Poisonous Substances in Water May Lead to Stroke, Cancer, and Diabetes
Chances are that there is a world of organic and synthetic substances floating around in your drinking water. If you are using tap water to cook your food, or drinking it straight from the faucet, then you are exposing yourself to these substances. A new study has found that arsenic, present in the water supply of certain areas, has been tied to an increased stroke risk. Extended exposure may also lead to cancer and type 2 diabetes.
The study, published in the journal Stroke, found that people who lived in areas that contained moderately high levels of arsenic had an increased risk of stroke. Michigan residents were studied, and it was concluded that 20 percent of zip codes with the highest arsenic levels showed that stroke hospitalization risk was double that of lowest levels of arsenic found in the drinking water. High levels are considered to be between roughly 19 and 22 micrograms per liter.
What constitutes a “safe” amount of a toxic substance, however, is arguable. There really is no safe level of arsenic in the drinking water, though so-called health experts will argue that small amounts of arsenic will do no harm to the body. While this may be true, the body is being assaulted by thousands of daily stressors that exist all throughout the environment.
Bishphenol a (BPA), the fertility-killing hormone menace was also deemed to have supposedly “safe” levels, despite scientists proclaiming that there is no such thing. Since then, even the mainstream media has admitted that BPA is an extreme health hazard, linked to reduced sperm health and obesity.
The Environmental Working Group (EWG) has established a database of 20 million water testing results from across the country. Of these 20 million tests performed, 316 pollutants have been identified in drinking water. Of the pollutants, 49 were above (sometimes severely so) the safe levels as determined by the federal government. This leads to polluted tap water finding its way into the homes of 56 million United States citizens. In addition, the government has not set a new drinking water standard since 2001, despite all of the evidence.
Invest in a high quality filtration system that removes potentially harmful compounds from the water while simultaneously restoring valuable minerals to the water. If you have a reverse osmosis filter, it is especially important to restore these minerals.
 | Natural Society staff contribution |
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