Water For Health

Posts Tagged ‘Plastic Bottles’

What if I told you that the cleanest, healthiest water you can get your hands on comes only from using water filtration systems? Sounds a little crazy, I know!  Surely you say, tap and bottled water must be safe as it has to pass Government standards. Well, hear me out.

Firstly, how many times have you heard of a water scare, residents having to boil their water for a while, contaminated water? It happens. A recent study found over 2000 toxic chemicals in tap water, some of which can cause cancer.  A high quality water filtration system will effectively remove almost all of these contaminants.

You may know that chlorine is added to water to kill many of the bacteria, but is itself a harmful toxin. Another recent study showed that chlorine levels in tap water in some areas exceeded the limits in place for swimming pools. And you know how strong the chlorine smell can be!

We live in an industrialized world, with thousand of chemicals being used and many are getting in the groundwater and polluting it. Therefore these are getting into the water we drink, despite the best efforts of the water authorities. As Carol Browner, U.S. EPA Chief said:  “The way we guarantee safe drinking water is broken and needs to be fixed.”

As for bottled water, well it doesn’t get any better I’m afraid to say. Much of the problem here is lack of any regulation.  For example, 60–70 % of all bottled water is exempt for the FDA’s standard for bottled water as it is produced and bottled in the same state.

Every day 60,000,000 plastic bottles are produced, transported and disposed of in the US. Every day! It’s one of the most polluting industries we have. Using a water filtration system also means being environmentally friendly. For example, fill you own bottle each day with clean, healthy water.

The few high quality filter systems out there can deliver great tasting, healthy, chemical free water for less than 10c gallon. Bottled water costs on average from $1 to $4 a gallon.

A sign of a good water filtration system is one which incorporates a multi-stage process, which significantly improves the overall quality and taste. Also these systems must document the purity of the water they produce, adhering to strict guidelines.

These systems not only filter out all the toxins and odours but also leave in the vital minerals we need for our well-being.  The reverse osmosis systems out there tend to take out everything, leaving none of these vital minerals. This can itself lead to deterioration in health.

So there we are. I really hope you now feel more informed on the significant health advantages a good water filtration system can bring, and the potential dangers of not having one.

 

 

When you arrive at work in the morning, what is the first thing that you do? Before I knew more information on the topic, my first stop at work was to the drinking water stations. You know the ones, you flip the lever and fill up your cup, and then the jug makes all the gurgling sounds as the air pressure readjusts. Instead of getting coffee in the morning, the drinking water stations were my first visit.

My main reason for doing this was to start my morning off right. I wanted to make sure that I was ingesting plenty of water because I knew how healthy that was for my body, so I headed to the drinking water stations several times a day. Little did I know that the likelihood that I was drinking contaminated drinking water was very high, and it is for you as well.

The problem with this scenario is that people are drinking the water from these drinking water stations with the assumption that this water has been purified and is safe and healthy to be drinking. People drink from these to avoid contaminated drinking water!

The problem with these drinking water stations and why you end up ingesting contaminated drinking water is that there are harmful chemicals, bacteria and heavy metals that are usually present in these containers.

Another hazard is that of the plastic containers that they come in. You may have heard the fuss that has come about recently with the byproducts from plastic bottles seeping into the actual drinking water.

Now I tried bringing this up with my employer, with the research that I had done, but they assured me that the company that they used for the water service would not use such unhealthy water in their drinking water stations. So I realized that I needed to take matters into my own hands.

This was for the best though, it made me realize that I needed to be drinking safe water both at work, and at home. The drinking water stations were not going to get any safer, and I didn’t want contaminated drinking water to be a hazard at work and at home.

I researched a home water treatment system, purchased a sport bottle that has a built in water filter that I can refill as often as I like, and then also have begun utilizing glass containers for my drinking water. I realized how wasteful it was to be using water bottles, and became even more worried when I learned this water was no safer than that coming from my tap.

Amazingly, I began to feel the effects immediately. I feel more refreshed during the day with more energy, and I have not gotten my usual cold with the change in seasons, and I am drinking more water than ever, and feeling great.

The late, great comedian, George Carlin, used to do a comedy bit about how he saw people, everywhere he turned, carrying a water bottle. He punctuated this hilarious routine with an exasperated question: “Just when did everyone get so thirsty?” As funny as this was, his keen observation about the increase of people carrying their own drinking water containers points to a more serious problem: plastic water bottles have become one of the biggest sources of pollution in the U.S. Plastic bottles have got to go!

In recent years bottled water has become one of the giants of the beverage industry. As Americans continue to demand clean drinking water, this industry has gone full-throttle to ensure that each and every person is able to have their own drinking water container, when and where they want it. Unfortunately, “full-throttle” means that over 60,000,000 plastic bottles are produced, transported and disposed of EVERY DAY in the U.S. alone!

Don’t get me wrong. I like having the convenience of drinking clean water from my own drinking water container. However, there is no evidence that bottled water is any cleaner than most tap water. The government doesn’t even require bottled water be any safer or purer than tap water. So what you’re buying (and I’ve been guilty of it too) is a slick advertising concept that makes it seem as if this bottled water just bubbled up from a mountain spring. And then you’re stuck with having to dispose of this polluting plastic.

So does this mean that personal drinking water containers are a bad idea? Absolutely not! You can still drink clean, filtered water conveniently from your own personal drinking water container. All you have to do is use drinking water containers that have been designed to be used over and over again. The best reusable containers are made from glass.

Besides being 100% recyclable, glass containers have other advantages. Glass preserves the taste and purity of filtered water. Water stored in plastic bottles risks becoming contaminated from plastic byproducts, like BPA and phthalate. As these substances leach from the plastic, the water loses its taste and purity. Glass doesn’t have this problem.

And let’s not forget that refilling and reusing these drinking water containers is going to mean more money in your pocket. If you are buying bottled water on a regular basis, it can get expensive.

There is also a psychological advantage to using glass drinking water containers. When you’re thirsty and looking in the fridge for something good to drink, and you spot a crystal-clear, cold glass container of water, you’re going to instinctively reach for it. Drinking more clean, healthy water is one of the best ways to promote good health.

These non-polluting, drinking water containers are readily available from most reputable water filtration system providers. You can find these providers, like I did, with just some simple research. When you drinking filtered water, conveniently, from your own reusable drinking water container you will be doing yourself and our planet a big favor.