14 Mar Is Your Tap Water Making You Sick?
Like oxygen, water is essential for life. Water helps regulate your body temperature, moistens tissues in the eyes, nose, and mouth, carries nutrients and oxygen to cells, lubricates joints, helps flush out waste, improves mineral and nutrient absorption and helps protect organs and tissues.
Without water, we won’t survive.
Ready for another glass of water yet?
With water being a vital aspect of life and a substance that is consumed daily, we now face the issue of potential exposures from our water sources.
What’s in your tap water?
Lead
Lead contamination can occur due to old pipes, exposure and toxicity from lead may cause fatigue, depression, anaemia, headaches, infertility. In addition, Pregnant women who are exposed to lead have an increased risk of miscarriage, premature birth and children exposed may show anti-social behaviours, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and learning disorders.
Copper
Copper in water can come from copper pipes. Increased exposure to copper can cause fatigue, irritability, and headaches as well as digestive discomfort. Copper in your water can impact the uptake of zinc which can drive immune problems. A sign of copper in your water is the green/blue stain around the bathtub ring
Chlorine
Chlorine can cause water to become more acidic and will increase the leading of heavy metals. Nicole Bijlsma states that chlorine can bacteria in your gut which plays an important role in the health of your digestive tract, immune and nervous system.
Fluoride
Fluoride can increase the risk of osteoporosis and can contribute to cognitive impairment and interfere with the function of the thyroid gland, contributing to hypothyroidism.
What else?
Your water may also contain:
- Aluminium
- Pesticides
- Contamination from surfaces and group water from bushfires, arsenic, fertilisers, pesticides, mining.
What about plastic water bottles?
Drinking out of plastic water bottles is a big no, no!
Phthalate esters (PAEs) from polyethene terephthalate (PET) and BPA are commonly used in the manufacturing of plastic water bottles. PAEs are a group of chemicals used as plasticizers in plastic products to improve softness and flexibility.
Phthalates or other agents used may leach into the water (more likely due to heat) causing a weak oestrogenic like or anti-androgenic effect. These compounds interfere with the development of the endocrine system and affect the functioning of organs that respond to hormonal signals and can cause hormonal cancers, reproductive problems, metabolic disorders and developmental disorders.
Takeaway: Avoid drinking from plastic water bottles that have been lefts in the heat, such as a hot car and opt for glass or stainless steel water bottles.
What you can do to avoid exposure from your drinking water
1. Install a water filter in your home
Learn more from Nicole Bilsma about the different types of water filters for your home: https://www.buildingbiology.com.au/hazards/which-type-of-water-filter.html
2. Buy a benchtop or fridge water filter
https://www.nourishedlife.com.au/water-filters/
3. Avoid drinking out of plastic water bottles – choose a reusable glass or stainless steel water bottle
Water bottles are easy to find, any local supermarket, cafe and health food store generally stock a wide range of water bottles. Or if you would prefer to buy online try: https://www.nourishedlife.com.au/water-bottles/
4, Get your tap water tested
During your testing appointment at NatMed we test your urine for heavy metals and if you have been exposed to heavy metals we may find traces in your urine. Using the same techniques, we can also test your drinking water to assess any levels of heavy metals – speak to your practitioner about bringing in a sample of your drinking water.
Here is a photo of a patient’s tap water which was heavy metals and copper was found to be present.
REFERENCES
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4961898/https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6982309/
