What are the long term health effects of using tap water from
a municipal water supply?

Premature aging

Sad to say, in the world that we live in today, we are bound to age earlier that what we are predestined. Aging and diseases are result of such slow poisoning and lifetime accumulation of toxins in the body. These toxins have lowered our immunity and resistance to diseases. It has disrupted our body's metabolism, caused enzyme malfunction, nutritional deficiencies, and hormonal imbalances. These toxins accumulate deep within the cell and starve the cells of the vital oxygen. When the cells are starved of oxygen they decay and die. Cell damage and decay becomes clearly visible externally in form of wrinkles on skin, fatigue, susceptibility to diseases etc.

Many people are beginning to see the emergence of facial skin wrinkles at a relatively young age, even in his early 20s. This is usually caused by various factors, both internal and external, such as the level of excessive alcohol consumption, beverages containing caffeine (coffee), prolonged stress, lack of fruit and vegetable consumption, lack of rest, the more activity under ultraviolet light or too much activity inside the air conditioned room, eating a high carbohydrate foods, smokers either active or passive, lack of exercise, and most often ignored by us is the lack of white water

The skin has the function of protecting the body from various kinds of disturbances and external stimuli. The function of this protection occurs through a number of biological mechanisms, such as the formation of continuous layers of horns (keratinization and the release of the epidermis cells are already dead), respiration and body temperature regulation, the production of sebum and sweat and the formation of the pigment melanin to protect skin from dangerous ultra violet rays of the sun.

Sebum is the oil content that moisturizes and protects against pollution.Sebum serves as a defense against the main enemy of female beauty that is aging. Premature aging of the skin which often occurs in the dry type, because the levels of sebum in the skin is slightly dry. Usually characterized by premature aging skin conditions looked tired, dry, scaly, rough, and accompanied by the appearance of wrinkles and dark spots or plaques.

Fluoride
Dr. John Yiamouyiannis estimates that 30,000 - 50,000 people die from flouride poisoning each year. In his book, Fluoride: The Aging Factor, he lists studies describing fluoride's negative effects on the immune system. Many studies have found that people living in fluoridated areas had a decreased migration rate of white blood cells. Other studies describe genetic and chromosomal damage to animals drinking fluoridated water. He warns "Before any disease is even noticeable, the acceleration of the aging process by fluoride is already occurring at the biochemical level, by means of enzyme inhibition, collagen breakdown, genetic damage and/or disruption of the immune system."

Can Contaminants in Drinking Water Cause Brain Damage?

The brain is one of the first organs  affected by toxins, as it requires a lot of blood and its functions are delicate and intricate.

Lead

Lead poisoning typically results from ingestion of food or water contaminated with lead. It is rapidly absorbed into the bloodstream and is believed to have adverse effects on the central nervous system, the cardiovascular system, kidneys, and the immune system. If lead is detected in your drinking water, it probably originated from corrosion of your plumbing system.

Lead is a highly potent neurotoxin that accumulates in soft tissues and the bones. It can damage the nervous system, especially in young children, and cause brain disorders. The effects of lead are the same whether it enters the body through breathing or swallowing. Lead can affect almost every organ in the body although it mainly targets the nervous system.

Long-term exposure of adults can result in decreased functions of the nervous system, weakness in fingers, wrists, or ankles, increases in blood pressure, particularly in middle-aged and older people and can cause anaemia. Exposure to high levels of lead can damage the brain and kidneys in and even lead to death. High level exposures of lead have shown to reduce fertility and sperm count in males and in pregnant women, high levels of exposure may cause miscarriage. Lead has been shown many times to permanently reduce the cognitive capacity of children at extremely low levels of exposure. There appears to be no detectable lower limit below which lead has no effect on cognition. Lead is also considered to be particularly harmful for women's ability to reproduce.

Toxoplasma
Another danger is toxoplasmosis, a chlorine-resistant bacteria which causes flu-like symptoms initially, but can spread and cause devastating damage to the delicate neurological network in the brain.

It causes blindness, mental retardation and even death.

Manganese & Brain Damage
The NIEHS has supported a number of studies to better understand the potential health effects associated with exposure to manganese, an abundant metal that is found in air, water, soil, and food. These studies show that long-term occupational exposure to manganese results in irreversible damage to areas of the brain that control body movements. These findings have resulted in federal standards that limit the amount of manganese in drinking water, and new approaches for the prevention and treatment of neurological damage caused by manganese exposure.

Other studies conducted by NIEHS-supported scientists are designed to identify the underlying causes of manganese’s effects on brain function. Their research shows that manganese exposure produces the same pattern of brain cell death as that seen in PD patients. The loss of these cells results in reduction of a critical neurotransmitter called dopamine, the chemical messenger responsible for coordinated muscle movement. These insights into the impact of manganese exposure on critical brain functions will eventually pave the way for new strategies designed to protect these dopamine-producing neurons from manganese-induced damage.

Aluminum fluoride and Alzheimer's Disease
Many municipal water supplies are treated with both alum (aluminum sulfate) and fluoride. These two chemicals combine with each other easily in the blood to form aluminum fluoride. Although elemental aluminum can not pass the blood-brain barrier, some compounds such as aluminum fluoride do. Aluminum fluoride is very poorly excreted in the urine. It is poisonous to the kidneys. Aluminum salts in the brain lead to Alzheimer's Disease.

