When you consider that: the purified municipal water you are drinking may have at some point passed through several other peoples kidneys, it shouldn't be a surprise to learn how easily different contaminants enter the food chain. Prey e.g. fish living in polluted water, become food for those higher in the food chain, and so contaminants are consumed and passed on.
By Natasha Ruckel
© Green Log Home 2008
The EPA occasionally issues ‘consumption advisories’, their recommendations warn of eating certain amounts of contaminated fish. We just need to look at recent news stories, to find examples of polluted water and the harmful effects it may have. Recent articles relating to high levels of mercury in fish have been reported. Mercury released into the air from industrial pollution, made its way into the water cycle. High levels of ‘methylmercury’ (water combined with mercury) collected in the water populated by many breeds of fish. Both the EPA and the FDA issued a statement advising mothers, pregnant women and young children to avoid certain types of fish found to contain higher levels of mercury. Their statement clearly says that: ‘some fish and shellfish contain higher levels of mercury that may harm an unborn baby or young child's developing nervous system’. Would you consume fish, knowing that it contains any methylmercury?
Many chemicals exist in our environment; they permeate into the water cycle, as air-borne pollutants or by leeching into the soil. Take for example Dioxins. These chemicals are by-products of many industrial processes such as combustion, and contaminants from certain chlorinated chemicals. They can be found widely in the environment. Animal studies have linked a variety of toxic effects of dioxins with the liver, the gastrointestinal system, blood, skin, endocrine system, immune system, nervous system and reproductive system. It has to be mentioned that the same level of experimentation has not been conducted on humans and therefore documentation is lacking (as it is difficult to obtain human study participants!) Once again Dioxins are consumed by organisms in the soil, which are then consumed by others further up the food chain... and so it goes on.
Final Word
The deliberation of tap vs bottled water will continue to bubble on. The conclusive long-term proof needed to demonstrate the effects of plastics and water contamination on human health is still to be financed and carried out.
For those people searching for water in its purest form, reverse osmosis water purifiers or ionizing purifiers have proven to be the best option in removing trace chemicals. Reverse osmosis filtering systems have the ability to remove molecules down to 0.0001 microns in size. Water ionizing purifiers not only remove all traces of chemicals, but they also claim to be able to neutralize toxins in the body.
Larger corporations will continue to make money from their ‘green-washing’ marketing campaigns and their large-scale production of synthesized chemicals, creating continued profits for their shareholders. In the absence of conclusive evidence, due to lack of funding and the costs and time needed to work with human subjects, corporations choose to ignore the signs and continue to expand synthesizing more chemicals.
Even though the signals are becoming clearer, the debate between increasing ill health and absorption of pharmaceuticals, pesticides, genetically modified organisms, processed foods and other chemicals remains open. The ‘Grey’ areas generate a ‘when there is doubt, ignore’ attitude from the moneymakers.
So how many contaminants do we have inside us?
*Scientists estimate that everyone carries about seven hundred different contaminants in their body. Whether you live in an isolated area, away from industrialization, contaminants are still present in high quantities, our bodies store these concoctions, and only time will tell us what the effects will be.
*A study conducted by *Onstot J, Ayling R, Stanley J. Characterization of HRGC/MS Unidentified Peaks from the Analysis of Human Adipose Tissue. Volume 1: Technical Approach. Washington, DC: U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Office of Toxic Substances (560/6-87-002a), 1987.