By Lisa Provost
The things that are in your tap water could be making you and your pets sick. About 10 years ago I began using an over the counter water filter and now I cannot stand to drink tap water. Now if I do, I get a stomach ache. Whether you use an over the counter, under the counter or whole house system, it’s a good investment for you and your entire family, including your pets.
This is the one I use: https://www.h2odistributors.com/h2o-rct-countertop-filter
It doesn’t used replacement cartridges, it’s good for three years.
Prescription medications – The old advice of flushing your prescription medication is not only out of date but dangerous. Waste treatment centers cannot filter out medications completely which leaves a whole lot of dangerous meds left in our water supply. Even in trace amounts these are extremely dangerous and can over time do damage to our organs. Anti-convulsants, anti-psychotics, cancer drugs, hormones, etc. are all ending up not only in our drinking water, but rivers, streams and lakes as well. Flushed medications can kill helpful bacteria in septic systems and do damage to our eco system. Some waste treatment plants test for more pharmaceuticals than others but currently there is no regulatory requirements for testing and limits of these contaminants. A cat’s liver does not have the mechanism to properly filter out these contaminants and can absorb them better than a humans. Bottled water is not filtered for medications, it’s best to use a water filtration system of either reverse osmosis or a carbon filter system. Most cities have a “prescription drug take back day”. Check in your city for the date and location.
Cryptosporidium & Giardia – Both of these organisms live in the intestine of infected persons or animals and is passed through feces. Cryptosporidia are very hardy organisms that can live outside the body for long periods and are able to survive in the presence of chlorine and many common disinfectants. The organism has been found in drinking water and swimming pools throughout the world and all over the U.S. It is spread by contact with water, food, soil, or surfaces that have been contaminated with infected feces. A person or animal gets the infection by swallowing the parasite, either from putting something contaminated into the mouth or from swallowing contaminated water.
Most people or animals who have a healthy immune system recover from cryptosporidiosis & giardia on their own without specific treatment. Those with compromised immune systems, such as people or pets with HIV or who are receiving chemotherapy for cancer or other immunosuppressive drugs, have a risk of developing a more serious, potentially life-threatening, illness from the infection. And because both crypto and giardia can survive outside the body, it is possible to catch these parasites from your pet as well as they can catch it from you. Most U.S. water supplies currently don’t remove these from drinking water and it’s left up to us to do so.
VOCs – Volatile organic chemicals are carbon-containing compounds that evaporate easily from water into air at normal air temperatures. VOCs are contained in a wide variety of commercial, industrial and residential products including fuel oils, gasoline, solvents, cleaners and de-greasers, paints, inks, dyes, refrigerants and pesticides.
Chromium-6 (hexavalent chromium) is still widespread in U.S. tap water. Chromium 6 is a cancer-causing chemical thats been found in 89 percent of cities sampled by The Environmental Working Group. The National Toxicology Program has concluded that hexavalent chromium in drinking water shows “clear evidence of carcinogenic activity” in laboratory animals, increasing the risk of gastrointestinal tumors. In September 2010, a draft toxicological review by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) similarly found that hexavalent chromium in tap water is “likely to be carcinogenic to humans.” Please read the rest of this important article here: www.ewg.org/chromium6-in-tap-water.
For those of you who saw the movie Erin Brokovich, you’ll understand why this is so important. Ms. Brokovich fought a very long time to get hexavalent chromium removed from water supplies in California and many people there died from cancer because of that chemical. It seems the public has been duped into believing the battle was won.
Lead is a toxic substance that has adverse and lasting effects on health. Even low levels in drinking water, when continuously ingested, will cause a deterioration in health that can accumulate, it’s usually irreversible and can last a lifetime. Exposure to lead produces many different health problems such as hyperactivity, memory and concentration problems, high blood pressure, hearing problems, headaches, slowed growth, reproductive problems, digestive disorders, muscle and joint pain and is more easily absorbed into the sensitive tissue of actively growing bodies. High concentrations of lead in the body can cause death or permanent damage to the central nervous system, the brain and kidneys.
Did you know that Flouride is not even approved by the FDA and it’s listed as a contaminant by the EPA! Yet it’s added to our drinking water. How this can be, is beyond me, but it’s a fact! The FDA states that flouride is not a mineral nutrient but a prescription drug that does not meet the legal requirements for safety. Once flouride is in the water, there’s no control over individual dosages. Flourosis (flouride poisoning) can lead to decay in teeth and bone, and has been linked to Alzheimer’s, kidney damage, cancer, genetic damage, neurological impairment, and bone pathology.
Chlorine, mercury, arsenic, pesticides; these are only some of the contaminants you’ll find in city or well water and these things will not only harm you but your pet as well. So it just makes sense to get some sort of water filter. It can only help curb any present GI distress in your pet and prevent any further damage down the road. Be advised that not all water systems will filter out all of the things listed. Britta and other low cost filters do NOT remove these chemicals. Nor do they remove parasites and other chemicals such a chlorine, fluoride, lead, mercury, arsenic. Etc.
The initial investment for the filter mechanism is a higher cost but the cartridge replacements are very inexpensive (about $20) and last at least 6 months or longer depending on your water type. I use a carbon filter which removes cryptosporidium, giardia along with other toxic chemicals. There are plenty out there so do some research and see what you can find but make sure to check that they remove these particles, chemicals and bacteria.
References:
http://www.newrepublic.com/article/115883/drugs-drinking-water-new-epa-study-finds-more-we-knew
http://www.cdc.gov/healthywater/drinking/travel/backcountry_water_treatment.html
http://www.cleanwateraction.org/page/hexavalent-chromium
http://www.water-research.net/index.php/lead
http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2014/07/01/water-supply-fluoridation.aspx
Other resources:
http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2013/12/28/fluoride-drinking-water.aspx
http://www.scientificamerican.com/article/unregulated-chemicals-found-in-drinking-water/
http://www.foodfurlife.com/water—the-essential-nutrient.html
http://www.foodfurlife.com/blog–news/15-tips-to-increase-your-kittys-water-drinking