Tap water toxicity- Risk assessment
If we are living in a city where we are sure that the tap water is pure this still does not mean that the water is “pure”.
Milos Pokimica
Written By: Milos Pokimica on December 8, 2020
Updated May 7, 2023Water purification is a big business, especially in countries that do not have clean sources and tap water toxicity is a big issue. More than a billion people even to this day drink filthy water and do not have any form of sanitation. Diarrhea to this day due to poor sanitation kills an estimated 842,000 people every year globally. By 2025, 1.8 billion people are projected to be living in regions with absolute water scarcity. Water is big business, and the business will grow.
On the other hand, even if we have tap water in our homes tap water toxicity can be one of the contributing factors to our toxic overload. People who are in the business of water purification often don’t do good science and are more interested in profit.
There are a couple of ways we can try to lower our toxic load. A natural toxic chemical that we are exposed to and mane made POPs (persistent organic pollutants) are here to stay and there is little we can do to avoid exposing ourselves to environmental pollution except eating organically grown food that is low on a food chain and moving to more unpolluted cities, but there is another line of actions we can take.
First, we can start with the most basic stuff like the water we drink. If we cannot escape chemicals in our food, we can try to eliminate them from the water we drink.
If we are living in a city where we are sure that the water source is pure this still does not mean that the water is “pure”. It just means that it is in the range of accessible toxicity for the chemicals that they measure. Bottled water for that matter also might not necessarily be safer, cleaner, or of higher quality just because it is bottled than water straight out of the faucet. It is a more complex issue that depends on individual case-to-case scenarios. As a consumer, you should know that there in some cases bottled water can be even more polluted than tap water. All of the sodas, beverages and all other items you will find in the grocery store are made with regular tap water. And there are hundreds of chemicals and pollutants in tap water that are there and are not tested for safety levels and some are toxic and are added deliberately like fluoride or chlorine.
The CDC considers fluoride as one of the ten public health achievements of the 20th century. It is viewed as a triumph over tooth decay. Today most of the toothpaste sold contains fluoride and 72% of all water in the US is fluoridated. The first use of fluoride was for the eradication of vermin and ever since it was a crucial ingredient in rat poison and insecticides. In the early days of fluoride use, it was only known as a poison not just for men, but for the environment as well. It was a crucial ingredient in the Manhattan project and nuclear weapons too. It was added to Auschwitz’s water supply and the water of Siberian gulags for its effect on the human mental state. It is hazardous waste from the phosphate fertilizer industry which cannot be dumped into the streams or sea by international law and cannot be used locally because it is too concentrated.
Because of public awareness, most of the fluoride is removed in most countries in the world and it is illegal but chlorine is not. But wait, chlorine itself is proven to be a toxic cancer-promoting mutagen. It is not a well-known fact outside of the research community but there was a line of research that lasted for decades into this matter. People who drink chlorinated water for a prolonged period have an increased risk of cancer, especially bladder cancer. The number that studies have shown is around 27 percent. If you drink tap water you have a 27 percent more risk for bladder cancer. There is also some evidence of an increased risk of certain types of birth defects. In these types of studies is hard to prove cause-and-effect meaning if The Environmental Protection Agency estimated that between 2 to 17 percent of bladder cancer cases in the United States are just because of the drinking water does that mean that those people would be alive if they didn’t drink tap water. Even if you want to avoid it you are most like to be unsuccessful because tap water is used everywhere in the food industry as a standard. For example, all sodas are made from tap water. No food company is going to use deep spring water or even just regular filtered water as source water because that would be an economically unsustainable practice.
Adding rat poison fluoride and then chlorine to our water to fight against microbial contaminants has created new contamination in the form of “disinfection by-products.” The chlorination of drinking water for microbiological safety also interacts with organic matter in the water’s source which results in the creation of chlorinated compounds. These disinfection byproducts pose a health risk and so far there are more than 600 of them have been identified.
There are ways to reduce the risk of the creation of these toxic byproducts in the first place through the better initial removal of source water’s natural organic matter. The cost of upgrading and the infrastructure to run these types of drinking water systems is very high and in most countries, it would be not implemented. Even the US government in some cases has a hard time just keeping heavy toxins out of tap water. All we have to do is to remember the Flint tragedy.
