The Dangers of Chlorine
Chlorine is Hazardous to Your Health! That’s a fact. Chlorine and its derivatives are known carcinogens. It is in the water that you and your family drink and shower in every day and it is especially harmful to women and children.
Chlorine is a dangerous substance . Everyone knows that. It’s added to our water supplies to
kill all the bugs and germs so it’s safe for us to drink. But - does it really leave the water safe? Or, does it cause all kinds of cancers and other severe health
problems as many doctors, researchers, professors,and other health authorities say?
- selected quotes from prominent scientists ...
"No level of exposure to a chemical carcinogen should be considered toxicologically insignificant to humans." - Surgeon General, National Cancer Institute.
Chlorine is dangerous to us to ingest (in our drinking water) and even more so in our showers, in our baths and when cooking (through inhalation, and through the skin). The dangers of chlorine are magnified significantly when the water is hot, so having long hot showers might feel good, but it is definitely not the way to improve your health.
Chlorine is known to increase the chances of all of these major health problems:
Chlorine is dangerous to us to ingest (in our drinking water) and even more so in our showers, in our baths and when cooking (through inhalation, and through the skin). The dangers of chlorine are magnified significantly when the water is hot, so having long hot showers might feel good, but it is definitely not the way to improve your health.
- selected quotes from prominent scientists ...
"No level of exposure to a chemical carcinogen should be considered toxicologically insignificant to humans." - Surgeon General, National Cancer Institute.
Chlorine is dangerous to us to ingest (in our drinking water) and even more so in our showers, in our baths and when cooking (through inhalation, and through the skin). The dangers of chlorine are magnified significantly when the water is hot, so having long hot showers might feel good, but it is definitely not the way to improve your health.
Chlorine is known to increase the chances of all of these major health problems:
Chlorine is dangerous to us to ingest (in our drinking water) and even more so in our showers, in our baths and when cooking (through inhalation, and through the skin). The dangers of chlorine are magnified significantly when the water is hot, so having long hot showers might feel good, but it is definitely not the way to improve your health.
Chlorine is known to increase the chances of causing all these major problems:
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"Chlorine is so dangerous, that it should be banned. Putting chlorine in the water is like starting a time bomb. Cancer, heart trouble, premature senility, both mental and physical are conditions attributable to chlorine, used in treated water supplies. It is making us grow old before our time by producing symptoms of ageing such as hardening of the arteries. I believe if chlorine were now proposed for the first time to be used in drinking water it would be banned by the Food and Drug Administration." - Biologist/chemist Dr. Herbert Schwartz
Here’s what other studies on chlorine have shown:
- Bladder cancer risks are doubled
- Cancer risk is 93% higher among those using chlorinated water
- Using swimming pools increases risks of bladder cancer 57%
- Those taking long hot showers/baths also had higher risks than just drinking chlorinated water. Exposure to chlorine can be through inhalation and skin, not only by ingestion.At least 2 cancer-causing chemicals evaporate into the air when we shower and are likely to be inhaled. Chloroform (a known carcinogen) increases up to100 times during a 10-minute shower.
- By 2015, more people will die from water and food related cancers than from lung cancer.
- Heart attacks and strokes are caused by chlorine in the drinking water.
Effects on Children: Dr Terri Damstra of the The World Health Organization says that children are especially vulnerable and that their lung maturation may be altered by air pollutants that induce acute respiratory effects and may be the origin of chronic respiratory disease later in life.
Chlorinated Water and Unknown Hazards of the Shower
When we return from a gym workout or a jogging session or after playing a sport, not only are we thirsty but we usually shower or bathe. We have been taught that cleanliness and health go together, and indeed they do, when chemical-free water is used.
When chlorinated water is used, however, bathing may be much less healthy than we ever supposed. Gases are as a rule less soluble in hot water, and when water is heated or the free chlorine content in water is greatly reduced, the chlorine escaping into the air. When we have a hot shower or run a bath we can sometimes smell the chlorine released as it escapes from the hot water. In a confined shower recess, however, especially one with poor ventilation, the chlorine escapes from the water as we continue the hot shower and steadily increases in concentration in the air we breathe. The olfactory threshold for chlorine is about 3.5 PPM (parts per million) so when we can smell chlorine the concentration is already above this level. The lethal concentration for ten-minute exposure is about 600 PPM and we suggest that regularly taking hot showers with chlorinated water could pose a health risk.
