Two New Studies Confirm:
Chlorine Is Very Dangerous for Your Health
Which Is Found In Your Shower Water
(and also in Your Drinking Tap Water)
by www.SixWise.com

The long-term health effects of exposure to chlorinated water are becoming more common in the news headlines. The health effects of chlorine through inhalation (from the steam in your shower, for instance) and ingestion (from tap water) include:

• Cancers of the bladder, liver, rectum and colon
• Heart disease
• Atherosclerosis
• Anemia
• High blood pressure
• Allergic reactions

And now two studies further confirm the risk of exposure of chlorine to the fetuses of pregnant women.

Studies Link Chlorine to Birth Defects 

Two recent studies focused on the health effects for pregnant women who drank chlorinated water. One, published in the Environmental Health Journal, reported that pregnant women who lived in areas with tap water with high concentrations of chlorine disinfectants nearly doubled their risk of having children with heart problems, a cleft palate or major brain defects. Other specific birth defects listed in the study were:

• Anencephalus, a brain condition, rose to .17 percent in high THM areas

• Hole-in-the-heart defects nearly doubled

• Number of cleft palates rose from 0.029 percent to 0.045 percent in high THM areas

• Risks of having children with the above three birth defects increased between 50 and 100 percent

• Slightly raised risk of having children with urinary tract defects and Down’s syndrome

“Our findings don’t just add to the evidence that water chlorination may cause birth defects but suggest that exposure to chlorination by-products may be responsible for some specific and research common defects,” said Professor Jouni Jaakkola of the University of Birmingham who led the research team.

Exposure can happen by drinking the water, taking a bath or a shower or by standing closely to a boiling pot of tea. The danger of exposure to pregnant women happens when the chemical by-products of chlorination called trihalomethanes (THMs) are absorbed through the skin and then transmitted to the womb.

THMs are one type of disinfection byproduct (DBP) created when the disinfectants used to kill bacteria in the U.S. drinking water supply, such as chlorine, react with natural organic matter, such as decaying vegetation, or when certain compounds such as bromide are present in the water.

Studies have linked THMs with low birth weight and neurological abnormalities in infants, along with increased incidences of neural tube defects, small body length, and small head size in babies born to women drinking water containing 400 ppb THMs.

Research has also linked an increased risk of bladder cancer with exposures of 50 ppb, and first trimester miscarriage in pregnant women drinking water with 75 ppb -- both of which are under the EPA “safe” limit.

The second study published by the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry showed that some birth defects such as spinal bifida and neural tube defects are linked to total THMs ingested in drinking water. Risks of neural tube defects were doubled among women with the highest exposure to THMs.

How Did Chlorine Find Its Way Into the U.S. Water Supply and Who Regulates it?

Back in 1908, chlorine was added to a community water system in New Jersey as a way to get rid of many types of water-borne diseases such as Cholera and Typhoid fever. Before chlorination, many major cities experienced death tolls of 1 in 1,000 people from Typhoid alone.

For over 80 years, chlorine has been used to disinfect municipal water and it wasn’t until the 1970s that it was discovered that combining water with natural, organic matter such as vegetation and algae produced Trihalomethanes. Today, chlorine is injected into drinking water in two ways: injected directly by bubbling chlorine gas into the reservoir of drinking water or by adding calcium hypo chloride (bleaching powder) to water.

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) sets the standards for acceptable levels of contaminants in drinking water. Their defined standard for chloroform, the most common trihalomethane found in chlorinated water, is 100 parts per billion or 100 micrograms per liter of water.

They base this on an estimate that this level of contamination results in an added lifetime cancer risk of about 2 per 100,000 person-years, assuming the average person is consuming about two liters of drinking water per day.

Researchers from the Boston University School of Public Health believe that the cancer risk from chlorinated water may be up to 10-50 times higher than the EPA estimate. This is due to the fact that the EPA’s estimate is based solely on ingesting drinking water as the source of trihalomethanes. They didn’t take into account the chloroform exposure from bathing, showering and doing laundry.

FREE DVD plus Your WATER TESTED FREE 

The Dangers of Inhaling Chlorine While Taking Showers or Bathing

Some studies have shown that the amount of chloroform absorbed through inhalation while taking daily showers is at least equal to absorption through drinking chlorinated water and may be six times higher.

Exposure to cancer-causing agents from inhaling chloroform is estimated to be as much as 75 times greater than exposure by ingesting it.

According to some studies, two-thirds of the harmful exposure to chlorine is due to inhalation of steam and skin absorption while showering. Taking a warm shower opens up your skin pores and clears the way for accelerated absorption of chlorine.

The steam inhaled during showers contains up to 50 times the amount of chemicals in tap water. This is because the chlorine, along with other contaminants and DBPs, vaporize at a faster rate and at a lower temperature than water. Once inhaled, the chlorine goes directly into your bloodstream.

Leading experts are confirming the dangerous effects of inhaling chlorine while taking showers.

According to researcher Bruce Black during a meeting of the American Chemical Society:

“Taking long, hot showers is a health risk. The chemicals evaporate out of the water and are inhaled. They can also spread through the house and be inhaled by others. House holders can receive 6 to 100 times more of the chemical by breathing the air around showers and bath than they would by drinking the water.”