However, there are still other pollutants in tap water that water plants do not test like inorganic metals and microplastic fibers (83% of the samples were contaminated worldwide), and other nanoparticles that we cannot measure. When a substance is in the nanometer range what that actually means is that the substance is small enough to penetrate a cell and that means it can penetrate all organs including the brain. There are some studies done, and it has been proven that microplastic has an effect on wildlife but human studies are not here yet.
Microplastics have the ability to absorb toxic chemicals as well, and research on wild animals shows that they are released into the body. Microplastic was also found in a few samples of commercially bottled water tested in the US. The problem is that they cannot exceed safety levels because there are none. No safety level regulation, only guidelines.
Ever hear of trihalomethanes (TTHMs), which are linked to bladder cancer, skin cancer, and fetal development issues, and hexavalent chromium made notorious by the film Erin Brockovich, or Radium-226 and Radium-228? All of these contaminants I just mentioned always had been detected above legal guidelines.
For hundreds of other contaminants, the government does not impose any requirements at all. One of the most prevalent toxins such as perchlorate and PFOA/PFOS (chemical cousins of Teflon) occurs in millions of Americans’ tap water. Because the EPA does not regulate them, they do not show up in any statistics. Sensitive groups of people, like pregnant women and children, are at higher risk for health complications, especially from the list of following contaminants that are regularly detected in tap water like lead (this is a bigger problem in towns with older water systems), and atrazine (endocrine-disrupting substance is one of the most regularly detected pesticides in US waters) and vinyl chloride (used to make PVC plastic products).
I will not list all of the detected pollutants it would be a long read. Logically in my mind, only clean water in our current environment and the only water that I use for cooking and drinking is distilled water.
References:
Passages selected from a book: Pokimica, Milos. Go Vegan? Review of Science Part 1. Kindle ed., Amazon, 2018.
- Villanueva, C M et al. “Meta-analysis of studies on individual consumption of chlorinated drinking water and bladder cancer.” Journal of epidemiology and community health vol. 57,3 (2003): 166-73. doi:10.1136/jech.57.3.166
- Hwang, Bing-Fang, and Jouni J K Jaakkola. “Water chlorination and birth defects: a systematic review and meta-analysis.” Archives of environmental health vol. 58,2 (2003): 83-91. doi:10.3200/AEOH.58.2.83-91
- Grellier, James et al. “Assessing the human health impacts of exposure to disinfection by-products–a critical review of concepts and methods.” Environment international vol. 78 (2015): 61-81. doi:10.1016/j.envint.2015.02.003
- Tak, Surbhi, and Bhanu Prakash Vellanki. “Natural organic matter as precursor to disinfection byproducts and its removal using conventional and advanced processes: state of the art review.” Journal of water and health vol. 16,5 (2018): 681-703. doi:10.2166/wh.2018.032
Related Posts
Do you have any questions about nutrition and health?
I would love to hear from you and answer them in my next post. I appreciate your input and opinion and I look forward to hearing from you soon. I also invite you to follow us on Facebook, Instagram, and Pinterest for more diet, nutrition, and health content. You can leave a comment there and connect with other health enthusiasts, share your tips and experiences, and get support and encouragement from our team and community.
I hope that this post was informative and enjoyable for you and that you are prepared to apply the insights you learned. If you found this post helpful, please share it with your friends and family who might also benefit from it. You never know who might need some guidance and support on their health journey.
