WARNING: TAP WATER NOT AS SAFE TO DRINK AS MANY BOTTLED WATERS!
There has been a slew of bad information from the media in recent years about the safety of tap water vs. bottled water and I am on a personal mission to try and correct it. The media consistently reports that tap water is just as safe as all bottled water and this information is incorrect. Even with a recent study published by The New York Times in September of 2009, a study conducted by the award winning Environmental Working Group, a watchdog of sorts, the media still ignores the serious reality that study and other studies in the past two years have found, that tap water is far from safe for someone like me who is immune disordered and even those without an immune disorder. This oversight and fictional reporting can be life-threatening. SOME bottled waters are positively safer than tap water for people with weakened immune systems, those may have undergone chemotherapy treatment, received organ transplants, suffer from HIV/Aids, or other immune disorders. Consumers need to be aware of this when selecting water to drink.
As a resident of Los Angeles I am a customer of the Los Angeles Water and Power Company. Each year by Federal law, all city municipalities are required to send their customers a report on the water quality. In August on 2008, I read the LADWP report and was stunned to find a bolded paragraph on page 3 that stated: "Health Related Notices, Precautions for People With Weakened Immune Systems. Some people may be more vulnerable to contaminants in drinking water than the general population. People with weakened immune systems, may have undergone chemotherapy treatment, received organ transplants, suffer from HIV/Aids, or other immune disorders. Some elderly and infants can be particularly at risk from infection. People with these types of health challenges should seek advice about drinking water from their health care providers". The annual LADWP report landed in my mailbox this year and again, the same warning.
After further research I found that the majority of city municipalities do not adequately filter the water to lessen the risk of Cryptosporidium and other microbial contaminants. Cryptosporidium can wreak havoc in the gut, causing explosive diarrhea, dehydration and is debilitating especially to those whose immune system is compromised. After visiting the EPA site to learn more, the essential tool in preventing cryptosporidium contamination can be achieved by filtering water with a 1 micron filtration system in addition to ultraviolet and ozone, a more costly process in which cities cannot afford. In addition, municipal tap water is filled with pharmaceuticals and other contaminants which make it less desirable. That led me to go to Whole Foods and other health food stores to literally buy, research online, taste and sample over a dozen brands of bottled waters to find out which ones would be suited and safe for me. I personally selected a water called AQUAMANTRA that surpassed all of the filtration standards set by the EPA and is actually delicious and has a steady ph level of 7.4. As part of my mission, I have volunteered my services to Aquamantra and others like them so they have a chance to continue to manufacture water that is safe for me to drink.
Some bottled waters are filtered tap water, but then again, there are bottled natural spring and mineral waters that go through extensive filtration to eliminate microbial threats. The San Francisco Chronicle and LA Times ran a similar story last year and I called the Health Editor at the Times and asked her if she knew that the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power states in their own materials that they do not advise immune compromised individuals drinking the water. She did not, and yet, the LA Times ran no retraction. I have called numerous other institutions that have run published comparison studies between bottled and tap, and absolutely NONE of them knew of the precautionary warnings on municipal systems.
I bring this to your attention because the immune compromised, the elderly and infants are continually ignored in this ongoing story and our numbers are large. While we don't ask for ramps on sidewalks or special toilet stalls, we deserve to get correct information as do the entire population so we can make informed choices. We cannot and should not drink municipal tap water. I would ask that responsible journalists finally set the record straight. While it may not seem that this clarification is important enough to those making these reports, to the immune compromised, it is our lives. If you are immune compromised, please check to see if the water you are drinking is safe. Go to their websites and see if they carry the warning statement...Please cut and paste this link for more information. http://www.nytimes.com/2009/12/17/us/17water.html?emc=eta1
In Health,
Sharon Lindsey
As a resident of Los Angeles I am a customer of the Los Angeles Water and Power Company. Each year by Federal law, all city municipalities are required to send their customers a report on the water quality. In August on 2008, I read the LADWP report and was stunned to find a bolded paragraph on page 3 that stated: "Health Related Notices, Precautions for People With Weakened Immune Systems. Some people may be more vulnerable to contaminants in drinking water than the general population. People with weakened immune systems, may have undergone chemotherapy treatment, received organ transplants, suffer from HIV/Aids, or other immune disorders. Some elderly and infants can be particularly at risk from infection. People with these types of health challenges should seek advice about drinking water from their health care providers". The annual LADWP report landed in my mailbox this year and again, the same warning.
After further research I found that the majority of city municipalities do not adequately filter the water to lessen the risk of Cryptosporidium and other microbial contaminants. Cryptosporidium can wreak havoc in the gut, causing explosive diarrhea, dehydration and is debilitating especially to those whose immune system is compromised. After visiting the EPA site to learn more, the essential tool in preventing cryptosporidium contamination can be achieved by filtering water with a 1 micron filtration system in addition to ultraviolet and ozone, a more costly process in which cities cannot afford. In addition, municipal tap water is filled with pharmaceuticals and other contaminants which make it less desirable. That led me to go to Whole Foods and other health food stores to literally buy, research online, taste and sample over a dozen brands of bottled waters to find out which ones would be suited and safe for me. I personally selected a water called AQUAMANTRA that surpassed all of the filtration standards set by the EPA and is actually delicious and has a steady ph level of 7.4. As part of my mission, I have volunteered my services to Aquamantra and others like them so they have a chance to continue to manufacture water that is safe for me to drink.
Some bottled waters are filtered tap water, but then again, there are bottled natural spring and mineral waters that go through extensive filtration to eliminate microbial threats. The San Francisco Chronicle and LA Times ran a similar story last year and I called the Health Editor at the Times and asked her if she knew that the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power states in their own materials that they do not advise immune compromised individuals drinking the water. She did not, and yet, the LA Times ran no retraction. I have called numerous other institutions that have run published comparison studies between bottled and tap, and absolutely NONE of them knew of the precautionary warnings on municipal systems.
I bring this to your attention because the immune compromised, the elderly and infants are continually ignored in this ongoing story and our numbers are large. While we don't ask for ramps on sidewalks or special toilet stalls, we deserve to get correct information as do the entire population so we can make informed choices. We cannot and should not drink municipal tap water. I would ask that responsible journalists finally set the record straight. While it may not seem that this clarification is important enough to those making these reports, to the immune compromised, it is our lives. If you are immune compromised, please check to see if the water you are drinking is safe. Go to their websites and see if they carry the warning statement...Please cut and paste this link for more information. http://www.nytimes.com/2009/12/17/us/17water.html?emc=eta1
In Health,
Sharon Lindsey
Posted by The Whole-Body Wellbeing Blog at 4/23/2010 2:08 PM 
Categories: whole-body wellbeing, medicine, bottled water, municipal water, HEALTH
Tags: Whole-Body Wellbeing organ transplants tap water vs. bottled water HIV/AIDS immune disorders Environmental Working Group
Categories: whole-body wellbeing, medicine, bottled water, municipal water, HEALTH
Tags: Whole-Body Wellbeing organ transplants tap water vs. bottled water HIV/AIDS immune disorders Environmental Working Group
I like your style, the fact that your site is a little bit different makes it so interesting, I get fed up of seeing same-old-same-old all of the time. I've just stumbled this page for you
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Great to hear from you and so glad that you found us...Dottie and I both have gone way beyond the surface in terms of researching and understanding what it is that can keep us healthy... The misinformation that is continually put out about "bottled water" drives me nuts...Our goal is to pass along what we have discovered in our journey's to others so that they too can benefit as we have. Welcome aboard!!!!
Peace,
Sharon
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