There is one more indictment of the negative health effects of drinking chlorinated water. A study released this week by the American College of Allergy, Asthma, and Immunology suggests a link between dichlorophenols and food allergies. Dichlorophenols are a chlorine byproduct.
The theory suggests that drinking chlorine and its byproducts or pesticides will kill the beneficial bacteria . Bacteria in the digestive tract aid in digesting food. It stands to reason then that if they are harmed by drinking pesticides or chlorinated water then your body will be less efficient at digestion.
This particular study compared the level of dichlorophenols in the urine of 2200 people with those who had food allergies. The correlation came in at 80%, meaning that people with high levels of dichlorophenols were 80% more likely to have food allergies.
This is just one more indictment of the dangers of chlorinated water. While chlorine is an important tool in the disinfection of water to eliminate disease, it is beneficial to consumers to remove the chlorine from water at your home. It can be removed using a simple point of use device like my awesome Kitchen Defender water filter.
Some studies suggest that half of an individual’s chlorine consumption comes through the skin during a shower or bath. To eliminate that exposure requires the use of a whole house water filter such as my Urban Defender. A simple shower filter can remove chlorine but it won’t remove chlorine’s carcinogenic byproducts, like the dichlorophenol mentioned in this particular study. Unfortunately dichlorophenols may also be present in toothpaste, face soap, and lipstick.
As we have added these and other carcinogens to the products we use daily so too have cancer rates risen. Johnson & Johnson recently announced that they were removing the dangerous chemicals from baby food. (Really?) Even our babies have been exposed to dangerous toxins like the preservative formaldahyde as we have grown careless with our widespread use of chemicals.
Thanks James, This information reinforces the fact that I need to get a filter. I have delayed food allergies and this makes a lot of sense as to why I might have developed them.
Stephen –
Give me a call and we can get you fixed up with the proper treatments by reviewing your water report to see what we have to eliminate. I find that once people buy one of my water filters they begin to detox the accumulated contaminants in their body.
Thanks for another reason my son HAD food allergies to go along with his Asperger’s syndrome. About 3 years ago my son’s food allergies were cured due to diet and healing his gut. About the same time, we bought a under cabinet water filter from Jim. It is awesome! Anyway, we just had our son tested again for all kinds of allergies and he is still showing no food allergies. I’m not sure what we’re going to do about the environmental allergies, but it’s true, if you heal the gut, the food allergies and other inflammation will go away too!
Having the body less effective at digestion is the backbone to all our health. We are bombarded with agents that kill the good bacteria in our gut. I notice an immediate reaction to the drinking water in the fountain at work, which I will never use again, of upset stomach and general sense of dis-ease. I admit trying to ignore that I am getting this in my shower. One day I hope to add your system to the whole house. Thank you again for an excellent article.