Five Myths About Drinking Water
Five common myths about drinking water: how much you actually need and whether to drink during or right after meals.
Five common myths about drinking water: how much you actually need and whether to drink during or right after meals.
Five Myths About Drinking Water
Author – Alexander Polyakov
«If you drink from a bottle labeled "Poison",
you will almost certainly feel a slight discomfort».
L. Carroll
A few decades ago, we paid no attention to what air we breathed or what water we drank. We simply breathed, drank from the tap, and were content with life. Life, as always, made its corrections. Most people no longer wonder whether or not to use a drinking water filter. They think about something else: which filter to use — a pitcher or a stationary one, domestic or imported… and finally, perhaps to buy a device with the frightening name «reverse osmosis»?
This topic is relatively new and, as a rule, still little understood for our consumer. And the lack of «transparency» on the matter gives rise, as we know, if not to monsters, then at least to myths. The drinking-water purification topic has not escaped this fate. Myths grow into epics over time; however, we must first separate truth from delusion. That is what we will do in this article.
Myth one. If it is below MAC — it is not harmful! Or: If you can not see it, it is not harmful!
«A filter is a device for straining liquid, holding back suspended impurities, turbidity, and foreign bodies, so that the water comes out of the F. clear and transparent. Domestic F.s for purifying turbid water have been used since ancient times.
In Egypt, for example, the «sihr» is still used — a vessel of porous clay (when shaped, coal is added to the clay paste; during firing it burns out, leaving pores), into which water is poured; it seeps through the walls and, having been cooled by evaporation, collects clean in a bowl set beneath.»
Brockhaus and Efron Encyclopedia.
This is how our ancestors imagined a water filter. Transparent — and therefore clean — water flows out, which is good! Sometimes we still think this way. Alas, a misconception pardonable in the 19th century is unpardonable today. And man himself is to blame. The development of industry in the 19th–20th centuries led to total pollution of the environment, including water resources.
The most common pollutants of Russian surface waters remain petroleum products, phenols, easily oxidizable organic substances, metal compounds, ammonium and nitrite nitrogen, as well as specific pollutants: lignin, xanthates, formaldehyde, and others, whose main source is wastewater from various industries, agricultural and municipal enterprises, and surface runoff.
The main rivers of Russia — Volga, Don, Kuban, Ob, Yenisei, Lena, Pechora — are rated as «polluted», their major tributaries — Oka, Kama, Tom, Irtysh, Tobol, Miass, Iset, Tura — as «heavily polluted»; the Ural River also belongs in this category.
The condition of small rivers, especially in zones of large industrial centers, is unfavorable due to the inflow of large amounts of pollutants from surface runoff and wastewater.
Admit it: such a passage reads like a report from a combat zone. And note: none of the substances polluting water bodies occur in nature. They are human-made. The human body is not familiar with them and therefore has no specific neutralization mechanisms developed by evolution. The result is allergy — the scourge of the 20th century.
Today people are forced to swallow whatever flows from the tap. In such a situation, society is forced to assume responsibility for the safety of what is consumed. To exercise control, parameters water must meet are introduced.
These parameters are laid down in the «Sanitary Rules and Norms» (SanPiN) «Drinking Water». This document defines the maximum allowable concentrations (MAC) of various substances in drinking water. Water that meets these requirements is considered safe and fit for consumption. In reality, the SanPiN limits are quite conditional and are often determined not by biological needs but by technical possibilities.
It must also be remembered that every human body has its individual features, and threshold concentrations at which a reaction to a given substance begins may differ significantly from person to person.
Unfortunately, most citizens follow the principle «if you do not see it, it is clean!», ignoring the fact that most of the most dangerous substances dissolved in water have no taste, smell, or color.
Myth two. Beneficial minerals in water, or «is it harmful to drink distilled water?»
We consume water in which various amounts of mineral salts are dissolved. As a rule, their qualitative and quantitative composition is determined by the geological features of a given region. Thanks to the efforts of secondary school and the magazine «Health», most of us confidently divide these mineral salts into harmful and beneficial.
