Chlorine in Drinking Water: an Outdated Approach to Water Treatment

2008 is the 100th anniversary of the first use of chlorine in drinking water.  Beginning in Jersey City and Chicago in 1908, and then quickly expanding to cities across the United States, this method of water treatment helped to essentially wipe out diseases found in water such as typhoid and cholera.  While this system of disinfecting drinking water is recognized as one of the most important achievements in public health, it is now considered to be an outdated approach to water treatment.

Over the last 100 years, the danger of waterborne diseases has been replaced by environmental pollutants created by our industrialized societies. Over 2100 potential cancer-causing toxins have been detected* in our water supplies. And in the last eight years, there has been increasing concern on the part of medical science over drugs found in drinking water.  So in addition to herbacides, pestacides and other industrial waste, antibiotics, growth hormone and many other prescription drugs are now being detected in our water supplies. Chlorine in drinking water is not a viable method for treating all this contamination.

Furthermore, using this outdated method of water purification has its own serious drawbacks. Chlorine causes heavy metals, like lead, to leach into the water when it comes into contact with the aging metal pipes that are in most home plumbing. Lead is highly poisonous.

Chlorine in drinking water isn't the only concern.  There is also the danger of inhaling the chloroform gas that is created in the steam vapor from a shower. The U.S. EPA recently stated that "Due to chlorine and showering, virtually every home in America has a detectable level of chloroform gas in the air."  Inhaling chloroform can cause strong respiratory irritation and can trigger an asthma attack.

You may wonder why, with all our technological advances, chlorine continues to be used as the primary method for disinfecting our water systems? Well, mainly, because it is cheap.  Redesigning or installing new water treatment systems is very costly.  Most municipalities are reluctant to increase taxes in order to pay for an updated system. But with more and more evidence of the drawbacks of chlorine in drinking water being made public, cities are going to be forced to take drastic measures to protect their citizens.

However, you don't have to wait for your city council to address these important issues.  You can take steps, right now, to protect the health of you and your family.  There are plenty of affordable, quality home water purification systems that can safely and effectively meet all of your water purification needs.  A good place to start is to look for water purifiers that use a multi-stage filtration system. 

Not only can this type of water treatment counter the negative effects of chlorine in drinking water, but it can filter out most synthetic organic chemicals (SOCs), volatile organic chemicals (VOCs), heavy metals and bacteria. Multi-stage filtration systems are also effective at filtering out drugs found in drinking water.

Once you locate a reputable water purification company you can decide which type of water filter is best suited for your family's needs.  You may want a drinking water filter, which can be installed above or under your kitchen counter.  Maybe you are interested in shower filters.  Or you may just find that a whole house water filtration system will be your best choice.

Chlorine in drinking water once served it purpose, but now we need to recognize that it is an outdated approach to water treatment, and make better choices.  Our health depends on it.

*reported by the Ralph Nader Research Institute