Here in America, we frequently fail to realize the potential
harms of drinking unfiltered tap water. Water-borne illnesses are typically
thought of as afflictions impacting only developing countries, and little
thought or care is given to the seemingly harmless act of drinking a glass of
tap water. However, the truth is that there are numerous unsafe chemicals and
compounds found in our drinking waters, and these chemicals, when consumed over
long periods of time ultimately manifest themselves in the form of many common
health issues such as cancer, Alzheimer’s, bladder and kidney diseases, as well
as causing a whole slew of reproductive health issues.
One of the more common chemicals found in our drinking water
supplies is arsenic. The EPA conducted a report in 2000 in which analysts
concluded that nearly 34 million Americans were consuming water that contained
arsenic in levels high enough to cause a significant increase in their risk of
cancer. Additionally, 56 million Americans were drinking water contaminated
with arsenic at unsafe levels, leading to significantly increased risks for
many numerous health issues. Perhaps the most striking aspect of this study is
that it was only conducted on only 25 of the 50 states, so in theory these
numbers are double what they appear. Beyond that, many speculate that due to
the last decade of turmoil in the realms of economics and politics, municipal
water systems have only deteriorated in quality, suggesting the possibility of
a worsening of this problem.
In the face of such information, many would first want to
turn to bottled water. Unfortunately however, many types of bottled water are
simply bottled tap water that have undergone little to no filtration, so to
switch to them would be essentially meaningless. Beyond that, the high level of
waste (mainly in the forms of small, non-biodegradable plastic bottles)
presents with it additional environmental concerns, not to mention that these
plastics can leach into ground water sources near the sites of landfills, which
in turn worsens the issue of drinking water quality. The best plan of action to
protect yourself against arsenic contaminated drinking waters is first and
foremost education. Educate yourself about the harmful effects of consuming
water with arsenic, and figure out whether or not your local water supply has
reported results for arsenic testing to the EPA and what your own individual
risk is. Consider investing in a water filtration device that can be built
right into the sinks in your home, filtering your tap water as it’s coming out
of your pipes. There are many different kinds of filtration devices and they
can be quite expensive so be sure to do your research and select one that meets
your individual needs. To begin your search, try starting at one of the two
following websites:
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