Beneficial ones include cations of potassium, sodium, calcium, and magnesium; harmful ones — all the rest.
The most advanced citizens remember that since water contains cations (positively charged ions), there must also be anions (negatively charged ions), about whose benefits we know nothing except that fluorine is good and nitrate is bad! As a result, the entire water-drinking electorate is divided into two camps. Some suspiciously ask the seller: «Will the beneficial minerals remain in the water after the filter?», while others ask: «will extra salts settle in my kidneys?»
Let us try to figure it out.
From the table, you can clearly see how much water contains the daily norm of a given element.
Element | Daily requirement, mg | Average concentration of element in drinking water, mg/l | Water needed to meet the daily norm, l |
Calcium | 800 | 100 | 8 |
Magnesium | 500 | 50 | 10 |
Potassium | 2000 | 12 | 167 |
Sodium | 5000 | 200 | 265 |
The average person drinks about 2 liters of water a day (if we ignore the post-holiday period). It turns out that, at best, we can get from water a more or less noticeable share of calcium. However, it should be noted that calcium in the form of inorganic salts is poorly absorbed by the body, and water with a concentration of 100 mg per liter is quite hard — you will not brew a good cup of tea with it!
On the other hand, in a number of cases, a high content of calcium and magnesium in water interferes with the removal of harmful elements such as lead, mercury, cadmium, etc. Special selective sorbents are required for their complete removal. For example, the chelating ion-exchange fiber Aqualene-2 used in Aquaphor filters. Without such sorbents, complete removal of heavy metals from hard water cannot be guaranteed.
So where do we get the missing mineral salts?
From food! Cheese, cottage cheese, and milk will more than compensate for a calcium deficiency, and dried apricots, beans, and apples will handle a potassium deficit. Still, does the mineral composition of the water we drink really have no effect? It does! And quite a strong one!
It affects the work of our digestive tract. And when we have to change our usual water for another — for example, on a business trip or holiday — for especially sensitive people this can end embarrassingly! However, after some time the body adapts and everything returns to normal.
Conclusion: of course it is better to drink the water you are used to, if it contains nothing harmful; but when choosing between two evils, it is better to remove everything from the drinking water — even the beneficial — than to leave a little of the harmful!
There is an opinion: P. Bragg, after age 50, drank distilled water and advised others to do the same. He considered it one of the curative agents and emphasized: «It is not dead water. It is the purest water a person can drink.
Distilled water helps dissolve the toxins that accumulate in the modern civilized person, passes through the kidneys without leaving inorganic stone residues. It is soft water. Wash your hair in distilled water and you will see for yourself.»
Myth three. Silver is not only harmful but also beneficial, or the «silver age of water purification»!
We read in the encyclopedia: «silver (Ag — argentum) is a chemical element in group one of the Mendeleev periodic table. A white-colored metal, ductile and malleable. Chemically little active. Possesses bactericidal properties: silver ions sterilize water». There! From this point on, in more detail!
Apologists of the «silver shield» urge consuming water with a fairly high silver content. We are assured that silver ions not only kill all harmful bacteria, but are also beneficial for the human body, with proof sought in the church and from silverware makers. After all, if our ancestors ate on silver, why should we miss out!
Silver in ionic form is indeed a bactericide, i.e. it kills bacteria. Which ones? Almost all of them! Harmful — pathogenic — and harmless and necessary — those participating in the life of the body, and the body cells themselves! How? Silver ions replace the ions of trace elements in enzymes — for example (Co) — responsible for metabolism and reproduction. This leads to a violation of cell function and to its death.
And do not widen your eyes! Yes, silver is a cellular poison, a xenobiotic. There is even a disease — argentosis — associated with an increased content of silver in the body. But — you will exclaim — what about the experience of generations: table silver for the most valued members of society, the traditional little spoon for the first tooth, finally «holy water» with a silver cross! Do not worry! «You are not in church; you will not be deceived!»
