WATER NEWS
Laurel Street Store Opening!
August 26th, 2008watermatters will open its new store in early September at 2539 Laurel St in Vancouver, located one block east of Oak St between West Broadway and 10th Ave. We look ... More »
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Water and Health
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Bottled Water Isn’t Cool
Tuesday, March 4th, 2008Why on Earth is anyone still drinking water bottled in plastic?
Not only is it a potential health hazard and more expensive than gasoline, consuming water from plastic water bottles contributes to global warming, environmental pollution and the rampant privatization of water. David Suzuki has been warning us of the ecological damage of bottled water for years. With green practices becoming trendy, consuming bottled water is losing its glamour and quickly becoming a social taboo.
7 Compelling Reasons to Stop Drinking Bottled Water
#1 It’s Making Us Sick – Plastics Are Toxic
Polyethylene terephthalate (PET #1 plastic) is used for single serve plastic water bottles.
This type of water bottle has been approved for one-time use only. It has become common practice for many people to unknowingly re-use these plastic bottles. Studies show that bacteria easily breeds in PET plastic bottles when re-used and that re-use may cause DEHA, a carcinogen, to migrate from the plastic into water contained in the bottle. A new 2006 study revealed that significant levels of antimony, a toxic chemical, leaches into water sold in PET plastic bottles. Learn moreBisphenal-A is a toxic compound found in polycarbonate (#7 plastic), the rigid, translucent, hard plastic used in Nalgene water bottles and many baby bottles. It is a hormone disruptor that mimics estrogen and is linked to early-onset puberty, declining sperm counts, obesity and the huge increase in breast and prostate cancer. Due to the alarming toxicity of this chemical, in March 2007 a billion-dollar class action suit was filed in Los Angeles against five leading manufacturers of baby bottles containing Bisphenal-A.
#2 It’s Expensive
The extortionate price of gas pales in comparison to bottled water. A litre (33.8 ounces) of tap water in Canada costs taxpayers an average of 0.0005 cents. A litre of bottled water sells between $0.50 and $6.00.That makes the markup on one litre of bottled water a whopping 1,000 – 12,000%
#3 It’s Under-Regulated
More than 1/4 of bottled water consumed by Canadians is simply filtered tap water. In Canada tap water has to meet 160 standards compared to less than half a dozen for bottled water. In Canada bottled water is considered a ‘food product’ and is regulated under the Federal Food and Drug Act. Bottled water production facilities are only inspected every 2 - 3 years whereas regular drinking water operators are subject to the Canadian Water Quality Guidelines and must test and report on a regular basis.
Contrary to its claims of purity, bottled water is not immune to contamination. A recent US study indicated that 1/3 of all brands tested contained arsenic and/or E.coli and that ¼ of all bottled water was simply tap water sold at a significant profit In March 2007, the Canadian Food Inspection Agency warned the public not to consume imported Jermuk Classic Brand Natural Sparkling Mineral Water because it contained excessive levels of arsenic. In 2004, Coca-Cola recalled its entire Dasani line of bottled water in the UK due to toxic compounds formed in the water during the disinfection process. Learn more
A two-year shelf life is considered acceptable for bottled water. There is no control over the change in the bottled water’s characteristics once it is bottled.
#4 It’s Polluting Our Planet
The pollution and energy consumption involved in the production, shipping and disposal of plastic bottles is staggering. “The production of one kilogram of PET plastic requires 17.5 kilograms of water and results in air pollution emissions of over half a dozen significant pollutants. In other words, the water required to create one plastic bottle is significantly more than that bottle will contain” says Rick Smith, Executive Director of Environmental Defence.
Plastics are the fastest growing form of municipal waste. They do not biodegrade. An estimated 88% of water bottles are not recycled. Our oceans, now littered with plastic, may be one of the most alarming of environmental concerns today. Most plastic floats near the sea surface where it is mistaken for food by birds and fishes. Through the global food chain, it is contaminating trillions upon trillions of ocean inhabitants and ultimately humans.
#5 Water Is Getting Scarce – Fast!
Severe drought is occurring in many regions around the globe with no sign of letting up. Meanwhile aquifers that can take hundreds of years to recharge have been depleted.
More than one billion people lack access to clean drinking water. Thirty-one countries face water scarcity and water sources are rapidly becoming polluted and depleted. By 2025, two-thirds of the world’s population will face water shortages. Learn more
Australia is experiencing its fifth consecutive year of drought. Permanent drought is predicted for the Southwestern U.S., much of which has been in severe drought since 2000. Seven American states and Mexico are competing for water from the already over-allocated Colorado River. China is also experiencing ongoing drought. 700 million Chinese lack reliable access to water suitable for human consumption. India is also deeply concerned about lack of water. Sections of Mexico City are sinking at a rate of 12 inches a year due to over-tapping aquifers that have been drained to supply the city’s population of 9 million with water.
