For a period that lasted more than a year, strange colors and smells flowed out of the faucets of Flint, Michigan’s 100,000 residents… while officials asserted that everything was fine. Turns out residents had plenty to be concerned about.
Safety tests showed the city to be in violation of the Safe Drinking Water Act, with high levels of TTHM or THM. TTHM (total trihalomethane) is a byproduct of chlorine disinfection -- and it’s a carcinogen. When the city dumped more chlorine into the water to remedy the situation, the problem got worse. Imagine that!
An order to boil water was issued when fecal coliform bacteria surfaced in some neighborhoods.
There were also reports of skin rashes, a spike in lead in the blood of children, and immune disorders.
Maybe the water in your town doesn’t stink or look nasty, but that doesn’t mean you’re out of the danger zone…
Continued below. . .
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It’s not just industrial pollutants that can poison your water and sabotage your health. It’s also the stuff “experts” add in the name of health.
One of the most common additives to municipal water supplies is a potent neurotoxin called fluoride.
Supposedly this is done to protect our teeth, but there has NEVER been a randomized controlled trial that shows the effectiveness of swallowing fluoride to reduce tooth decay.
Fluoride advocates like to claim that tooth decay dropped sharply after widespread fluoridation began in the 1950s. The facts speak otherwise.
Tooth decay rates precipitously declined in ALL developed Western nations – whether or not fluoridation was used. And most of the countries with declines did not fluoridate!1
The World Health Organization (WHO) reports that the U.S. actually has higher rates of tooth decay than countries that don’t fluoridate their water, including Denmark, Belgium, Sweden, and the Netherlands.2
Fluoride sucks your brain dry – and worse
Contrary to popular belief, fluoride is NOT a nutrient.
If it were, why would the FDA require warning labels on fluoridated toothpaste? Many children now exceed the recommended daily fluoride intake from toothpaste alone, never mind the water they drink.
Or why has it been used for decades as a rodenticide and pesticide to kill pests like rats and insects?
From an acute toxicity standpoint, fluoride is more toxic than lead, and just slightly less so than arsenic.
As of November 2015, no less than 49 studies show a strong link between fluoride and reduced IQ. These human studies are very compelling, based on IQ exams of more than 12,000 children. They show that fluoride exposure early in life can indeed damage a child’s developing brain.3
In addition, about 100 animal studies also link fluoride to brain damage.4
Stacking one hazard on another
Most people do not realize that fluoride is a cumulative toxin – meaning that over time it leads to much more serious health concerns than the dental fluorosis (spotting on your teeth) that is a warning sign of over-exposure.
Scientists believe that up to half of ingested fluoride accumulates in your bones, where it clears out extremely slowly. The National Research Council (NRC) estimates that the biological half-life of fluoride in bone (the time it takes for half of it to dissipate) is as long as 20 years.
The spotting it can inflict on your teeth suggests the damage it can do to your bones. Skeletal fluorosis can be crippling or even deadly. Because the toxin accumulates over time, early symptoms may not include any bone changes. The symptoms may look more like arthritis.
Fluoride also weakens your bones and increases your risk of fractures. This can be especially concerning as it increases hip fracture risk in the elderly.
Fluoride is also linked to bone cancer (osteosarcoma) and possibly other cancers.
The wide range of other damaging health effects includes5:
- Genetic damage and cell death
- Dementia
- Impaired thyroid function
- Hyperactivity and/or lethargy
- Inhibited antibody production
- Severe eye problems (including blindness)
- Muscle disorders
- Arthritis
- Immune system disruption
- Inactivation of enzymes
In a moment, I’ll tell you the best home solutions we’ve been able to find for purifying your water. But just in case you’re still tempted to put it off, let me tell you a couple more reasons why you NEED to do this. . .
You won’t believe how fluoridation got started…
Water fluoridation has a sordid beginning that hardly anyone knows about. And it had nothing to do with promoting dental health.
It actually resulted from a massively successful PR campaign meant to protect aluminum and steel producers from lawsuits against the fluorine poisoning in their plants.6
So a chemical that’s touted as a safe and effective prophylactic against cavities is in reality a toxic industrial waste product. It’s added to our water supplies because manufacturers have so much excess to get rid of, and toxic waste disposal is expensive.
This crafty solution was devised so they could actually sell someone their hazardous waste at a profit.
Unfortunately the wheels of reform grind slowly. Most countries in Europe no longer fluoridate their water. In the United States, some communities are finally outlawing water fluoridation as more people become aware of its dangers.
But if yours isn’t one of them, you may want to take matters into your own hands NOW.
Get the lead out
It’s not as if fluoride were the only concern in your water.
An astonishing 2,100 chemical compounds have been identified in water. But the EPA only has enforceable safety standards for 87 of them. (And you saw how that worked out in Flint, where the authorities hid safety violations for a year.)
Microbial contamination is also a risk. Indeed, the CDC estimates that up to “33 million cases of GI [gastro-intestinal] illness associated with public drinking water systems occur in the U.S. annually.”
Your home water pipes may not be doing you any favors either. They’re often the source of toxic levels of copper and lead. In old construction, lead may have been used to solder pipe joints. The website of Plumbing Manufacturers International says, “Nearly all homes built prior to the 1980s still have lead solder connecting copper pipes.” They add, “Some major U.S. cities still have 100% lead piping bringing water from the utilities to homes and businesses.”
Another concern in home water pipes is biofilm – bacterial layers that can harbor pathogens like E. coli.
So don’t take anyone’s word for the water on which your health thrives or dives.
Even having your own well doesn’t mean you’re safe. Wells can suffer from groundwater contamination, especially in farming areas, along with arsenic, coliform, chlorine, nitrates, algae and hydrogen sulfide, to name some of the common culprits.
My house is served by a well, but I’m in the mountains, and my water table is not downstream from any farms or livestock operations – or from a town or city.
Over the course of your life, you’ll consume about 183 gallons – or 2,920 glasses – every year. What effect will hidden fluoride and other contaminants have on your family’s health over the years?
Don’t just throw your hands up – do something!
It’s little wonder that water is called the “elixir of life.”
Many ancient cultures considered it therapeutic.
Even in modern day America, the American Journal of Epidemiology reported that eight glasses a day of purified water bolsters heart health.
A six-year study of 20,000 healthy men and women ages 38 to 100 found that women who drank five or more glasses of water a day were 41% less likely to die of a heart attack than those who drank less than two glasses. And men fared even better. Perhaps not surprising when you realize that your heart is 79 percent water! (By the way, I don’t see how anyone could subsist on two glasses a day.)
Water also helps your digestion, oxygen delivery, detoxification, nutrient absorption, energy levels, immune function, and joint cushioning.
Can you think of any better reason to safeguard your water than to keep yourself and your family healthy – and prevent the negative fallout from contaminated water?
But there’s one popular solution you should avoid…
Avoid this popular solution like the plague
Bottled water is often considered the “go-to” answer for water problems. But it’s far from ideal, and can be downright dangerous.
Consider for a moment:
- The two largest selling bottled waters in the world are simply filtered and repackaged tap water – for which you’re paying a huge premium. As recycled tap water, in all likelihood they contain fluoride. It’s a tough challenge to find brands that don’t.
- National Resources Defense Council (NRDC) tested more than 1,000 bottles of 103 different brands. They found that one-third were contaminated with arsenic (a carcinogen), THMs (also carcinogens), excessive bacteria (puts especially immune compromised people at risk), and elevated nitrates.And here you thought you were better off drinking bottled water!
- There were more than 100 recalls of bottled water between 1990 and 2010. In June 2015, fourteen brands of bottled water were recalled because of E. coli concerns.
- The expense is unbelievable! If you buy it by the gallon, you’ll pay around $1.29 per gallon. For a family of four, that’s a bare minimum of $944.28 per year. Buy it in smaller bottles, at higher prices, or with sales tax added, and you’ll pay even more.
- The plastic bottles collect in our landfills and oceans – where they last indefinitely, because they don’t biodegrade.
- You have to haul all those heavy water bottles home from the store… clear space to store them, and later dispose of all those bottles. Talk about a headache!
Fortunately there’s a better way. And it’s cost-efficient, convenient, and safe.
Better than bottled water
Your best bet for purity, convenience, and cost is to install your own filter. You can easily refill glass bottles such as LifeFactory, and carry it with you to work, play, and on road trips.
For just pennies a day you can enjoy pure fresh water (almost) right out of your tap.
We’ve sorted through mountains of data to offer you what we believe are the best health-promoting water systems on the planet, because…
There are so many options it can be downright debilitating to figure out what’s what. Many people reach the point where they just throw up their hands and give up. Not a good option for your health.
The systems we recommend get rid of fluoride, which is notoriously difficult to remove. Please know that many very expensive home systems let fluoride pass right through to your water glass.
Three Options to Consider…
Two or our recommended systems are installed at the point of consumption, i.e., at your sink. The other is a whole house system.
All three remove fluoride, which many filters fail to do.
Let’s start with the ready-to-install whole-house Pelican filter… the only whole-house filter in their line specifically designed to remove fluoride.
The Pelican Fluoride Series Premium Whole House Water Filter uses a special high-grade filter to significantly reduce fluoride. It is also known to reduce heavy metals from leeching into your water.
This whole-house system ensures you’re not breathing in toxic chemicals from your warm steamy shower water, and offers the ultimate convenience of having all your home’s water filtered no matter where you want to use it.
For more information about this filter, go here: http://www.pelicanwater.com/whole-house-fluoride-filters.php
Pelican also offers a sink-style filter that removes fluoride – their 6-stage Reverse Osmosis.
Its tank is under the sink, with a dedicated, attractive faucet, most commonly used at the kitchen sink.
According to the NSF, the Pelican sink unit removes 96.30% of fluoride, as well as arsenic V at 97.8% removal, lead at 98%, total dissolved solids (TDS) at 96.50% and cysts at greater than 99.99%
They offer countertop, under-the-sink, and whole house water filtration systems that filter over 60 contaminants including lead, chlorine, VOC’s, and microbial cysts.
Finally, there are Berkey water filters.
The Berkeys are classified as water purifiers (as opposed to filters). meaning the filter must remove at least 99.9999% of pathogenic bacteria (called log 6 reduction in the water treatment industry). It must also reduce viruses by 99.99% (log 4 reduction).
The Berkey filters far exceed that threshold, verified by independent testing.
These filters also remove pharmaceuticals, THMs, inorganic minerals (i.e., chlorine), heavy metals (including aluminum, mercury and lead), arsenic, a whole list of VOCs, and floride. My understanding is that the main Berkey unit requires an additional “add-on” to completely remove fluouride.
Berkey filters offer simple additional fluoride filter attachments. These use a KDF-type process to remove 95% of the fluoride.
Berkey filters come in a variety of countertop sizes, serving two people, or serving up to 150 people.
The filtering elements are cleanable, extending its filter-life and making it one of the cheapest to operate, producing clean water for a mere two cents per gallon. Try getting water that cheap from your grocery store!
For more information on the Berkey filters, check out this link: http://www.berkeyfilters.com.
Whichever unit you decide is right for you, enjoy the peace of mind of saying goodbye to unhealthy toxins that find their way into your water and make you a sitting duck for cancer, brain damage, and so much more.
Don’t you deserve pure clean water, for your health’s sake?
I’ll give you something to ponder, if you wonder if it’s worth the expense. I grew up in Kansas along the Missouri river, where many families live on a well. There’s massive farm chemical contamination in the ground water from nearly a hundred years of intense pesticide and herbicide use.
Larger towns and cities on the river draw their municipal water supplies right from it – and they don’t call the river the “Muddy Mo” for nothing. But the large volume of dissolved dirt in the water is the least of your problems. It contains the agricultural chemical runoff from hundreds of thousands of square miles of farmland.
The municipal authorities filter it, throw in a little chlorine and send it straight to your house. Then the sewage (after processing, of course) is dumped into the river and sent down stream to the next town which – you guessed it – runs it through a filter, throws in a little chlorine and sends it straight to people’s homes.
The people in Kansas City basically drink recycled waste water from the people in Omaha, and so on down the line.
I won’t drink the stuff. My advice is: Get yourself a high-quality water system like the ones we recommend.