Indeed, for a long time, one of the few means of combating epidemics that came with urbanization and mowed down entire cities was silver and gold. Yes, gold ions are also bactericides (read: poison), but this was only for the elite! Thus, again the dialectic of existence — if you want to live, drink poison! Fortunately, in our time there are cheaper poisons!
It is worth, however, saying a few words in defense of table silver. Have you noticed that bactericidal properties are possessed by silver ions, i.e. by silver salts dissolved in water? Metallic silver is harmless — bon appétit! But drinking water with silver ions is not advisable. By the way, that is why «holy water» does not spoil for months — because it is poison for all living things.
And what about our regulatory bodies? What, for example, does the sanitary service say about «silver» water? They speak quite strictly: the MAC (maximum allowable concentration) for silver is 0.05 mg per liter. The same as for lead.
Do you by any chance consider lead a beneficial metal? Incidentally, the use of silver as a bactericide — in any concentration — in water intended for baby food is prohibited by law. So you do not know what to answer the curious but not very competent buyer who asks: «Is there silver in your filter?»
Say «No» — the customer will not understand; say «Yes» — you feel like a poisoner of humanity…
If only there were a filter in which silver is present but is not released into the water! Is this possible? It turns out it is! Usually, in domestic drinking water filters, activated carbon is used to fix silver. However, this technology does not guarantee the absence of spontaneous washout of silver ions into the filtered water.
To be sure that all the silver is exactly where it should be, more robust fixation is needed. For example, on an ion-exchange material that selectively binds heavy metals — and silver along with them. Does such a material exist in nature? It does. And is even widely used in drinking-water filters — but only under the brand «Aquaphor».
This material is called Aqualene-2 and is a chelating ion-exchange fiber. We already mentioned it when discussing the selective removal of harmful cations. Silver ions are very firmly fixed on this fiber, while not losing their bactericidal function.
Myth four. More fluoride — stronger teeth!
Over the past decade, television advertising has accustomed us to the idea that fluorine is vitally necessary for healthy teeth. Of course, not in the form of the free element — that is the strongest oxidizer and a poison — but in the form of fluoride, a negatively charged ion (F-).
The advertising advantage of fluoride in toothpaste was so attractive that soon filters appeared that not only purify water but also enrich it with fluoride ions! In the promotional booklet of one of the water-purifier companies («Barrier»), the benefits of fluoride — «the most important trace element for the human body» — are described in detail and convincingly.
Full quotation:
«Becoming embedded in the hydroxyapatite crystals that make up tooth enamel, fluorine gives them density and resistance to physical and chemical influences and, as a result, reduces the risk of caries by 2–4 times. Furthermore, fluorine is a biocatalyst of mineralization processes, promoting the binding of calcium phosphate by tissues, which is used therapeutically in osteoporosis, osteomalacia, rickets, and other diseases involving disturbances in bone mineralization. Fluorine also plays the role of a stabilizer and compactor of hair, nails, and epidermis, and improves immunobiological reactivity».
The physiological norm of fluorine content (more precisely, the fluoride anion) in water, according to the booklet, is 0.5–1.5 mg/l. Let us remember these figures. It would seem everything is clear. By buying the filter («Barrier-5»), the consumer will get rid of harmful impurities in drinking water and additionally strengthen the body with fluorine.
But… Turning to SanPiN «Drinking Water», we find that the fluorine content in drinking water must not exceed 0.7–1.5 mg/l, depending on the region. It is also interesting to cite the list of substances among which fluorine is mentioned: aluminum, beryllium, molybdenum, arsenic, nitrates, polyacrylamide, lead, selenium, strontium.
Most of the listed substances are strong poisons.
Opening the book «Harmful Substances in Industry», vol. 2 (Leningrad, 1971), pp. 54–55, we read:
«The question of the optimal content of fluorine in drinking water cannot be considered finally resolved, although there is much data in favor of a concentration equal to 1 mg/l.»