Mercury
Mercury is a naturally occurring metal found throughout the environment as a result of normal breakdown of the earth's crust by wind and water. Air, water, and soil can contain mercury from both natural sources and human activity.

Long-term exposure to either inorganic or organic mercury can permanently damage the brain, kidneys, and developing fetus. The most sensitive target of low level exposure to metallic and organic mercury following short or long term exposures appears to be the nervous system. The most sensitive target of low level exposure to inorganic mercury appears to be the kidneys. Short term exposure to high levels of mercury can have similar effects.

Mercury toxicity may occur when a person is exposed to toxic amounts of mercury due to:

• Breathing airborne mercury vapors
• Eating food (usually fish or shellfish) contaminated with methylmercury
• Drinking water contaminated with mercury (a relatively rare cause of poisoning)
• Release of mercury from dental work and medical treatments
• Many dental fillings contain mercury, and under certain conditions these might release mercury vapor that could enter the bloodstream through the lungs. Removing mercury amalgam fillings during pregnancy might prove harmful because of the fetus’ special risk from elevated mercury levels in mother’s blood

Cancer - Environmental toxins are a greater cause of cancer than previously believed, according to a new report from President's Obam's Cancer Panel — an advisory group that considers testimony from several cancer researchers to inform the president's policies on cancer prevention.
Did You Know?
"Cancer risk among people drinking chlorinated water is 93% higher than among those whose water does not contain chlorine." US COUNCIL OF ENVIROMENTAL QUALITY 

To protect against cancer, President Obama’s research team recommends home water filtration! "Filtering home tap or well water can decrease exposure to numerous known or suspected carcinogens and endocrine-disrupting chemicals." Cancer is the second leading cause of death in the United States. The report concluded that "grievous harm" results from exposure to chemicals and that there is "a growing body of evidence linking environmental exposures [to chemicals] to cancer."

A report was just released this week from President Obama’s Cancer Panel, recommending that people use home filtering devices to decrease their exposure to cancer-causing agents. In its official annual report, the panel also recommends storing and transporting drinking water in non-plastic containers such as stainless steel bottles.

“This is one of the easiest, and most inexpensive measures a family can take to protect itself against carcinogens” said Alvin E. Rice, president of Multi-Pure International."

Only 91 contaminants are regulated by the Safe Drinking Water Act, yet more than 80,000 chemicals are used worldwide, according to Environmental Protection Agency estimates. Government and independent scientists have scrutinized thousands of those chemicals in recent decades, and identified hundreds associated with a risk of cancer and other diseases at small concentrations in drinking water, according to an analysis of government records by The New York Times. But not one chemical has been added to the list of those regulated by the Safe Drinking Water Act since 2000.

A study in British Medical Journal estimated that 75 percent of most cancers are caused by environmental and lifestyle factors, including exposure to chemicals. Another report by the Columbia University School of Public Health estimated that 95 percent of cancer is caused by diet and environmental toxicity.

Studies show most Americans have somewhere between 400 and 800 chemicals stored in their bodies, typically in fat cells. Our environment is not very different from theirs. The toxins are everywhere, in our water, air and in our food. We don't realize that we're being affected until we get a chronic disease after years of subtle and often consistent exposure to a combination of these toxins.

Bottled Water or Tap Water?

8 Reasons to stop drinking bottled water.

1. By one estimate, approximately 200 billion bottles of water are consumed per annum globally. Bottled water has been described as "one of the greatest cons of the 20th century" and as "marketing's answer to the emperor's new clothes".
   
   Bottled water has come under criticism in recent years for the environmental impacts of groundwaterextraction, the energy and environmental costs of the plastic packaging and transportation costs, and concerns about water quality and the validity of some marketing claims. One criticism of bottled water concerns the packaging. Bottled water commonly is packaged in Polyethylene terephthalate (PET), which requires asignificant amount of energy toproduce. Scientists estimate that just producing the plastic bottles for bottled-water consumption worldwide uses 50 million barrels of oilannually.
   
   
2. By drinking filtered water, you can avoid the fertilizer, pharmaceuticals, disinfectants, and other chemicals that studies have found in bottled water.
   
   
3. Tap water costs about 0.5 cents per liter compared to the R3.0 to R7.00 per liter charge for bottled water.
   
   
4. 95% of empty plastic water bottles are not recycled.
   
   
5. Plastic bottles can leach chemicals into the water if left in the sun, heated up, or reused several times.
   
   
6. It can take nearly 7 times the amount of water in the bottle to actually make the bottle itself.
   
   
7. On a weekly basis, hundreds of vehicles are driving around the country delivering water.
   
   
8. One of the points they focus on is that bottled water is not regulated. Many people think it’s ‘purer’ and ‘cleaner’ than tap water, but the reality is that tap water has to be tested regularly while bottled water never needs to be tested. Independent tests have revealed many toxins in several brands of bottled water. In fact, there have been several recalls of water which was found to be contaminated with harmful toxins
   

Think Before You Drink
If you imagine that every bottle of water you drink is about three-quarters water and one-quarter oil, you’ll have a pretty accurate picture of how much energy it takes to put that bottle of water in your hand.

