You just came from your usual early morning run, except today, the Rottweiler that lives near the corner got lose today and had a little fun chasing you around the block. Phew! – It’s a wonder you got away. Now, you’re really grateful to be alive…and really thirsty too. You grab a glass, open the tap and fill it up. Refreshing, huh? Yes, but possibly dangerous too.
Why? Water that comes straight from the tap can contain harmful contaminants.
Imagine this – your body is 60% water. Your baby’s body is about 75% water. Your brain is about 70% water and your lungs are about 90% water. Can you imagine filling these organs with contaminated water every day? Not good at all. You can get bladder cancer, premature skin aging, birth defects, asthma, breast cancer and rectal cancer from one of the least potent chemicals found in unfiltered water, which is chlorine. So can you imagine how much more damage the other, more harmful chemicals are doing to your body?
In this article, we’ll show you some of the dangers that you may unknowingly have in your tap water.
- Radium: This is actually a natural element found in ground water. Purification usually removes about 90% of it, but the minute amounts left in it can cause different cancers after a long period of exposure.
- Arsenic: This naturally-occurring element can enter your water through poor handling of large amounts of agricultural and commercial waste. It may eventually cause cancers of the liver, lymph nodes and lungs and may also cause Type II Diabetes.
- Hexavalent Chromium: It isn’t regulated in most parts of the world; so many people are unknowingly poisoned by it.
- Pharmaceutical Drugs: The amount of pharmaceutical drugs that can make their way into our water supply is kind of scary. You can get “birth control pills, antibiotics, antidepressants and a variety of other psychiatric medications” in a glass of tap water.
- Radioactive Contaminants: Waters surrounding the US and other areas are getting contaminated by Japan’s radioactive fallout. These contaminants pose unknown health risks if ingested.
- Heavy Metals: Learning disorders and severe developmental delays in children, kidney damage, brain damage and nerve damage can be caused by aluminum, lead and other heavy metals in water.
We hope that if you weren’t conscious about these things before, you are well-informed now. We’re plumbers who care about all aspects of the wellbeing of your family and your home. Take the time to filter your water. Contact the professionals if you need help with plumbing problems or more. We’ve got experienced and affordable plumbers in Ottawa. With just one call, we can help you solve your plumbing needs and offer you emergency plumbing services!