But also here:
«Chronic poisoning [by fluorine] in humans manifests in diseases of teeth and bones, sometimes occurring separately, sometimes simultaneously. A special form of endemic disease is described in localities where drinking water contains significant amounts of fluorine (from 1–2 mg/l and above).
Children drinking this water at the age of changing milk teeth suffer fluorosis of the permanent teeth, called «enamel speckling» or «enamel mottling». A definite relationship has been established between fluorine content in drinking water and the prevalence of this disease. Thus, an examination of 20,000 people revealed that at a fluorine concentration in water below 1 mg/l, dental fluorosis was practically absent. At a concentration equal to 1 mg/l, the frequency of lesions rises sharply; at concentrations of 1.5 mg/l and above — severe tooth damage. In adults, fluorine acts primarily on dentin, as a result of which the teeth become looser and weaker….
In a number of localities, when water and vegetables with high fluorine content were used in food, a disease was observed among the population with softening of the bones, as in osteomalacia, accompanied by cachexia, jaundice, and gastrointestinal symptoms…»
What conclusion follows from these extensive and contradictory quotations? Is fluorine beneficial or harmful? As is very often the case, a clear-cut answer cannot be given. Yes, fluorine is necessary for the body. But the boundary between the physiologically necessary amount of fluorine in drinking water and the maximum allowable level is very uncertain. The consequences of an overdose can be very severe. A person's need for fluorine depends on age, health, dietary conditions, region of residence, etc.
Myth five. The imported filter is best!
Which filter to buy — imported or domestic? The correct answer to this question is: buy the one that purifies water better. The opinion that imported filters work better is mistaken.
In most cases Russian filters are in no way inferior to foreign ones — and often even surpass them in their characteristics. Well-known foreign firms, as a rule, devote the most attention to the external appearance of their products rather than to the «inner content».
As a result, products are created like the agitation vehicles depicting the latest achievements of science and technology: inside an old truck, outside plywood shields with a picture of a spaceship. Recently, much is said about Russian filters being better than imported ones because they are specifically designed to purify our tap water. This is partly true — and partly an exaggeration. An exaggeration because a truly good filter is capable of high-quality purification of any water — Russian, American, or African. And it does not matter where the filter is made.
«Aquaphor» filters, for example, are produced in Russia but also successfully work in the USA, Europe, and Asia. Partly this is true, because in Russia the water is indeed one of the dirtiest in the world. And our pipes are iron and rusty, not plastic as in some Western countries.
Therefore it is quite possible that the manufacturers of an imported filter did not suspect that water might contain such varied and sometimes unexpected impurities. Our manufacturers, however, know exactly what water comes from our taps — they drink it every day themselves. And one more essential point. Of course, it is good when a filter works perfectly. But, unfortunately, a rubber gasket may leak, a lid may break, a small part may get lost.
And then what? An expensive item ruined? If the filter is Russian, practically any problem can be solved by contacting the manufacturer. «Aquaphor», for example, never refuses its users replacement of failed filter parts, even if it happens through the user's fault (broken flasks, broken handles, lost or damaged parts). And, all the more, it is much easier for a Russian manufacturer to carry out warranty repair of the filter (especially with expensive stationary systems).
At the same time, imported filters of course cost more than domestic ones. Usually the higher price is associated not with higher quality but with the greater costs of delivering the product from abroad.
At present, our market offers quite a large number of firms involved in water purification — both imported and Russian companies. Among them are firms that have worked in this market for quite a long time and firms for which this product is «incidental».
It is, of course, worth focusing on companies for which the production of water purifiers is the main field of activity and which have been engaged in this for quite a long time. Furthermore, it is necessary to distinguish firms that represent «trade brands» and «screwdriver assemblies» from companies engaged in serious production and producing original products.
This concerns first of all the «filling» of the water purifier — the sorbents — the substances that purify the water. Do not forget that «worthwhile» ideas and solutions are subject to patenting. Thus, the activity of a company can be judged by the number of patents issued in its name. So choose!
Alexander Polyakov — technical manager of the Aquaphor company
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