- Facebook4
- Blogger
- Gmail
- Viber
- Love This
- Click me for More
- Facebook Messenger
- Skype
- Digg
- Del
- Tumblr
- VKontakte
- Buffer
- Odnoklassniki
- Meneame
- Amazon
- Yahoo Mail
- AOL
- Newsvine
- HackerNews
- Evernote
- MySpace
- Mail.ru
- Viadeo
- Line
- Comments
- Yummly
- SMS
- Telegram
- Kakao
- LiveJournal
- Yammer
- Edgar
- Fintel
- Instapaper
- Copy Link
- Mix
- 16shares
From The Same Category
You Might Also Like
Antioxidant Power of Vitamin C: Enhancing Health and Longevity
Obesity Risk Factors
Cancer, The Forbidden Cures- Immuno-augmentative therapy (IAT)
Carnism- The psychology of meat consumption
Food Industry- Hunger by design
Fish toxicity- The most toxic meat
Pesticide exposure in American children- Real-life exposure tests
Antioxidant Role in Depression and Anxiety: The Missing Piece
What Is a Processed Food? -Understanding the Basics
Raw food diet- The evolutionary perspective

Medical Disclaimer
GoVeganWay.com brings you reviews of the latest nutrition and health-related research. The information provided represents the personal opinion of the author and is not intended nor implied to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. The information provided is for informational purposes only and is not intended to serve as a substitute for the consultation, diagnosis, and/or medical treatment of a qualified physician or healthcare provider.NEVER DISREGARD PROFESSIONAL MEDICAL ADVICE OR DELAY SEEKING MEDICAL TREATMENT BECAUSE OF SOMETHING YOU HAVE READ ON OR ACCESSED THROUGH GoVeganWay.com
NEVER APPLY ANY LIFESTYLE CHANGES OR ANY CHANGES AT ALL AS A CONSEQUENCE OF SOMETHING YOU HAVE READ IN GoVeganWay.com BEFORE CONSULTING LICENCED MEDICAL PRACTITIONER.
In the event of a medical emergency, call a doctor or 911 immediately. GoVeganWay.com does not recommend or endorse any specific groups, organizations, tests, physicians, products, procedures, opinions, or other information that may be mentioned inside.
Editor Picks
Trending- All Time
Milos Pokimica is a doctor of natural medicine, clinical nutritionist, medical health and nutrition writer, and nutritional science advisor. Author of the book series Go Vegan? Review of Science, he also operates the natural health website GoVeganWay.com
Latest Articles

Plant Based News
-
How Painted Trees Are Saving The Lives Of Beavers In America
on May 26, 2023
-
Are Oysters Vegan? The Debate Explained
on May 26, 2023
-
Chris Packham ‘Immensely Proud’ As He’s Named RSPCA President
on May 26, 2023
-
Vegan Butter Chicken: The Ultimate ‘Fakeaway’ Recipe You Have To Try
on May 26, 2023
-
Crackd Debuts ‘UK’s First’ Vegan Quiche Lorraine, Plus Two More
on May 26, 2023
-
3 Lambs Destined For Slaughter Rescued From King Charles’ Land
on May 25, 2023
-
WATCH: Here’s What These Plant-Based Doctors Eat In A Day
on May 25, 2023
Top Health News — ScienceDaily
- Bird brains can flick switch to perceive Earth’s magnetic fieldon May 26, 2023
Study from researchers at Western’s Advanced Facility for Avian Research (AFAR), home to the world’s first hypobaric climatic wind tunnel for bird flight, explores a brain region called cluster N that migratory birds […]
- Protein-based nano-‘computer’ evolves in ability to influence cell behavioron May 26, 2023
The first protein-based nano-computing agent that functions as a circuit has been created. The milestone puts them one step closer to developing next-generation cell-based therapies to treat diseases like diabetes and […]
- Robots and Rights: Confucianism Offers Alternativeon May 25, 2023
As robots assume more roles in the world, a new analysis reviewed research on robot rights, concluding that granting rights to robots is a bad idea. Instead, the article looks to Confucianism to offer an alternative.
- Research offers clues for potential widespread HIV cure in peopleon May 25, 2023
New animal research is helping explain why at least five people have become HIV-free after receiving a stem cell transplant, and may bring scientists closer to developing what they hope will be a widespread cure for the […]
- Living in an almshouse boosts life expectancyon May 25, 2023
Analysing up to 100 years’ worth of residents’ records from various almshouses in England, new research suggests that living in these communities can reduce the negative impact on health and social wellbeing which is […]
- Scientists target human stomach cells for diabetes therapyon May 25, 2023
Stem cells from the human stomach can be converted into cells that secrete insulin in response to rising blood sugar levels, offering a promising approach to treating diabetes, according to a preclinical study.
