HEALTH & WATER

Why Do We Need Water?

Drinking water is extremely important in maintaining good health.  The human body is estimated to be made up of approximatley 72% water, it removes waste, transports oxygen, protects your joints and organs & regulates body temperature.

Heart 75% Lungs 86% Muscle 75% Blood 83% Kidneys 83% Brain 75%

Signs Of Dehydration - Headaches - Fatigue - Dry Skin - Lethargy

The Source

There are many sources of drinking water; bore water, tank water, desalinated water, recycled sewerage water, and the most common is treated dam water (town water). With every source comes its own set of problems, Dam water for instance can be riddled with bacteria, blue green algae, sediment and more. This means that the water authorities need to add chemicals to combat these problems. Unfortunatley it's these chemicals that are harmful to our bodies and in many cases have been directly linked to Alzheimers' (see news article), Miscarriage, Heart Attacks (see news article) & many forms of cancer (see news article)

What's in your water by accident?

• Herbicides & Pesticides from local farming 
• Animal Waste
• Oil/Chemical Spills
• Asbestos (from old piping)
• Rust (from old piping)
• Lead & Copper corrosion (from old piping)
• and much more

Giardia  & Cryptosporidium

Have you ever taken a walk around a dam? If you are like many Australians the answer is probably no, we put so much faith in a water source that we have never even seen. Unfortunatley with local farming in a close vicinity to our dams, the chances that Giardia & Cryptospordium are in your water supply are higher. Giardia & Cryptosporidum are a parasite that can be found in our water supply. Once ingested they can cause Giardisis & Cryptosporidiosis, symptoms include: Diarrhoea, abdominal cramps, gas, weight loss, vomiting, headaches and chills. Although healthy people usually recover in 7-14 days, Cryptosporidiosis can be life threatening for the sick, the elderly, and people with depressed immune systems, there is no known treatment or cure. The Cause : Run off from dead animals and animal faeces.  When rainfall is received, the water runs through kilometres of cattle faeces and carcasses and into the dams. The Problem : Cryptosporidium and Giardia belong to an unpleasant family called protozoa, a group of one celled micro-organisms which are larger, more complex, and more resistant to chlorine than bacteria.

What Chemicals Are Added?

Up to 50 different types of chemicals can be added to Australia's drinking water. Every treatment plant is different, however there are a list of basic chemicals that each treatment plant will generally use as a standard. Please note the chemicals below are just a few of the possible chemicals that can be added. The problem however, is not only the chemicals that are ADDED, but also the DBP's (Disinfection ByProducts) which occur when chemicals are combined (in the water). If you consider that there can be up to 50 different types of chemicals in the water, that all combine together, that is up to 2500 dbp (Disinfection ByProducts) that can be present in our drinking water.

So Why Are These Chemicals Added?

Aluminium Sulphate - Added to the water as a flocculent. The primary use of coagulant and flocculant chemicals is in the removal of suspended and colloidal solids such as clays. Coagulation is particularly important in the treatment of surface waters. Removal of the solids is achieved by aggregating fine suspended matter into larger flocs.

Disturbing Facts : Aluminium Sulphate has also been directly linked to Alzheimers' Disease - click here for news article.

Chlorine - Disinfection of water is generally used either alone or as the final step in water treatment, after clarification or filtration. Disinfection is widely used to prevent the passage of bacteria, viruses and some protozoa into the distribution system. Typical chemicals used for disinfection of drinking water supplies are strong oxidants, such as chlorine (and its derivatives, chlorine dioxide and chloramine), ozone and hydrogen peroxide.

Disturbing Facts:

• Chlorine was used in WW1 to gas and kill soldiers in their trenches.
• Chlorine has also been linked to: Liver, Bowel, Bladder & Kidney Cancer (see news articles).  
• In the late 1960's Dr Jospeh Price conducted an experiment with chickens and found that 95% of chickens drinking chlorinated water developed athereosclerosis, he stated "The basic cause of athereosclerosis, heart attacks and most forms of strokes is chlorine. The chlorine contained in processed water." - Coronaries/Cholesterol/Chlorine, Dr Joseph Price. - Click here for more info

Copper Sulphate - Algicides are used to reduce toxic or odorous algal blooms in water reservoirs. The chemical commonly used in the management of algal growth is copper sulfate.

Ammonia - Added to the water to extend the life of the chlorine in the pipelines, the DBP (Disinfection ByProduct) of Ammonia and Chlorine mixed together is Chloramines, which can also be more toxic and harder to remove than chlorine.

Pipes - Your water can travel through hundreds of kilometres of piping that is up to 100 years old.  These pipes have been found to be filled with a 5cm thick sludge due to the lack of maitenance - see news article

So if these chemicals are so toxic to us, why are they permitted?

In his Book "Sydney On Tap" released in 1998, John Archer states:

"Water Authorities and politicians regularly reassure us that our water is perfectly safe...but the truth is they don't really know if it is safe or not.  In fact no one knows what "safe" means.

If you ask, you'll be told that the water is measured against strict guidelines for water quality set by the National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC)

This answer is meaningless. It gives the misleading impression that there are compulsory standards which water authorities have to meet. Nothing could be further from the truth. There are three Australian versions of these guidelines published in 1980, 1987 and 1996. There's also the World Health Organization Guidelines.  Water Authorities are free to choose any one that suits them; some make up their own.

This doesn't really matter much because the business of having guidelines is a cosmetic exercise deliberately designed to lull the public into complacency.  There are no penalties for non compliance, no compulsion to inform consumers when, and if, there is a health risk, and in many instances, the public has not been told the truth at times when series health risks existed."

Unfortunately in today’s day and age the only thing that we can do to truly protect ourselves and our family is to purify our drinking water at our own kitchen taps, providing peace of mind all year round.

For more information see 10 Good Reasons To Purify Your Water or call us on 1300 808 966

More Articles: 

Memory loss may start with a glass of water

Chlorine Cancer Linked

Slime On Tap

Recycled Sewerage In Drinking Water

Hinze Dam Closed By E.coli Bug

Much More