Patriot Health Digest
Many Americans consume filtered water, which is a great idea. Filtered water is cleaner and purer than unfiltered water. It has almost no chemicals, impurities, or other contaminants.
But have you thought about your shower water? You probably bathe in chemical-laden water. There are numerous studies that have found that chemicals like chlorine might be absorbed into your lungs and skin.
In 2010, the President’s Cancer Panel published a report with disturbing findings about the health effects of bathing or showering in unfiltered water.
The report says that while the cleaning of public water with chlorine has lowered the incidence of waterborne illnesses, long term exposure to these cleaning chemicals might increase a person’s cancer risk.
The “standard” for chemicals like chlorine is 80 parts per billion. The report says that people who get exposed to greater levels of these substances during showering or swimming might have a higher risk of cancer. Some possible connections exist between exposure and these cancers:
- Renal cell carcinoma
- Colon/rectal
- Glioma
- Bladder cancer
How solve the problem
Minimize your exposure to harmful chemicals in your tap water. One way to do this is to install a whole house water filter system.
This is the easiest way to get pure water for showering and drinking. The only downside is that it is expensive.
If such a whole house solution is outside of your budget, consider a shower filter. There are affordable shower filters that remove most chlorine and other chemicals from your shower water, without lowering water pressure.
Showering in unfiltered water means soaking your skin into chlorine, and inhaling vaporized harmful chemicals, so change this as soon as you can to improve your health.