Further, a Professor of Water Chemistry at the University of Pittsburgh claims that exposure to vaporized chemicals in the water supplies through showering, bathing and inhalation is 100 times greater than through drinking water.

And according to Dr. Lance Wallace, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, “Showering is suspected as the primary cause of elevated levels of chloroform in nearly every home because of chlorine in the water.”

Chlorinated water in showers also has a negative effect on your skin and hair, robbing it of moisture and elasticity and resulting in a dull and less vibrant appearance.

Protect Yourself and Your Family by Getting a Clean, Chlorine-Free Water Supply

Chlorinated water poses a dangerous risk to your health. The good news is that this chemical, and its dangerous byproducts, are easy to remove from your water by using a high quality wellness water filtration systems.

You don’t have to spend hours researching different water filtration systems as Sixwise.com has done much of the legwork for you and identified the top-of-the-line water filters with direct links to their websites: The Wellness Shower Filter and The Wellness Kitchen Water Filter.

The Wellness Kitchen Filter combines the best filtration and enhancement technologies to deliver the purest and most natural tasting water available. It effectively reduces harmful contaminants, including chlorine and THMs, while at the same time enhancing the water with adding important yet delicate wellness "ions and minerals" that your body needs.

The Wellness Shower Filter effectively reduces up to 99 percent of chlorine from your shower's water for up to 24 months, which is two or three times longer than any other shower filtration system available. But that's not all.

Be Aware and Compare

Product Image
Brand	Wellness Shower	Aquasana	Pure & Clear (Mercola)	Aqulic	VitaShower
Filter Life	24 Months	6 Months	3 Months	6 Months	6 Months
Filter Media	KDF	KDF & Carbon	Carbon	KDF, Carbon & Calcium Sulfide	Vitamin C
Flow Rate	2.5 GPM	2.5 GPM	2.5 GPM	1 GPM	*Not Listed
NSF Certified
Test Data Advertised
Enhanced Water
One-Step Backwash
Retains Shower Height
Money-Back Guarantee	90 Days	60 Days	None	*Not Listed	*Not Listed
2 Year Cost		$242.49	$320.00	$379.65	$199.80

The Wellness Filter concept was developed in the 1980s by Harusuke Naito, a renowned Japanese sports physiologist and Olympic swimming coach who wanted to produce "perfect water" for his professional athletic clients.

Haru believed that even subtle differences in water purity, surface tension and mineral content could affect body hydration, cellular function, and athletic performance. After extensive field research and study he began experimenting with various natural filtering media in an effort to produce the world's best water.

The Wellness Filter is now widely known for its ability to enhance water beyond the reach of conventional water purification systems.

More Than Just Filtered Water … Enhanced Water

At Wellness, they believe not only in filtering water, but enhancing it to increase its performance on or in your body. After water has been filtered to remove chlorine it is optimized with rare Japanese minerals to enhance your showering experience. First water proceeds through their patented magnetic treatment stage. Here reduced ions are generated that protect your skin from free radical attack and aid the body in repairing damaged skin and hair.

This stage is also responsible for increasing hydration by 115% over tap water, moisturizing your hair and skin without the residue of lotions.

Once the water has passed through the magnetic treatment stage it passes through their proprietary Taicho and Bakuhan medias. Taicho stone gives the water bacterio-static and fungi-static properties, which help your body resist undesirable bacteria and fungus. It also promotes a healthier, sanitized shower.

The Number 1 Health Spa in the world, Hippocrates Health Institute, actually uses the Wellness Shower exclusively, and the Japanese Ministry of Health now uses the filter in over 100 of its hospitals. Japanese doctors even routinely prescribe the filter to their patients for general good health and to aid the body in fighting specific chronic conditions.

Japanese life insurance companies have also recognized its unique qualities and now offer reimbursement programs for the filter when a patient gets a prescription from his doctor (the only filtration system ever granted this insurance status).

You owe it to yourself, and your family, to shower in the luxury of pure water. With The Wellness Shower you'll notice the difference in your skin and hair after just one bath or shower. It's like bringing a spa into your home.

• Effectively reduces up to 99% of chlorine for 24 months

• Increases hydration of skin and hair by 115%

• Used by the #1 Health Spa in the world

• Antioxidant effect assists your body in repairing damaged skin and hair

• Helps eliminate bad hair days

• Supports your body's ability to resist undesirable bacteria & fungus

• Helps promote a healthier, sanitized shower

Given the serious health risks surrounding chlorinated water and DBPs, even the Environmental Working Group (EWG) recommends filtering not only your home’s drinking water, but also the water you shower or bathe with.

Fortunately, this is a simple step to take and one that can reduce your, and your family’s, toxic load significantly.

FREE DVD plus Your WATER TESTED FREE

Recommended Reading

Chlorine: The Dangers of This Common Chemical, and How You are Being Exposed

Is Your Showerhead Making You Sick? New Study Reveals Little-Known Showerhead Danger

Sources

Occupational and Environmental Medicine 2003;60:173-180

Environmental Health July 23, 2008

Chlorine, Cancer and Heart Disease

YourHealthBase.com 

Merinews September 23, 2009

Curezone.com

MailOnline May 31, 2008