- Researchers weave deeper understanding of diverse ancestry and gene expressionon May 25, 2023
Researchers is the largest of its kind that focuses on ancestry correlations with biomedical traits and the first study to examine the role of genetic variants across diverse ancestries in regulating gene expression.
PubMed, #vegan-diet
- Racing Experiences of Recreational Distance Runners following Omnivorous, Vegetarian, and Vegan Diets (Part B)-Results…on May 27, 2023
The potential running or endurance performance difference based on following different general types of diets, such as omnivorous, vegetarian, or vegan, remains questionable. Several underlying modifiable factors of long-distance running […]
- Parental Nutritional Knowledge and Type of Diet as the Key Factors Influencing the Safety of Vegetarian Diets for…on May 27, 2023
There are some concerns about the adequacy of vegetarian diets for pregnant women, infants, and young children because diets that exclude meat and other animal-based products increase the risk of nutrient deficiencies. The aim of the present study […]
- Iodine in plant-based dairy products is not sufficient in the UK: A market surveyon May 27, 2023
CONCLUSION: Plant-based dairy consumers are encouraged to use iodine fortified dairy products or use of iodized salt in the UK for home cooking, otherwise there are at risk to get iodine deficient.
- Understanding the ADHD-Gut Axis by Metabolic Network Analysison May 26, 2023
Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a neurodevelopmental disorder diagnosed with hyperactivity, impulsivity, and a lack of attention inconsistent with the patient’s development level. The fact that people with ADHD frequently […]
- Vegetarian or vegan diets and blood lipids: a meta-analysis of randomized trialson May 25, 2023
CONCLUSION: Vegetarian and vegan diets were associated with reduced concentrations of total cholesterol, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, and apolipoprotein B-effects that were consistent across various study and participant characteristics. […]
Random Posts
Featured Posts

Latest from PubMed, #plant-based diet
- Fermented Whey Ewe’s Milk-Based Fruit Smoothies: Bio-Recycling and Enrichment of Phenolic Compounds and Improvement of Protein Digestibility and Antioxidant Activityby Ali Zein Alabiden Tlais on May 27, 2023
This study aimed to recycle whey milk by-products (protein source) in fruit smoothies (phenolic compounds source) through started-assisted fermentation and delivering sustainable and healthy food formulations capable of providing nutrients that are unavailable due to an unbalanced diet or incorrect eating habits. Five lactic acid bacteria strains […]
- Parental Nutritional Knowledge and Type of Diet as the Key Factors Influencing the Safety of Vegetarian Diets for Children Aged 12-36 Monthsby Malgorzata Kostecka on May 27, 2023
There are some concerns about the adequacy of vegetarian diets for pregnant women, infants, and young children because diets that exclude meat and other animal-based products increase the risk of nutrient deficiencies. The aim of the present study was to assess the nutritional knowledge of parents raising 12- to 36-month-old children on vegetarian […]
- Antioxidant Activity in Extracts from Zingiberaceae Family: Cardamom, Turmeric, and Gingerby Pura Ballester on May 27, 2023
An increase in life expectancy leads to a greater impact of chronic non-communicable diseases. This is even more remarkable in elder populations, to whom these become main determinants of health status, affecting mental and physical health, quality of life, and autonomy. Disease appearance is closely related to the levels of cellular oxidation, […]
- Antioxidant Nutraceutical Strategies in the Prevention of Oxidative Stress Related Eye Diseasesby Umberto Rodella on May 27, 2023
This review aims to discuss the delicate balance between the physiological production of reactive oxygen species and the role of antioxidant nutraceutical molecules in managing radicals in the complex anatomical structure of the eye. Many molecules and enzymes with reducing and antioxidant potential are present in different parts of the eye. Some […]
- Racing Experiences of Recreational Distance Runners following Omnivorous, Vegetarian, and Vegan Diets (Part B)-Results from the NURMI Study (Step 2)by Katharina Wirnitzer on May 27, 2023
The potential running or endurance performance difference based on following different general types of diets, such as omnivorous, vegetarian, or vegan, remains questionable. Several underlying modifiable factors of long-distance running performance, especially runner training behaviors and experience, diminish the clarity of results when […]
- Effects of Plant-Based Diets on Anthropometric and Cardiometabolic Markers in Adults: An Umbrella Reviewby Han Shi Jocelyn Chew on May 27, 2023
We conducted an umbrella review to consolidate the evidence of adopting plant-based diets on anthropometric and cardiometabolic outcomes. Six electronic databases (CINAHL, EMBASE, PubMed, Scopus, the Cochrane Library, and Web of Science) were searched for systematic reviews with meta-analysis (SRMAs) published from each journal’s inception until 1 […]
Around The Web,
Medicine
-
Penn State researchers create first protein-based nano-computing agent
by News Medical Life Science News Feed on May 27, 2023
The first protein-based nano-computing agent that functions as a circuit has been created by Penn State researchers.