Meanwhile ‘Big Water’ companies are buying access to and drying up aquifers that have traditionally supplied human populations, farms and ecosystems with water.
Current legislation in British Columbia allows companies (including non-Canadian companies) to extract up to 1,710,000 gallons of groundwater per day without a permit and ship it anywhere in the world providing it is in bottles less than 20 litres in size. BC communities, such as Valemont , are loosing their water to profiteering bottled water companies who can take our water with no accountablitity to the environment or local citizens! This is grossly incongruent with basic ethics, water shortages that are starting to occur within British Columbia and the urgent need to reduce carbon emissions around the globe.
#6 Privatizing Water Threatens a Human Right
Instead of working to help those without water, the world’s largest water corporations are seeking to privatize this precious resource, turning a public commons and a human right into a commodity. Learn more
Growing populations challenge aging water delivery systems that many local communities and governments cannot afford to update. ‘Big Water’ companies are moving in to take over public water systems in North America. They have plans to control 80% of the public water supply within the next few years. Paying grossly inflated prices for bottled water is intended to seduce us into accepting a transition from unlimited, affordable clean water for all to water becoming an expensive commodity owned and controlled by ‘Big Water’. We complain about gas prices. Why accept water prices that are even higher?
Disgracefully, Canada is the one country that has consistently voted against water as a human right at the World Water Forums in 2000, 2003 and 2006 and the 2002 UN Committee on Human Rights.
Meanwhile, more than 1/3 of the world’s population lives and dies without access to decent drinking water and sanitation.
Concerned groups, like the United Church of Canada, are taking a stand against bottled water on the moral grounds that water is a basic human right, not a commodity to be sold for profit.
#7 It’s No Longer Cool
Once a fashion trend, drinking bottled water will die in disgrace. Like the cigarette, once fashionable and now stigmatized, bottled water is on its way out. You know the story about the frog in the pot. Turn up the heat slowly and he won’t know he needs to get out. Don’t be caught in the heat. Your life depends on it.
Make the switch. Get out of the pot now. The new wave is health conscious and eco-friendly.
Say NO to bottled water.
So what can you do?
Simple.
• Use a non-plastic water bottle . Fill up at home.• Go back to the tap. Switch to a high quality point-of-use water treatment system designed for your local tap water.
• Educate yourself.
Watch these online movies:
“Power Play”Read these reports and articles:
Plastic: what do those numbers mean?
Trashing the Oceans
Bisphenol-A
Plastic toxins in bottled water
The Future of Water
Privatization of Water• Take action.
Protect BC ground water.
Ban Bisphenol A now!• Support these organizations:
Save Our Rivers
Wilderness Committee
Eco Justice Canada
David Suzuki Foundation
The Council of CanadiansSpread the word. Say NO to bottled water.
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Bisphenol A, Mountain Equipment Co-op and watermatters Stainless Steel Bottles on Global TV
Sunday, December 9th, 2007watermatters stainless steel bottles made Global TV’s news hour repeatedly this weekend due to Mountain Equipment Co-op’s groundbreaking announcement that it will stop selling plastic water bottles and food containers containing the controversial chemical bisphenol A .
This decision by MEC is already having significant impact on consumer awareness about the dangers of BPA and drinking from plastic. It sets a new standard for water bottle retailers.
Studies indicate dangerous health effects even at very low levels of exposure to Bisphenol A (BPA), a hormone disruptor that mimics estrogen.
BPA leaches from hard plastic Nalgene bottles made with #7 polycarbonate plastic. It’s use in the manufacture of plastic baby bottles is particularly alarming.
Environmental groups like Toronto-based Environmental Defence and mothers’ blogging groups like momsspeakup.com and blogher.com have been actively campaigning to ban the use of bisphenol A in Canada. BPA is currently under review by Health Canada.
The Global TV news broadcast began with shots of a Nalgene bottle being filled with water. The feature ended with water filling the new alternative - a watermatters stainless steel water bottle made by Klean Kanteen.
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Alkaline Water, pH and Your Health
Tuesday, November 13th, 2007Your body must maintain an alkaline environment at the cellular level to support life. Healthy cells are slightly alkaline yet their activity produces metabolic wastes that are acidic.
If these acid wastes are not efficiently carried out of your body then pain, inflammation, degeneration and disease conditions set in. This condition is referred to as acidosis.
