Category: Water

The American Journal of Epidemiology…

Study Shows Increased Risks of Bladder Cancer by Drinking, Bathing, or Swimming in Chlorinated Water…

Dr. Christina Villanueva and her team report that these chemicals may be harmful when inhaled or absorbed through the skin and ingested. Chlorinated water is a known carcinogen, but the study is one of the first to show that exposure to small amounts of chlorine may also increase risks of bladder cancer via another route: bathing in it.

The chemicals used to disinfect water, most notably chlorine, can produce by-products linked to increased cancer risks. For example, the researchers found that the more frequently people bathed or swam in chlorinated water, the higher their risk for bladder cancer. They also found that people who drank chlorinated water during the first year of life were at greater risk of developing bladder cancer as adults than those who did not. The most prevalent chlorination by-product, trihalomethanes (THM), can be absorbed into the body through skin contact or inhalation.

The researchers matched 1,219 men and women with bladder cancer to 1,271 individuals who did not have the disease. Then they investigated how much lifetime exposure these people had to trihalomethanes (THM), a disinfection by-product formed when chlorine reacts with organic matter in drinking water. First, the researchers surveyed them about their exposure to chlorinated water via drinking water and swimming pools, then analyzed the average trihalomethanes (THM) levels in 123 municipalities.

The risk of bladder cancer was twice as high among households with an average water trihalomethanes (THM) level above 49 micrograms per liter than those living in homes where the concentration was below 8 micrograms per liter, researchers found.

Hydrohalic acids (HHAs) are common in industrialized societies, and levels of 50 micrograms per liter have been identified as a benchmark by which to measure cleanliness.

People who drank chlorinated water had a 35% greater risk of bladder cancer than those who didn’t, and people whose primary exposure was to swimming pools were 57% more likely to develop the disease; in addition, those taking long hot showers or baths and lived in municipalities with higher trihalomethanes (THM) levels were also at increased cancer risks.

If trihalomethanes (THM) are absorbed through the skin or lungs, Villanueva and her team note that it may have a more powerful carcinogenic effect because this type of exposure does not undergo detoxification via the liver.

“If confirmed elsewhere, this observation has significant public health implications about preventing exposure to these water contaminants,” the researchers conclude.

 Hope you have or are planning on getting the best dechlorinating filter possible for your home.

Peace and blessings are yours now and forever!

Robert Morgan – Dr. Bobby, Certified Naturopath

Is Chlorine In The Water Supply Dangerous?

Study Shows Increased Risks of Bladder Cancer by Drinking, Bathing or Swimming in Chlorinated Water

By The American Journal of Epidemiology

The findings are the first to suggest that these chemicals can be harmful when they are inhaled or absorbed through the skin, as well as when they are ingested, Dr. Cristina M. Villanueva of the Municipal Institute of Medical Research in Barcelona, and colleagues note.

Chemicals, most commonly chlorine, used to disinfect water can produce by-products that have been tied to increased cancer risks, Villanueva and her team point out. The most prevalent chlorination by-products, chemicals called trihalomethanes (THM), can be absorbed into the body through the skin or by inhalation, they add.

To investigate lifetime trihalomethanes (THM) exposure and bladder cancer risks, the researchers matched 1,219 men and women with bladder cancer to 1,271 control individuals who did not have the disease, surveying them about their exposure to chlorinated water via drinking water, swimming pools, showering and bathing. The researchers also analyzed the average water trihalomethanes (THM) levels in the 123 municipalities included in the study.

People living in households with an average household water trihalomethanes (THM) level of more than 49 micrograms per liter had double the bladder cancer risks of those living in households where water trihalomethanes (THM) concentration was below 8 micrograms per liter, the researchers found. trihalomethanes (THM) levels of about 50 micrograms per liter are common in industrialized societies, they note.

Study participants who drank chlorinated water were at 35% greater risks of bladder cancer than those who didn’t, while use of swimming pools boosted bladder cancer risks by 57%. And those who took longer showers or baths and lived in municipalities with higher trihalomethanes (THM) levels were also at increased cancer risks.

When trihalomethanes (THM) is absorbed through the skin or lungs, Villanueva and her team note, it may have a more powerful carcinogenic effect because it does not undergo detoxification via the liver.

“If confirmed elsewhere, this observation has significant public health implications in relation to preventing exposure to these water contaminants,” the researchers conclude.

At Creative Health Institute, you can be assured you will not ever have to deal with the side effects of chlorinated water.  We utilize pure well water which is filtered through a .5 micro filter, then re-filtered through a reverse osmosis system, then alkalized with our Kangen water ionizer.  The fact is while at CHI you will be drinking the purest, healthiest, and best-tasting water available.

Peace and blessings are yours now and forever!

Robert Morgan – Bobby

Creative Health Institute

Union City, Michigan

Glass or Plastic? What Is Your Water Bottle Made Of?

Glass or Plastic?

Due to the low cost of manufacturing and shipping, plastic containers are the primary choice of the bottled water industry, which in their thinking keeps the price down for the consumer. The problem with this is that scientists are finding that it not such a good deal for us because the hidden cost may be our health.

