Water, water everywhere… and not a drop to drink

Mark my words: A shortage of drinking water — heck, a shortage of water for any use — is going to be the biggest problem facing all of us very soon. Just look at California to get a glimpse of exactly where we’re headed.

We can argue all we want about the causes of this crisis-in-the-making, but the facts remain very real.

We are in serious trouble. And not just from lack of water…but also from lack of water that’s in any way fit for human consumption.

According to a recent report, the water that roughly 6 million Americans drink features higher levels of perfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs) than the EPA currently recommends.

These manmade chemicals came on the scene 60 years ago now. You’ll find them in non-stick cookware, food packaging, and firefighting foams. And because they take such a long time to break down, they remain in the environment for years. So it’s no surprise they’ve found their way into the water supply, too.

In fact, get this: DuPont — the main manufacturer of a PFAS called perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) — has been slammed with more than 3,500 personal injury lawsuits in recent years. Why? Because they illegally dumped their industrial byproducts into the Ohio River.

Local residents drank this contaminated water… and reports of failing health (including cases of kidney and testicular cancer) spiked in the aftermath.

But PFAS exposure has ties to a long list of serious health concerns. Cancer, for one. And also issues like obesity, compromised immunity, and hormone disruption.

So we’re talking about a true public health crisis here. Especially since the 6 million people cited in this study are just the tip of the iceberg in the way of potential victims. Private water wells and smaller public sources aren’t typically even tested for this type of contamination. So there are tens of millions more Americans — a good third of the U.S. population — who may be drinking from toxic water supplies as well.

So I’d call this a pretty widespread problem, wouldn’t you? And yet another example of the large-scale human experiments the government has been performing on us — without our knowledge or consent.

To be fair, the EPA did finally buckle under the pressure. They went back and revised their chemical testing policies. And the new guidelines stipulate much lower safety thresholds for exposure to dangerous chemicals.

But of course, the change only happened earlier this year.

Watersheds located near treatment plants, industrial sites, and military bases are already packed with PFASs — and likely have been for some time. Plus, PFASs are just the toxins du jour. Chemicals with unknown toxicities have been sanctioned for use and released into the environment for years.

In other words, it really isn’t safe anywhere. However, when it comes to PFAS in particular, this study did find that three quarters of the contaminated water came from the following states: California, New Jersey, North Carolina, Alabama, Florida, Pennsylvania, Ohio, New York, Georgia, Minnesota, Arizona, Massachusetts, and Illinois.

But regardless of where you live, I recommend filtering your water to keep out as many chemicals and other toxins as you can. Get the best filter you can afford, and consider it an investment in your health and your future.

 

Source:

http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/867347