Chlorine In Your Tap Water and In Your Diet Cola

Would you drink a cup of pesticides? What about a cup of chemical water? All your aquarium fish will die within a matter of minutes if you add tap water to your fish tank without also adding a de-chlorinator to remove the chlorine. Doesn’t that tell you something about the danger of drinking chlorine? Chlorine in tap water results in cancer and many other diseases, according to researchers worldwide. So if chlorine in tap water is a suspected carcinogen, is it safe in diet colas?

The manufacturers of chlorine-containing sucralose say the chlorine in their sweetener will pass harmlessly out of your body. What if it doesn’t? How do you know your body won’t digest it? Everyone is individual. Chlorine is a dangerous carcinogen according to the research on tap water. The FDA has stated the chlorine in sucralose found in Splenda® is safe, but here is scientific evidence on chlorine in tap water that may help you decide whether or not to avoid drinking additional chlorine until the issues are resolved. So, before you crack open that ring top on your diet cola can, please read the research proving harmful effects of chlorine in the human body, especially during pregnancy.

According to recent research in Europe, pregnant women in their first trimester who drink five or more glasses of chlorinated tap water a day may be at a much higher risk of miscarriage than women who drink non-chlorinated water.

Concerned that chlorine may cause spina bifida and stillbirths, the British government has ordered an independent study on chlorine-treated drinking water. Scientists from Imperial College, London University, are interested in this new research from doctors in Norway, Canada and the United States reporting higher levels of birth defects in areas where chlorine is used, compared with drinking water treated by alternative methods.

John Fawell, a leading specialist on water quality and an independent industry consultant, says: "The people who have done this work in Norway and in the United States are reputable researchers and the government and water companies have commissioned their own research from London University. All of Britain's and the United State’s water companies chlorinate their public water supplies. The only people who use non-chlorinated water are those with their own water wells.

A Norwegian study of 141,000 births over a three-year period found a fourteen percent increased risk of birth defects in areas with chlorinated water. Scientists have already found an association between chlorine and an increased risk of bowel, kidney and bladder cancer, but it is the first time that a link has been verified with higher levels of spina bifida.

Dr. Per Magnus, the research scientist who carried out the Norwegian study, states: "This is an important finding because we know there are chemicals released by the action of chlorine on organic particles at treatment works. We have observed mutations in these chemicals that seem to tie up with mutations that are found in babies. We were in a unique position in Norway to make these observations because in some areas our water comes from the mountains and doesn't require cleaning with chlorine."

A study by Dr. Niels Skakkebaek of the University of Copenhagen demonstrated that the average human sperm counts have dropped in Denmark by almost fifty percent due to the presence of manmade chlorine found within human tissues and breast milk.

The Norwegian government has ordered more research be done. Concerned families have begun filtering their tap water. A popular method is to place sachets of coral sand, dredged from Norwegian fjords, into water before it is consumed, removing all traces of chlorine in tap water after fifteen minutes.

In Canada at Dalhousie University, Nova Scotia, researchers found that high levels of trihalomethanes, a by-product of chlorine in drinking water, significantly increased the risk of stillbirth.

Bladder cancer has been linked to chlorinated drinking water in an average of ten out of eleven studies. One of the studies in Ontario, conducted with funding from Health Canada, found that fourteen to sixteen percent of bladder cancers in Ontario showed a direct correlation to drinking water containing high levels of chlorine by-products. Chlorinated water has been linked to colon and rectal cancers in the studies, but the occurrences were not as common as those for bladder cancer.

Solutions? Dr. John Marshall, of the Pure Water Association, an American consumer group campaigning for safer drinking water, states: "It shows we should be paying more attention to the chemicals we put in our drinking water and should be looking for other alternatives to chlorination. A number of safe, non-toxic options exist, such as treating water with ozone gas or ultra violet light."

For now, investigate the purest “spring” water sources available in your region of the country. Keep a water jug close by and constantly full, sipping natural water all day long. Use it for your coffee or tea, and teach your children the difference between pure water sources and chemically altered water. Investigate the safety of the piping in your home, and add a water filter to the house tap if possible. Place filters on icemakers, and don’t drink from the garden hose. If you have access to a water well, have it tested for heavy metals, and place a filter on that tap, if necessary.

Pure water is a human being’s primary survival mechanism. Don’t take the importance of water lightly. I’d rather sip on a bottle of purified water than a diet cola any day.