Chlorine causes pulmonary edema, and it would seem likely that regular exposure to chlorine gas even at low levels such as in normal showering may reduce the oxygen transfer capacity of the lungs. This could be a critical factor for athletes and for others prone to heart failure.
Another aspect to be considered is our skin. Our skin is an important protective barrier for our bodies. When we shower with chlorinated water we are essentially exposing our skin to a relatively large volume of a dilute chlorine solution. Some of this chlorine reacts with the oils in the skin to form chlorinated compounds and it is these compounds which may then be absorbed by the body. It seems very likely, considering strong oxidizing power of chlorine, that regular exposure to chlorinated water serves also to promote the aging process of the skin, not unlike extended exposure to sunlight. Moreover, chlorine may actually enhance the aging effects of ultraviolet radiation by reinforcing the process of cell deterioration.
Another skin factor to be considered with the destruction by chlorine is the natural bacteria balance on our skin. Our skin has an ecology, all of its own, which needs to be preserved in order to maintain healthy skin and its associated beauty.
Skin Absorption as a route of Exposure For Volatile Organic Compound
By the American Journal of Public Health 1984 74:479-484
HYDRATION - The more hydrated the skin, the greater the absorption. If the skin is hydrated (through perspiration or immersion in water) or if the contaminant compounds are in solution, diffusion and penetration will be enhanced.
TEMPERATURE - Increased skin or water temperature will enhance skin absorption capacity proportionately. During swimming and bathing, it may be expected that greater hydration of skin surfaces will take place.
SKIN CONDITION - Any insult (i.e. sunburn) or injury (i.e. cuts, wounds, abrasions) to the outer layer of skin will lower its ability to act as a barrier against foreign substances. A history of skin disease such as psoriasis or eczema acts to lower the natural barrier of the outer skin layer, as do rashes, dermatitis, or any chronic skin condition.
REGIONAL VARIABILITY - Skin absorption rates vary with the different regions of the body. Underestimated is the case of whole body immersion during swimming or bathing. The epidermis of the hand represents a relatively greater barrier to penetration than many other parts of the body, including the scalp, forehead, abdomen, area in and around the ears, underarms, and genital area. Penetration through the genital area, in fact, is estimated to be 100% as compared to 8.56% for the forearm.
OTHER ROUTES OF ENTRY - Other significant routes of absorption include oral, nasal, cheeks, and mouth cavity, and eye and ear areas. These routes have been underestimated in their ability to absorb contaminants during immersion in water. Inhalation serves as yet another route. In the case of swimming or bathing, the volatized chemicals are likely to gather near the surface of the water and are readily inhalable. In addition, water may be swallowed in these situations.
INDIVIDUAL VARIABILITY - Absorption rates obtained from healthy adults will again tend to underestimate absorption for children or populations that are more sensitive.
Why filter Your Shower Water?
Chlorine is a toxic chemical. It is used in water treatment to reduce and kill forms of biological agents, such as bacteria and viruses found in water systems.
Chlorine is harmful to you when you drink it and when it is absorbed into our skin and inhaled into your lungs when you shower. It has been estimated that the "shower steam" in your bathroom can contain up to 100 times the amount of chlorine than chlorinated water, because chlorine evaporates out of water at a relatively low temperature. If you bathe or shower in unfiltered chlorinated water you are inhaling and absorbing chlorine into your body.
Conditions contributed to or aggravated by chlorine exposure:
· Respiratory Conditions (nose, throat, lungs, sinuses): Asthma, bronchitis
· Hair: Dry, brittle
· Skin: Dry, flaking, dandruff, itching, rashes (especially infants and children)
· Eye conditions
Chlorine is universally used to chemically disinfect water. It kills germs, bacteria and other living organisms. Chlorine readily passes through the cell wall and attaches to the fatty acids of the cell, disrupting the life sustaining functions. The human body is composed of billions of cells.
Most people are aware that the quality of their drinking water can be improved by filtering their tap water or buying bottled water. However, many do not realize that they are addressing only a part of the problem.