-
Study highlights two strategies used by Salmonella to escape the human body’s defenses
by News Medical Life Science News Feed on May 26, 2023
Like thieves that constantly look for ways to evade capture, Salmonella enterica, a disease-causing bacterium, uses various tactics to escape the human body’s defence mechanisms.
-
Defective proteins involved in ER-phagy can cause neurodegenerative diseases
by News Medical Life Science News Feed on May 26, 2023
Our cells are crisscrossed by a system of membrane tubes and pockets called the endoplasmic reticulum (ER). It is crucial for the production of biomolecules and is continuously built up and degraded.
-
Fission yeast study sheds new light on gross chromosomal rearrangement
by News Medical Life Science News Feed on May 26, 2023
When creating a computer program, errors in the code can introduce bugs to the software. Similarly, errors in our body’s genetic code, DNA, which is stored in structures known as chromosomes, can bring about mutations in the body.
-
Japanese natto consumption may help realize a healthy and longer-living society
by News Medical Life Science News Feed on May 26, 2023
Health is wealth as the saying goes and new research now shows that it is possible to have a healthy, less stressed society through familiar and inexpensive foods.
-
Fast and accurate automatic neuron reconstruction using 3D images
by News Medical Life Science News Feed on May 26, 2023
Dr. Shuiwang Ji, a professor in the Department of Computer Science and Engineering at Texas A&M University, is part of a collaborative research community that recently had its paper titled “BigNeuron: a resource to benchmark and predict performance of algorithms for automated tracing of neurons in light microscopy datasets” published in the April issue of the journal Nature Methods.
-
Researchers explore the possibility of treating lung cancer by targeting telomeres
by News Medical Life Science News Feed on May 26, 2023
Healthy cells can only divide a limited number of times during an organism’s lifetime. In contrast, tumor cells are immortal: they proliferate indefinitely and uncontrollably, and this is the defining characteristic of cancer.
-
Sons of Anarchy Personality Test
by Medical News Bulletin (Medical News Bulletin) on May 26, 2023
Medical News Bulletin – Daily Medical News, Health News, Clinical Trials And Clinical Research, Medical Technology, Fitness And Nutrition News–In One Place Where in the quaint but tumultuous town of Charming do you see yourself? The image was originally posted to Flickr by BagoGames The post Sons of Anarchy Personality Test appeared first on Medical News Bulletin.
-
Vaping Associated With Worsening of Pulmonary and Cardiovascular Health
by Emily Estrada (Medical Bag) on May 26, 2023
A clinical trial assessed cardiovascular and pulmonary responses in those who vaped or smoked cigarettes vs those who did not via a 15-minute product-use challenge.
-
Hearing Aids May Help Reduce Dementia Risk in Adults With Hearing Loss
by Meahjabeen Hoque (Medical Bag) on May 26, 2023
In a population cohort study, researchers determined potential associations between hearing aid use and dementia risk in older adults.
-
Reduced Sleep Efficiency Tied to Air Quality, Temperature, and Noise
by Meahjabeen Hoque (Medical Bag) on May 26, 2023
Researchers investigated associations of several environmental variables with objectively assessed sleep duration and efficiency.
-
Increasing Weight From Childhood to Adulthood Associated With Depression
by melissaalvarez (Medical Bag) on May 26, 2023
Researchers evaluated the effects of weight change from childhood to adulthood on depression and/or anxiety risk in adulthood.