Studies have shown that chemicals called phthalates, which are known to disrupt testosterone and other hormones, can leach into bottled water over time. One study found that water that had been stored for 10 weeks in plastic contained phthalates, suggesting that the chemicals could be coming from the plastic bottle or even the cap. Although there are regulatory standards limiting phthalates in tap water, there are no legal limits for phthalates in bottled water — the bottled water industry waged a successful campaign opposing the FDA proposal to set a legal limit for these chemicals!

 Plastic Recycling Codes

The following plastics are considered safest for water and food storage. Check all your plastic containers to make sure these symbols and the numbers 1,2,4 and 5 are on them. If these symbols and number are not present on plastic container or bottle, or you see another symbol and/or number do not drink or eat anything from this container.

Though the following numbers represent the safest plastics, this does not mean we have a complete understanding of all the possible health hazards plastics may present. So, the best practice would be to not drink from plastic bottles or store items in plastic, and never heat water or food items in them. Remember clean glass containers are always the best option.

 Polyethylene terephthalate ethylene (PETE), code 1.

 High-density polyethylene (HDPE), code 2.

 Low-density polyethylene (LDPE), code 4.

 Polypropylene (PP), code 5.

 ALWAYS AVOID ANY PLASTIC WITH THESE CODES

 CODE (3) Polyvinyl chloride (PVC) leach phthalates which cause major problems with hormones and are toxic to them male reproductive system. It can be marked by code 3. If a water bottle, plastic wrap, shampoo container, cooking oil container, blood bag or meat wrapping has this mark or number or is not marked at all find a new brand!

CODE (6) –  Polystyrene is used in Styrofoam products. It leaches styrene (a neurotoxin) when it comes into contact with hot, acidic, or fatty foods. This cup is used being used by many fast food and coffee shops to serve hot drinks in.  What you may have thought was a caffeine buzz, was the neurotoxins being released into you coffee or tea.  This chemical is also found in the most medicine and vitamin bottles, WOW, plastic cutlery, foam packaging and the cartons you may be get your eggs in.  It’s marked with recycling code 6.

CODE (7) – Polycarbonate containers leach bisphenol-A (BPA), an endocrine disruptor associated with a long list of health concerns, including obesity. Baby bottles, “sippy” cups, ketchup bottles, syrups, window cleaners, 5-gallon water cooler bottles, reusable water jugs, and reusable beverage bottles are typically made out of this plastic. Products may be marked with recycling code 7 and/or the letters “PC.” It’s important to note some containers that aren’t made from polycarbonate may also be marked with a code 7 because the category also includes any plastic that doesn’t fit into the 1 to 6 recycling code categories.  

May your life be blessed with health, peace and love.

Robert “Bobby” Morgan

Health Education Director

Creativ Health Institute

Union City, Michigan

EPA to set limits on chemicals in drinking water

At Creative Health Institute, we teach our guests and students how to make sure they are getting the purest water possible. This article is revealing just the tip of the toxic chemical iceberg.  Always keep in mind clean water is the basis of life and without it we will not be able to stave off disease. We must do all we can to preserve our precious fresh water suppply.

(CNN) — The Environmental Protection Agency will set a limit on the amount of the chemical perchlorate, as well as other “toxic contaminants,” in drinking water, it announced Wednesday.

The national regulation on perchlorate will reverse a 2008 decision made by President George W. Bush’s administration, the agency said in a statement. It comes after EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson ordered agency scientists to review “the emerging science of perchlorate.”

“There’s going to be a lot of scrutiny of the standard because, again, we are looking at but one of several precursors that can affect iodine uptake in the thyroid,” Jackson told CNN’s Chief Medical correspondent, Dr. Sanjay Gupta. “It’s the first time we’ve ever regulated a chemical not because of what it does directly to you, but because it has an impact on iodine uptake that might affect your child down the road.”

Perchlorate is both a naturally occurring and man-made chemical, according to the EPA. It is used in fireworks, road flares, rocket fuel and may be present in bleach and some fertilizers, the agency said. Research has indicated that it can impact the thyroid and disrupt the proper development of fetuses and infants.

Some states have already established limits on perchlorate in drinking water, but there has been no national standard.

However, monitoring data shows more than 4% of public water systems have detected perchlorate and between 5 and 17 million people may be served drinking water containing it, the EPA said.

The decision was made after considering input from nearly 39,000 public comments, the agency said. Once the EPA proposes a formal rule, it will be subject to the public comment process.

In addition, the EPA is also establishing a drinking water standard on “a group of up to 16 other toxic chemicals that may cause cancer and pose serious risks to human health,” the statement said.

The chemicals are a group of volatile organic compounds, such as industrial solvents, and include trichloroethylene and tetrachloroethylene, along with other regulated and some unregulated substances “discharged from industrial operations.”

The move is part of a Drinking Water Strategy laid out by Jackson last year, the agency said. The strategy included addressing contaminants as a group so that their presence in drinking water could be addressed “cost-effectively.”

“Today’s action delivers on the promise to strengthen public health protection from contaminants in drinking water,” according to the EPA. “The aim is to find solutions that meet the health and economic needs of communities across the country more effectively than the current approach.”

Jackson said in the statement she believes the decision will spark new innovations. “As improved standards are developed and put in place, America’s world-leading clean water technology innovators have an opportunity to create cutting edge solutions that will strengthen health protections and spark economic growth.”

%d bloggers like this: