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Post by AustinsMom on Jan 19, 2004 20:58:41 GMT -5
OK ohmama. With my ds's elevated copper stuff I now know I do need for him not to drink tap water. Does a water purifier help with this (you know the kind you attach to your faucet) or is bottled water the way to go? Do you do this with water you cook with also? I think you said you distilled your own water...just looking for what you have found to be the best. Thanks, as always.
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Post by ohmama on Jan 19, 2004 22:13:07 GMT -5
Austins mom, The bottled water that is available is in plastic containers and I very much doubt it is really pure. Go to www.waterwise.com/index.html I only use the distilled water for drinking and some small amounts for cooking once in a while. It should be stored in glass containers after you distill it. I think those faucet attechments are for the purpose of removing chlorine. I want more than that. It's scary once you find out what your not told about our drinking water. I'm sure there are many good water systems out but this is the one I am most familiar with. I think it is the best and would not own any other. See what you think. There are links under FAQ that you can look at to get some facts on drinking water, etc. and be able to make a good decision. |
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Post by AustinsMom on Jan 19, 2004 23:52:13 GMT -5
THANKS. The website is very helpful. I feel a little lazy....my research is much easier when I can cut to the chase with your well informed opinion. Are these as easy to use and maintain as the website portrays them?
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Post by ohmama on Jan 20, 2004 11:48:12 GMT -5
Yes, very easy. Very much worth any time spent. It's good to feel safe and not be taken captive by those tiny unseen creatures that make us sick. Watch out you will turn into a radical like me.
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Post by AustinsMom on Jan 20, 2004 21:58:16 GMT -5
If I turn as radical as you I'll consider that a good accomplishment  |
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Post by catatonic on Jan 21, 2004 8:18:15 GMT -5
OhMama, I'm curious as to your "water radical" opinion on the water information I got from my husband. He is a hydrologist and civil/environmental engineer, and among other things he gathers and disseminates water-quality data for multi-state and multi-national municipal water supplies. His opinion (offered when I suggested we might want to think about distilling our water) is that distilled water can lead to a variety of mineral deficiencies, chief among them magnesium, since water is our most readily available dietary source of magnesium. He believes that distilled water is completely stripped of its nutritional benefits. His only concern is high levels of chlorine present in our drinking water (it often tests as high as or higher than our swimming pool in chlorine content) and advises putting the water in glass containers in a sunny location for 24 hours to allow the chlorine to gas off. He definitely doesn't like the idea of our using a water distillation system. So I'm curious about what your concerns are about tap water content and the benefits of distilled water.
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Post by ohmama on Jan 21, 2004 14:00:31 GMT -5
I have always instinctively felt suspicious of tap water. One of the facts as far as Chlorine for example is that it interacts with organisms to form by-products (Trihalomethanes) that are harmful to individuals. If you want to remove Chlorine it is easy to buy any wide selection of filters (inexpensively) if this is your main concern. If you want to remove other contaminants such as heavy metals, giardia and cryptosporidium, herbicides, trihalomethanes and more, then you need a top performance system. From all the research I have done on tap water I have come to the conclusion that "there are no "good" minerals existing in the water, only inorganic minerals that the human body cannot process, and distillers do remove these as well." (quote from waterwise.com that I agree with). I don't worry about missing any magnesium benefits, if it is possible tap water contains this, since what I really want is a pharmaceutical quality suppliment without the added contaminants that tag along in tap water. Here is an interesting article loaded with facts on tap water... Do we need drinking water treatment at the tap?" www.wcp.net/NewsView.cfm?pkArticleID=2517&AT=TSome other points to consider: During 1994-1995, 18,542 of the nation's drinking water systems reported violations of health standards for microbial contaminaants, toxic chemicals, lead and other violations. (source, Environmental Working Group, May 1996) More than 1 in 5 Americans unknowingly drink tap water polluted with feces, lead, radiation or other contaminants. (source, The NY Times, June 2,1995) How is it that U.S. tap water now warrants a Government warning of unprecendented scope? The move follows seven outbreaks of cryptosporidium in U.S. drinking water that is the message from the Federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Environmental Protection Agency. (source, The Wall Street Journal, June 19,1995) I'm not an expert on water but I know enough to convince me it should be distilled, kept in glass containers, and that "good minerals" can easily be taken to give us the benefits of what we really need, no risks involved. I don't believe our tap water is safe any more than I believe all those "safe" preservatives and artificial colors and flavors are harmless in the food we eat. If you check out the site at waterwise.com there is much more information provided in links that you could learn more from. |
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Post by AustinsMom on Jan 31, 2004 22:52:15 GMT -5
ohmama--I ordered my waterwise distiller this week. I'll let you know how it works when I get it!
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Post by ohmama on Jan 31, 2004 23:59:56 GMT -5
Glad to hear it! I know you will love it. I should sell this stuff huh? Don't forget to store your water in a glass container.
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Madison
Member
Tomorrow is another day............
Posts: 90
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Post by Madison on Feb 1, 2004 9:52:19 GMT -5
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Post by AustinsMom on Feb 1, 2004 18:16:23 GMT -5
ohmama--waterwise said their containers are not glass (maybe they said they are polycarbonate? does that make sense?) but that they are non-leaching. Do you agree with that?
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Post by catatonic on Feb 1, 2004 19:46:06 GMT -5
Just as OhMama is suspicious of water, I am suspicious of plastic. Plastic, particularly when it has been exposed to heat or light, releases endocrine-disrupting chemicals (such as PCB's) that we then consume along with whatever food or liquid we've stored in the plastic. These hormone disrupting chemicals have a proven link towards damaging reproduction capabilities in animal populations. Haven't been studied in humans much in part because our generational cycle is many years long. However, there is new data implicating PCB's in low sperm counts and low sperm motility. Also the role of cattle feedlot runoff in small testicles. Hormones from birth control pills urinated out and subsequently entering river water cause infertility in river fish. The list goes on. We can expect more information as funding for research specifically on endocrine disruptors was passed early last year by the House. Hormonally active agents in the environment have been associated with the following neurological changes in animal populations: impaired cognition impaired learning altered activity level heightened reactivity to adverse events I highly recommend Theo Colborn's book "Our Stolen Future" for a very detailed and well-researched treatment of these hormonally active agents that are increasingly prevalent in our environment and the threat they pose. You can also take a look at the following websites: e.hormone.tulane.edu/www.nap.edu/books/0309064198/html/ |
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Post by ohmama on Feb 1, 2004 23:57:52 GMT -5
Austins mom, Their containers are polycarbonate, not to be confused with cheap plastic that can leach toxins such as methyl chloride, a carcinogen. Storing water in those soft plastic containers can increase the potential for a higher concentration of leached contaminants. The water can smell and taste like plastic. The polycarbonate container that is non-leaching from water wise is approved and tested for over 40 years as are the other products made from this. A good example would be medical devices and other equipment of high quality that demand safety first. See www.bisphenol-a.org/human/polyplastics.html Even so, I still don't store the distilled water in it. Just for my own peace of mind I would rather put it in glass once it's distilled. |
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Post by catatonic on Feb 2, 2004 8:34:43 GMT -5
At my 7th grade boy's science fair last week, I saw a project a kid had done about cleaning up water via solar distillation. OhMama, do you know anything about the solar distillation process or equipment?
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Post by ohmama on Feb 2, 2004 11:51:37 GMT -5
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