In 1975, acclaimed director Steven Spielberg premiered the summer blockbuster film, Jaws. A summer resort town was terrorized by a man-eating great white shark in New England. The foreboding nature of that shark’s dorsal fin as it raises out of the water that alerts people that there are dangers in the water.
But today, in your drinking water in reality, lurks more dangers in the water. And, they’re usually invisible to the naked eye. So, I am going to cover the top three dangers in the water I have come across in my research and provide some tips for keeping your water—drinking, cooking and bathing—as clean as possible for you and your family.
Phthalates and Lead in Drinking Water | Dangers in the Water
There are many harmful contaminants that can affect your drinking water today. From PFOA to mercury to nitrate to arsenic, there is one compound that leads in the media, and that’s phthalates.
Phthalates are, according to Wikipedia, are a group of chemical compounds used as “plasticizers,” meaning they are used to “increase [plastic’s] flexibility, transparency, durability, and longevity.” Of the 25 most common phthalates, only a few of these dangerous compounds have been regulated out of usage in industrial and household uses, which easily passes into waterways and therefore into our drinking water. But, how toxic are phthalates, really?
Well, according to a large 2014 report published by the US Center for Disease Control Chronic Hazard Advisory Panel (Chap) on Phthalates, they’re pretty dangerous, and everywhere that you can’t even avoid them all.
According to The Guardian’s article, “Phthalates are everywhere, and the health risks are worrying. How bad are they really?,” it noted that,
…despite the chemical industry’s efforts to soften the commission’s recommendations, public health advocates are largely pleased with the effort, a rarity when it comes to government-penned reports on chemical safety.
It goes on to say,
In the past few years, researchers have linked phthalates to asthma, attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder, breast cancer, obesity and type II diabetes, low IQ, neurodevelopmental issues, behavioral issues, autism spectrum disorders, altered reproductive development and male fertility issues.
How’s that for scary? But, it doesn’t end there.
While the Flint water crisis still continues, lead in drinking water is still a major problem across the entire country. Even small amounts of lead consistently exposed to the young children can have debilitating effects on their development and overall health. And, the Washington, D.C. metro area is affected by elevated levels of lead in drinking water.
It’s important to keep a watchful eye on the annual DC Water Report to see what you should be watching out for in the water.
More Phthalates in Home Products | Dangers in the Water
Back to phthalates, because who doesn’t like a scary movie premise come to life! It turns out that the dangers of drinking water are not the only places you need to worry about phthalates.
As bad luck would have it, you need to be concerned about cooking with contaminated water, bathing with contaminated products containing phthalates, and finding out what has these chemicals is near-impossible. I know Halloween is over, but I need to hand out a few more tricks than treats this week so you know what to be truly afraid of.
First and foremost, cooking with phthalate-contaminated water is quite toxic. It breaks down the bonds of these chemicals faster releasing the toxins embedded in them.
Second, most household goods that you absorb into your skin, such as fragrance-based lotions and similar, body wash, shampoos and conditioners, and detergents of most kinds contain phthalates.
And, finally, many foods are processed in facilities with plastic pipes and those pipes pass phthalates directly into the packaged foods you buy.
All told, phthalates are nearly unavoidable. (Sorry, I told you this was going to be bleak!) But, there are things we can do to minimize our exposure to these toxic compounds in our lives for greater health and wellness.
How to Maximize Safe Water Usage in Your Life
Here are four ways to maximize your and your family’s safety:
- Use a carbon-activated water filtration system for water you use for anything you are going to ingest, cooking or otherwise, no matter if you bought it as bottled water or sourced it from tap water. This won’t get rid of everything contaminating your water, but it will do a great job of minimizing compounds.
If you’d like to really take it to the next level, try out a nano-filtration system. They are expensive, but they will do a deeper clean of any water you pass through their systems. - While it may seem simple, use glass instead of plastic containers. Glassware is durable, reusable and sustainable, and doesn’t leach chemicals into your water, food or household goods.
Also, if you do use any plastics, pay attention to their recycling codes to stay clear of phthalates (and their cousins, BPA and BPS). Recycling codes 3 and 7 typically contain them. While using plastics with recycling codes 1, 2 or 5 will not usually have them. - Buy organic and phthalate-free products, wherever possible. Again, by supporting processes upstream that don’t include plastics in the first place, it reduces the risks once those products and resources reach you. This doesn’t mitigate all phthalates or lead from your water, but once more it reduces those levels and gives you more control over what goes into your body.
- Last but not least, check out organizations like Clean Water Action and other local water quality advocacy organizations. Put pressure on your local government to make water quality a priority, because even though you’re likely not dehydrated, you deserve clean water when you want it.
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Jaws ends with a heroic move by Matt Hooper (played by a then-much-younger Richard Dreyfuss) throwing a pressurized scuba tank into the mouth of the hungry great white shark. Then, with the boat Orca sinking, he shoots the scuba tank, exploding the tank and the monster attacking them in the process.
Sadly, there’s not such heroic one-shot-saves-all opportunity for eliminating the dangers in the water with which we drink, cook, and bathe. We have to be vigilant with our practices to keep our bodies and our families’ safe.