Yes, water is one of the most important parts of leading a healthy life. It is argued that most disease states will flourish only when the body is dehydrated. That statement alone should be enough for all of us to go out and drink water until our back teeth are floating. The problem with this is that all sources of it are not created equal. Yes, most of us can walk into the kitchen and fill up a glass when we are dehydrated but what else are we consuming when we choose to play Russian roulette with our faucet?
New studies from the Environmental Working Group (EWG), which provides us with the most complete source available on the quality of our drinking water. They presented some pretty shocking results. After running tests on 50,000 public water utilities, 40,000 of them came back positive for contaminants linked to cancer. Of the 50,000 utilities tested, 19,000 came back with high traces of lead – high enough to be harmful to children.
Even though the EWG’s testing revealed shocking results, the EPA still gave passing grades to most public water sources. These passing grades are at odds with the EWG as well as studies done by private firms, which state that the levels of contaminants found are still high enough to pose health risks. Some of the 250 plus contaminants tested are showing safe levels under the Safe Drinking Water Act and are exceeding safe levels based on who you ask. The question to ask yourself is: Who should you trust? Does it make sense for the EPA to provide passing grades or for the EWG and these private firms to fail some of the same sources?
Here is something as alarming or even more alarming than knowing that authorities are unable to agree on safe levels of contaminants in our drinking supplies (This may help answer the question on which authority to trust as well.): The change we have seen over the past two decades is staggering. Technology, science, construction, etc. has changed drastically. It would be fairly easy to assume that over the past twenty years, myriad industries would have introduced new chemicals, pharmaceuticals, pesticides or other new substances that could possibly end up in our drinking water. Over this same twenty years, the EPA has failed to add one new contaminant to its list of pollutants found in public drinking water. If a chemical is not added to this list, it cannot be tested to ensure that the levels are either safe or dangerous.
It should be fairly obvious that it is equally as important to be selective when drinking water as it is to actually consume the drink. Now we know you have to drink water but what kind should we drink? Stay tuned as we cover not only which waters are the best, but the qualities of the water that can provide you with the best results.
Continue reading the article Part 3 – What Water Can I Drink?