Go green, go healthy, use a high quality water filter!

Potential Health Effects from Long-Term Exposure

risk of cancer, diarrhea, vomiting, cramps, Legionnaire's Disease, nausea, Anemia, Liver, kidney or central nervous system problems, Increase in blood cholesterol; decrease in blood sugar, Skin damage or problems with circulatory systems, developing benign intestinal polyps, Intestinal lesions, Kidney damage, Allergic dermatitis, Gastrointestinal distress, Nerve damage or thyroid problems, Hair or fingernail loss; numbness in fingers or toes; circulatory problems, Eye, liver, kidney or spleen problems; anemia, Reproductive difficulties, adrenal gland problems, Cataracts, Stomach and intestinal problems, Skin changes; thymus gland problems; immune deficiencies, Problems with blood, kidney toxicityChildren:
Delays in physical or mental development; children could show slight deficits in attention span and learning abilities, shortness of breath and blue-baby syndrome,

Drinking Water Contaminants

Microorganisms
Cryptosporidium, Giardia lamblia, Legionella, Viruses (enteric),

Disinfection Byproducts
Bromate, Chlorite, Total Trihalomethanes (TTHMs),

Disinfectants
Chloramines (as Cl2), Chlorine (as Cl2),

Inorganic Chemicals
Antimony, Arsenic, Asbestos (fiber >10 micrometers), Barium, Beryllium, Cadmium, Chromium (total), Copper, Cyanide (as free cyanide), Fluoride, Lead, Mercury (inorganic), Nitrate (measured as Nitrogen), Nitrite (measured as Nitrogen), Selenium, Thallium, Organic Chemicals
Acrylamide, Alachlor, Atrazine, Benzene, Benzo(a)pyrene (PAHs), Carbofuran, Carbon tetrachloride, Chlordane, 2,4-D, Dalapon, 1,2-Dibromo-3-chloropropane (DBCP), o-Dichlorobenzene, p-Dichlorobenzene, 1,2-Dichloroethane, 1,1-Dichloroethylene, cis-1,2-Dichloroethylene, trans-1,2-Dichloroethylene, Dichloromethane, 1,2-Dichloropropane, Di(2-ethylhexyl) adipate, Di(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate, Dinoseb, Dioxin (2,3,7,8-TCDD), Diquat, Endothall, Endrin, Epichlorohydrin, Ethylbenzene, Ethylene dibromide, Glyphosate, Heptachlor, Heptachlor epoxide, Hexachlorobenzene, Hexachlorocyclopentadiene, Lindane, Methoxychlor, Oxamyl (Vydate), Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), Pentachlorophenol, Picloram, Simazine, Styrene, Tetrachloroethylene, Toluene, Toxaphene, 2,4,5-TP (Silvex), 1,2,4-Trichlorobenzene, 1,1,1-Trichloroethane, 1,1,2-Trichloroethane, Trichloroethylene, Vinyl chloride, Xylenes (total),

Radionuclides
Alpha particles, Beta particles and photon emitters, Radium 226 and Radium 228 (combined), Uranium

If you decide to be the filter, remember that replacing the clogged human filter can be a long, painful and sometimes fatal process and the replacement you get is not a new one and is often well worn in. Its your decision…. Do you want you and your family to be the filters? Or do you want to be able to throw away the bacteria, chemicals, heavy metals, poisons and other contaminants every couple of years and start with a brand new fresh cartridge? cancer - a modern disease that is triggered by environmental pollution and unhealthy diet. The Cancer Association of South Africa predicts that one in four South Africans will be affected by cancer in his/her lifetime. Cancer is a generic term for a group of more than 100 diseases that can affect any part of the body. But already the second place - after the deaths from cardiovascular diseases - it holds steady.

Long Showers Can Lead to Premature Aging

Liver and Kidney Toxicity

Liver:
The Liver is the body's garbage processor. It cleans your system of toxins and metabolizes carbohydrates, fats, and proteins. The liver produces glucose, when needed. The liver is a vital component of the human digestive system. There are over 5,000 identified functions including food metabolism, energy storage, waste removal, detoxification, immune system support and production of chemicals. The liver eliminates toxins from the body by breaking them down and converting them. These are then excreted to the bile or blood. Bile waste substances enter the intestine via the duodenum and are eliminated from the body as feces. Blood waste substances are filtered from the blood by the kidneys and are eliminated from the body as urine.

Kidneys:
With about 189 liters of blood pumping from your heart through the kidneys every day, they do a big job for such small organs. They filter by-products and toxins from your blood and preserve the balance of bodily fluids and electrolytes. The build up of toxic substances normally removed from the body by the kidneys can cause dangerous health problems. Medications, toxins, pesticides and "street" drugs (i.e., heroin) can also produce kidney damage.

Drinking inadequate clean water or worse, drinking unfiltered water, soda pop, excessive coffee and other irritating beverages can damage or overwhelm the kidneys and impair their ability to remove poisons from the blood.