It's been a long time coming, but finally, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has announced that it will be going ahead to develop the first-ever regulation for perchlorate to help protect against the health dangers of this toxin. This decision reverses a Bush administration decision which prevented regulation of perchlorate -- a by-product of rocket fuel production -- which is known to be a toxin, and is particularly dangerous to the thyroid. The EPA believes that more than 4 percent of public water systems have detected perchlorate and between 5 million and 17 million people may be served drinking water containing perchlorate. Some experts studying the issue, however, believe that many more people are at risk due to excess perchlorate in the water supply, and also in foods irrigated by perchlorate-contaminated water, and in 2006, the CDC said that 44 million American women alone were at risk from perchlorate exposure.
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It’s all well and good to bring out the dangers in our drinking water, and good that we are lobbying to raise awareness about the toxins in our water supply. That said, what can be done to clean up the water? Filters? Distillation? Bacteria can be combated but volatile chemicals are nearly impossible to remove. We’re on the brink of some major health issues here and there seems to be no way out. I, for one, am very worried.
I have been drinking distilled water for 18 years and I really enjoy the most pure water I can get to date. Yes, there are new VOCs being exposed and more pharma infiltrating.
Here is the trick for removing as much as possible.
Purchase a home distiller, A GOOD QUALITY DISTILLER, Cheap ones to not work as well. Pre-filter your water and make sure your distiller has a post carbon filter. You will be very satisfied with your quality and your children will drink more water as well.
In Good Health – Mary
As a woman who has thyroid disease, had breast cancer, has Osteoarthritis and no health insurance, I’d really like to see our country care whether or not we are exposed to these dangers and whether or not we are going to get help when we are. Also the sheer number of people in my family (mostly women) who are dying from cancer is so alarming, I can’t even think about it on a daily basis without wishing I lived on another planet alone with my family and pets.
It’s about time that the EPA is looking at regulating toxins such as perchlorate, but what about the most common drinking water thyroid toxin plaquing humanity, fluoride?
I wouldn’t doubt that fluoride contributed not only to increased cavities in my teeth, but to increasing prevalence of hypothyroid disease and cancer. I’ve mostly eliminated fluoride consumption about 10 years ago by converting to non-fluoridated toothpaste (Tom’s of Maine has peppermint and spearmint without fluoride, and is now available at Walmart and other stores). I told my dentist to use only non-fluoridated solutions. When I used to use fluoride, I had very sensitive teeth that would get frequent cavities on every visit, and when I eliminated fluoride, the cavities stopped and the sensitivity decreased, though it didn’t reverse the lifelong fluoridosis with the opaque yellow spotty discoloration of my teeth which can’t be removed by any whitening treatments. I’ve been drinking bottled spring water (Ice Mountain or Glacier Mist). I also drink a cup of coffee made with our carbon filtered well water, and a can of Pepsi (my only remaining possible source of fluoride, as well as most beverages served at restaurants). I’m so glad that I don’t have city fluoridated water!
It would be great if the EPA would review the updated literature concerning fluoride and advocate complete removal of this unnecessary toxin from our drinking water.