One half of our daily chlorine exposure is from showering. Chlorine is not only absorbed through the skin, but also re-vaporized in the shower, inhaled into the lungs, and transferred directly into the blood system. In fact, the chlorine exposure from one shower is equal to an entire day's amount of drinking the same water. Drinking filtered or bottled water only does half the job. For people who are concerned about their health and are willing to take the responsibility to do something about it, the AquaVita Water Products are an affordable solution to the problem.
Increased Risks of Bladder Cancer by Drinking, Bathing or Swimming in Chlorinated Water
By The American Journal of Epidemiology, January 2007
The findings are the first to suggest that these chemicals can be harmful when they are inhaled or absorbed through the skin, as well as when they are ingested, Dr. Cristina M. Villanueva of the Municipal Institute of Medical Research in Barcelona, and colleagues note.
Chemicals, most commonly chlorine, used to disinfect water can produce by-products that have been tied to increased cancer risks, Villanueva and her team point out.
The most prevalent chlorination by-products, chemicals called trihalomethanes (THM), can be absorbed into the body through the skin or by inhalation, they add.
In one study participants who drank chlorinated water were at 35% greater risks of bladder cancer than those who didn't, while use of chlorinated swimming pools boosted bladder cancer risks by 57%. And those who took longer showers or baths and lived in municipalities with higher trihalomethanes (THM) levels were also at increased cancer risks.
When trihalomethanes (THM) is absorbed through the skin or lungs, Villanueva and her team note, it may have a more powerful carcinogenic effect because it does not undergo detoxification via the liver.
Cancer & Chlorine
Is the chlorine in our drinking water acting as catalyst triggering tumor development both in atherosclerosis and cancer? The addition of chlorine to our drinking water started in the late 1890’s and had wide acceptance in the United States by 1920. Joseph Price, M. D, wrote a fascinating yet largely ignored book entitled Coronaries, Cholesterol. Chlorine.
Dr Price believes, is the primary and essential cause of atherosclerosis is chlorine.
"Nothing can negate the incontrovertible fact the basic cause of atherosclerosis and resulting entities, such as heart attacks and most common forms of stokes is chlorine. The chlorine contained in processed drinking water." (1)
This conclusion is based on experiments using chlorine in the drinking water of chickens. The results: 95% of the chickens given chlorine added to distilled water developed atherosclerosis within a few months.
Atherosclerosis, heart attacks and the resulting problems of hardening of the arteries and plaque formation is really the last step in a series of biochemical malfunctions. Dr Price points out it takes ten to twenty years before symptoms in humans become evident in many ways, this is reminiscent of cancer which can take twenty to thirty years to develop.
Can chlorine be linked to cancer too? In the chlorination process itself, chlorine combines with natural organic matter decaying vegetation to form potent cancer causing trihalomethanes (THM’s) or haloforms. Trihalomethanes collectively include such carcinogens as chloroforms, bromoforms carbon tectachloride, bischlorothane and others.
"Chlorine is so dangerous" according to biologist/chemist Dr. Herbert Schwartz, "that Is should be banned. Putting chlorine in the water is like starting a time bomb. Cancer heart trouble, premature senility, both mental and physical are conditions attributable to chlorine, used in treated water supplies. It is making us grow old before our time by producing symptoms of ageing such as hardening of the arteries. I believe if chlorine were now proposed for the first time to be used in drinking water it would be banned by the Food and Drug Administration."(10)
Organic chemicals contaminants - Chlorine Disinfection By-Products
Chlorine disinfection by-products are a family of contaminants of particular concern to women’s health and pregnancy outcomes.Chlorine disinfection of the nation’s drinking water in the 20th century was a major public health initiative, which led to a dramatic decrease in diseases caused by bacterial contamination. However, when chlorine is used to disinfect water, it can combine with organic material in the water distribution system, forming unintended organic chlorinated compounds, which have been associated in a variety of health outcomes, including bladder, rectal, and colon cancers.
Several epidemiologic studies have indicated that there may be an increased risk of reproductive and developmental effects to the fetuses of pregnant women exposed to high levels of chlorine disinfection by-products. Although exposure assessment may be difficult, we know that there is potential for exposure because everyone uses water to drink, bathe, and cook, and the exposure occurs over the life span.
DISCLAIMER: The information provided here is for educational purposes only and is not intended as medical advice. All articles and quotes are based on various reports from reputable sources readily available in libraries and on-line.