Modern diet, drugs and stress contribute to this condition. It induces pain, inflammation, cancer, osteoporosis, arthritis, immune system problems and all manner of chronic illness.
On the other hand, the effective flushing of acid wastes at the cellular level helps your body maintain its optimum alkaline state. This results in increased energy and healthy tissues that have the vitality to resist disease, degenerative conditions and aging.
The pH scale
Degrees of acidity and alkalinity are measured by the pH scale which ranges from 1 to 14.
7 indicates neutral pH.
Above 7 is increasingly alkaline up to 14.
Below 7 is increasing acid down to 1.pH values are logarithmic which means, for instance, that pH 6 is ten times more acidic than pH 7 and 100 times (10 times 10) more acidic than pH 8.
Acidosis versus a healthy body ‘terrain’.
The various body fluids (blood, urine, saliva, stomach acids) function at different pH values. The pH of blood must be maintained at a constant 7.4 (slightly alkaline), with very little deviation, to sustain life.
Excess acidity stresses the body, causing it to work harder to maintain this constant pH of the blood which must carry away these toxins. If they accumulate, the cellular environment is poisoned, resulting in loss of energy, pain and disease.
An acidic body lacks oxygen creating an environment that supports the growth of fungus, bacteria and viruses.In contrast, an alkaline body maintains the oxygenated environment required for efficient cellular functioning and will not support unhealthy parasitic growth.
Ingredients for an alkaline body.
- Eat alkalizing foods including lots of greens
- Avoid carbonated drinks and animal protein
- Supplement with high quality calcium
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Chlorinated Water Exposure May Boost Cancer Risk
Tuesday, October 9th, 2007As published in
American Journal of Epidemiology
January 2007Drinking, bathing or swimming in chlorinated water may increase the risk of bladder cancer, a new study shows.
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 risk, 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.
To investigate lifetime THM exposure and bladder cancer risk, the researchers matched 1,219 men and women with bladder cancer to 1,271 control individuals who did not have the disease, surveying them about their exposure to chlorinated water via drinking water, swimming pools, showering and bathing. The researchers also analyzed the average water THM levels in the 123 municipalities included in the study.
People living in households with an average household water THM level of more than 49 micrograms per liter had double the bladder cancer risk of those living in households where water THM concentration was below 8 micrograms per liter, the researchers found. THM levels of about 50 micrograms per liter are common in industrialized societies, they note.
Study participants who drank chlorinated water were at 35% greater risk of bladder cancer than those who didn’t, while use of swimming pools boosted bladder cancer risk by 57%. And those who took longer showers or baths and lived in municipalities with higher THM levels were also at increased cancer risk.When 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.
“If confirmed elsewhere, this observation has significant public health implications in relation to preventing exposure to these water contaminants,” the researchers conclude.
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Bisphenol A: Plastic Toxin in Bottled Water
Tuesday, September 18th, 2007Bisphenol A (BPA) is a synthetic chemical compound used in a wide range of consumer products including plastic water bottles, baby bottles and to line food cans. BPA can be ingested after leaching from a plastic bottle or food container into its contents.
Low doses disrupt hormonal system
Bisphenol A is a hormone disruptor that alters the normal functioning of the endocrine system in both humans and wildlife. Studies have linked very low levels of exposure to BPA to a wide range of adverse effects including reproductive, developmental and behavioural problems. These include hyperactivity and permanent changes to the genital tract, increased prostate weight, decline in testosterone, and breast and prostrate cells predisposed to cancer.
Polycarbonate plastic and baby bottles
BPA is primarily used to make polycarbonate plastic water bottles and other food and beverage containers. Many baby bottles are polycarbonate but not labeled as such. They can only be identified by calling the manufacturer. All bottles containing BPA should be (but may not be) labelled #7 plastic. However, not all #7 plastic containers are made with BPA.
Pregnant women and children most at risk
Fetuses, infants and children around puberty are most at risk because their endocrine systems are undergoing development and especially sensitive to hormone disruptors. Other species are affected by exposure to chemical toxins produced by humans. Genetic mutations are occurring in many other species at an alarming rate.
Canadian Health Measures Survey
The Canadian government has recently launched a study of BPA (and approximately 200 other chemicals) due to mounting concern about risks to human health and the environment. Currently there is no legislation in Canada regarding Bisphenol A leaching from water bottles and food containers.
Stainless steel water bottles are a non-toxic alternative to plastic bottles.
Studies show that virtually everyone is exposed to BPA.
Environmental Defence is inviting support to urge the Canadian government to ban Bisphenol A.