death
- Xylene
-- Mucous membrane irritant, lung congestion, impairment of
kidney functions
- Zinc
-- Muscular stiffness and pain, loss of appetite, nausea
*The Assembly Office of Research, April 12, 1983, states that
the health
effects listed for these substances were compiled from the
following sources:
"Drinking Water and Health", National Academy of Sciences, Safe
Drinking Water Committee, 1977,
"Contamination of Ground Water by Toxic Organic Chemicals", U.S.
Council on Environmental Quality, 1981
"Carcinogenic Hazards of Organic Chemicals in Drinking Water",
R.H. Harris, T. Page,
and N.A. Reiches, 1977
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