Water Quality in The Bathroom

Good Clean Fun? Taking a Closer Look at Water Quality in the Bathroom
When we want to feel clean and refreshed, ready for the day, or ready to wind down, many of us hit the showers. There’s something about the billowing steam, the spray of a hot shower or a long soak in the tub that makes us feel healthy.

But are we really? Soap and water are the very basics of hygiene, but soap can’t make your water clean.

Toxins from pollution, mining and agricultural run-off, as well as materials from within aging, deteriorating plumbing (even in your own home) can build up in the water we use every day. Furthermore, water treatment technology hasn’t always kept up with modern pollutants.

Unable to remove every trace of pesticides, chemical industrial waste and even medications that have been flushed down the toilet, the most thorough water treatment plant is still imperfect. And in fact, some byproducts of the water treatment process itself also contribute to less-than-pure water quality.

Water In Your Body vs. Water On Your Body
‘That’s why we don’t drink tap water,’ claim those who consume bottled water and filter their drinking water, either at the tap or in the refrigerator. To them, these facts about water quality come as no surprise. The surprise is that even people who won’t put unfiltered tap water in their bodies will still put it on their bodies.

According to studies, ingesting water only accounts for half of the waterborne contaminants that enter the body. Experts such as Dr. Cristina M. Villanueva of the Municipal Institute of Medical Research in Barcelona, claim that the skin and the lungs actually absorb large amounts of water and toxins from contact with liquid or vapor form.

The shower (or bath) provides the right conditions for maximum exposure to impure water’s harmful effects. The spray or mist of small water droplets is inhaled and easily absorbed through areas of thin skin around the eyes, nose, mouth, ears and more, while the heat causes the water—and its contents—to take vapor form and enter the lungs. Soaking in a tub increases the likelihood that toxins will be absorbed through the skin.

Common Contaminants
Some of most common contaminants are byproducts from chlorine treatment, such as trihalomethanes and haloacetic acids. Chlorine disinfects water by killing microorganisms, but it also contributes to eye, nose and mucous membrane irritation, dry skin, brittle hair and in some cases, bladder or colon cancer. It can diminish the body’s ability to transfer oxygen to the blood when vaporized and inhaled in small amounts, and its byproducts may increase the risk of reproductive problems and cancer.

By law, each water system is required to monitor levels of toxins that enter and leave treatment plants. The EPA sets strict guidelines for allowable amounts of many chemicals, however waterborne hazards, such as heavy metals, pathogens and toxic chemicals, can frequently enter the water supply via run-off or leaching even after water quality has been assessed at the plant.

How to Make Your Water Safe for Drinking and Bathing
To be sure your water is safe for drinking and bathing, it’s up to you! Short of relying on lightning-fast, icy showers to protect your family from waterborne chemical hazards, consider installing a whole house water purification system, or if you live in an older home with older plumbing, a water filtration devices at each tap throughout the home.

With filtration at each tap, you can be sure that outside contaminants, as well as possible pollution from your home’s own plumbing, will be eliminated before water comes in contact with you.

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