Though most would hardly think there are health risks found in their water, according to Ralph Nader, it is only one of 2,100 toxic chemicals found in most city water that can cause cancer. Yet most water systems only test for about 75 of these contaminants. This article will focus on one of them, chlorine.



When I was a kid, I won a fish at the carnival. I was thrilled! The first think I had to do, of course, was to buy a larger tank and fill it with tap water. Yet, so as not to kill my trophy, I had to treat water with some de-chlorinating tablets. Question: if fish will die in chlorinated water, why do we think it's OK for us to drink it? Yet, shocking as this may seem, the acceptable level of chlorine in some water systems is above the maximum recommended for swimming pools!

Let's not give chlorine a bad rap. It is an excellent disinfectant, ridding water of bacteria such as dysentery, typhoid, and cholera. The problem is that chlorine damages the human body by producing THMs (trihalomethanes). These are cancer causing and damage cells. Chlorine also can score the internal walls of arteries, making it easier for cholesterol to attach itself. Mississippi River drinking water has been shown to contain 63 cancer causing substances made by chlorine's reaction to pollutants in the water such as methanol and carbon disulphide. An increase in the cases of bladder, urinary tract, and kidney cancers have been reported following the infusion of extra chlorine to treat a city water system contamination.

Yet chlorine does not enter the body only through drinking. In fact, a greater risk of chlorine poisoning occurs in the shower. The hot water opens the pores and the chlorine, which evaporates at a lower temperature than water, enters through the lungs. This results in the formation of chloroform, which will cause bronchitis, and asthma, and will increase the risk of cancer. The warm chlorine water may also cause skin irritations such as eczema.

Parents reading this will be understandably alarmed. They know that a child's body is much more influenced by chemical changes than their own. And, wanting the best for them, the parents realize they can't just ignore this problem.

Some deal with these alarming facts by buying bottled water. Yet consider this: bottled water may be no purer than tap water! This is because there are simply no government standards that require bottled water to be any better. A company could bottle tap water and ship it to another state with the label, "Pure Mountain Fresh Water." This is not honest but it is legal. The FDA itself states: "Companies that market bottled water as being safer than tap water are defrauding the American public." In other words, with bottled water you can't believe what the label says.

The only safe sure way to guarantee your family is getting chlorine free water is to filter it yourself. Start by purchasing a filter that promises to remove chlorine. Carbon filters do this. The small investment to filter your drinking and cooking water is well worth the peace of mind that will result.