Do you drink enough water?

Loralee Reach · January 12, 2011

The Chlorine Conundrum: What's in Your Drinking Water?

by Doug DiPasquale Jan 11th 2011 12:00PM

A Spanish study published in 'Environmental Health Perspectives' has found large quantities of chlorine can actually cause DNA damage. And any time DNA suffers damage, the risk of mutations causing cancer is increased.

Chlorine is extremely common as a disinfectant used to kill microbes in water for drinking and swimming. But when chlorine and other disinfectants combine with organic matter -- such as sweat, urine and skin cells -- the results are disinfection by-products (DBPs). DBPs have been linked to all sorts of adverse health effects in both humans and animals.

So what do we do here? Chlorine is necessary to make sure no nasty pathogens are in our water supply and swimming pools, but their disinfectant action is causing compounds that can give us cancer. Do we really have to choose between water-borne illness and cancer?

The simple answer is no.

When it comes to swimming pools, there are a few different alternatives to chlorination that seem to be safer. Ozone use, while expensive, keeps your pool chemical-free. It involves installing a unit that injects ozone directly into the water. The ozone is then circulated through the pool filter, killing any pathogens it comes into contact with. And while salt water pools aren't completely chlorine-free, they are significantly reduced in their amount of chlorine. Salt is a natural preservative, killing pathogenic bacteria (this is why salt is used in preserving things like pickles and dried meats).

Drinking water is a bigger issue. As I see it, the only answer, until a viable alternative to chlorine comes along, is to filter water at the end point -- your tap. The problem is figuring out which filter does the best job. Brita-style filter jugs, which use granulated carbon filters, remove some chlorine and probably remove some DBPs, but not much. I see these filters as the absolute minimum product we should all be using.

A reverse osmosis filter (you can read more about them here) is probably the best bet, although it's not cheap. These filters pass the water through a membrane that filters out everything, but the water (including minerals). When using this style of filter, you should buy some remineralization drops from a health food store or where you bought your filter in order to add some of the good-for-you minerals back to the water -- like magnesium and calcium. Other options include water distillers and a wide array of different types of under-the-counter filtration units.

We can have clean swimming and drinking water, but, unfortunately, it does take a little effort on our part. It costs a bit, but it's money well spent.