Did you know that there is chlorine in drinking water? The water you are bathing in and drinking every day? We all know that we should drink water because “75% of your body is made of water, young lady!”. Or, “don’t you know you need water to live?!”. These are things we hear on a daily basis. Something you may not know is that there is chlorine in drinking water and in your shower water .. WOW.
While drinking water is super important, the quality of the water is at the same level of importance. Eating chemical-free food and wearing chemical-free clothing is great but if the water we are literally putting inside and outside our bodies EVERY. SINGLE. DAY. is contaminated…. houston, we have a problem.
Think about how much water you (should be) drinking a day…
How often do you shower?
Do you shower with cold water? Probably not, it’s probably nice and steamyyyyy.
Do you cook with water?
Do you make tea with water? Steam your veggies in water?
How often do you wash your hands? Your face?
Put ice cubes (from water) into your water?
You get the point. Water is everywhere and we need to take a step back and think about the quality of it. Water treatment facilities add chlorine to water to “make it clean” and kill bacteria. That chlorine turns into CBP (chlorine byproducts) by the time it makes it to our sinks, shower heads and mouths. Imagine, 300 CBPs bouncing around in you cup or bathtub.. I prefer not, thanks!
So, what’s with the chlorine in drinking water?
These CBPs are known carcinogens and science is all up in that, I’m not making this up.. why would I even want to? Also, the germs and bacteria that they are trying to kill aren’t even completely destroyed.. Take cryptosporidium for example – a parasite – chlorine isn’t 100% effective on it. Would you jump into a swimming pool and guzzle down the water? I didn’t think so.
“Free radicals in chlorinated water have been linked to liver malfunction, weakening of the immune system and pre-arteriosclerotic changes in arteries.” – Dr. Chris Kresser
When chlorine in drinking water (or shower water) is heated, it has a 50% increase in the concentration of the carcinogenic CBPs. Heated chlorine happens when you shower, take a bath, wash dishes, drink hot tea or wash your face/hands with hot water. 2/3 of the harmful exposure to chlorine is due to the inhalation of steam and skin absorption while showering! This means that there is a 50% higher risk of cancer when the heat affects the chlorine. Remember, this isn’t to scare you. I’m a science girl, science isn’t mean to be scary. It’s mean to tell the facts so you can make an educated decision on your own.
Some of the by products: chloroform, bromodichloromethane, bromoform and mx(3-chloro-4-(dichloromethyl)-4-oxobutenoic acid) are known to cause cancer. These are 100x more toxic than chlorine. I just want same dang water, geez.
“In fact, the chloroform dose from a single, ten minute shower is equal to, and possibly greater than, that from the average two liters of water ingestion on a daily basis.” – Dr. Chris Kresser
A little closer
Chlorine exposure is linked to some of the following conditions:
childhood asthma lowered sperm count eye and throat irritation dizziness/headache cuticle damage skin rashes weakened immune system
“There have been epidemiological evidences of close relationship between its exposure and adverse outcomes particularly the cancers of vital organs in human beings.” – Journal of Hazardous Materials
Whoa, what can I do?
There are many changes you can make to support your health and to keep as much of the chlorine in drinking water out of your system as possible. In my home, we have a shower filter, tap water filter and use vitamin C tablets in our bath water (that also comes from a filter – extra careful).. haha. This shower filter removes chlorine and they also have an under-sink unit that is semi-portable if you need to move!
I also carry my own water bottle around with me everywhere. Fill it with your own filtered water from home and don’t drink tap water from restaurants or at friends house, unless they are using a water filter. I like this glass one because it’s simple and you can see the fruit/lemons in it which makes it prettier! It may seem crazy but you’re health is worth it. Trust me, it’s so worth it. I’ll keep this short and ask you to do one thing, get a water filter!
Berkey Water Filter
I got my Berkey after saving for months and I am a super fan of it. I have wanted one since 2016 but 2018 was my year. We moved to Florida and the water was gnarly. Berkey filters reduce or remove pathogens, parasites, herbicides, insecticides, fungicides, VOCs, heavy metals, fowl odor and tastes. We cook with the water, soak nuts and seeds and drink it. If you have one, let me know what you think below!
Copper Water Bottle
This copper water bottle is another cute one that a small company and Canada sent me to try & I love it. While drinking from copper can be beneficial, you have to know YOUR body. If you have copper toxicity you probably shouldn’t drink from a copper water bottle, just sayinnnn’ Also, rinse it with lemon water before using it. Fill it up 8 hours before drinking from it. Drink from it in the morning and night but not all day, too much of a good thing isn’t a good thing. Plus, it is literally the cutest bottle ever. So, don’t worry about chlorine in your water anymore because you have the tools you need!
Here are some more non-toxic lifestyle hacks: Chemical Free Tampon and Fragrance-free home spray!
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resources:
http://aem.asm.org/content/55/6/1519.short
Weisel, C. P. and Chen, W. J. (1994), Exposure to Chlorination By-Products from Hot Water Uses. Risk Analysis, 14: 101–106. doi:10.1111/j.1539-6924.1994.tb00032.x
Richardson, S.D., Thruston, A.D., Caughran, T.V. et al. Water, Air, & Soil Pollution (2000) 123: 95. https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1005265509813
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0304389406012878
https://ascelibrary.org/doi/abs/10.1061/(ASCE)0733-9372(1998)124:12(1203)https://chriskresser.com/is-your-daily-shower-making-you-sick/
http://www.ghchealth.com/chlorine‐cancer‐and‐heart‐disease.html
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