Links to Dr. Janet Starr Hull’s web sites:

Janet Starr Hull, PhD, CN

Dr. Hull's Alternative Health Newsletter

Posted on June 9, 2005 in Chlorine | Link To This Entry | Comments (11)

Comments

Posted by: nancy werany on July 18, 2005 6:32 PM

I just bought what I thought was a non-sugar or artificial sweetener in CVS. I do not like any artificial sweeteners or sugar, if possible. It states that it is caffeine free, calorie free and sodium free and that is naturally flavored sparkling water "beverage". Nothing on the front indicates that it contains aspertame and, of course, the ingredient list is so small that I cannot read it without reading glasses. I think it is very deceiving to not state on the front that is artifically sweetened. Once I bought ice cream that said it was "no sugar added" so I thought I was getting a less sweet product. However, down at the bottom of the label in small letters it had the splenda logo. It was the most awful ice cream I ever tasted and it was a well-known company with a good product. I took it back (while it was melting) and got my money back and wrote to the company about how awful it was and how deceitful I felt it was on the label. No answer at all. It should be on the front label what it contains, not just what it does not contain. Thank you.

Posted by: APRIL on August 25, 2005 7:20 AM

THANK YOU FOR YOUR INFORMATION, I AM NOT GOING TO USE SPLENDA ANYMORE. NOW MY STEP MOM IS A DIABETIC AN DUSES IT ADVIDLY DAILEY. WHAT ARE SOME THINGS I COULD TELL HER ABOUT USING THIS AND BEING DIABETIC? APRIL

Posted by: Ashley Pride on October 4, 2005 3:57 AM

What about a cup of chemical water?

What on earh is chemical water? What is water if its not a chemical?

All your aquarium fish will die within a matter of minutes if you add tap water to your fish tank without also adding a de-chlorinator to remove the chlorine.

What have fish got to do with humans ? If you haven't realised their respiratory systems are somewhat different to humans.

Doesn’t that tell you something about the danger of drinking chlorine?

No, that tells us that tap water is dangerous to fish. When I last drank a cup of tap water I didn't immediately die - did you?

Chlorine in tap water results in cancer and many other diseases, according to researchers worldwide.

According to other researchers they found no risk.

So if chlorine in tap water is a suspected carcinogen, is it safe in diet colas?

Duuurr.

The manufacturers of chlorine-containing sucralose say the chlorine in their sweetener will pass harmlessly out of your body. What if it doesn’t?

What if indeed, what if pure water is cancerous?

Posted by: Lucy Parker Watkins on November 1, 2005 1:44 PM

In Chapter 2 of Splenda: Is It Safe or Not, Dr. Hull goes into great detail about the dangers of ingested manmade chlorine. The studies in Norway prove, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that chlorine is a carcinogen and very risky for pregnancy and children.

Additionally, chlorine accumulates in the body's tissues.

Posted by: vinod on November 7, 2005 12:46 AM

We get only chlorinated water supply in our city. Is it possible to remove the chlorine by boiling?
If not, how do we remove or reduce chlorine in drinking water?

Posted by: Angela Barnett on November 17, 2005 2:07 PM

I have read lots of beneficial information about Stevia, which is a plant-based sweetener. I am not familiar with any dangers of using stevia. I prefer ground stevia leaf, which I get in the bulk spices section of the local health food store. I prefer it to the stevia extract because it is cheaper and it is green. I question how they get the stevia extract white.

Posted by: Sylver on December 15, 2005 10:53 AM

Chlorine does not immediately kill fish in an aquarium. In fact, some breeders will add a little bit of tap water to the tank from time to time to help control algae. For drinking of tap water, I simply let a gallon of it sit out for 24 hours without a lid, which allows the chlorine to evaporate.

Posted by: jainz on December 19, 2005 9:47 PM

i just wanna ask how to determine experimentally if the tap water contains chlorine. step by step, please. Then, i wanna know also how to determine the concentration of chlorine. Is it also possible that bottled drinking water may contain chlorine??? pls. answer my questions asap.

Posted by: Janet Starr Hull, PhD on December 21, 2005 10:50 AM

You can test chlorine in your tap water in many different ways. You can test it like you would your swimming pool. You can put a chlorine filter on the faucet head and test before and after. You can have an environmental company come out and test your water. You can ask your municipality to submit their tests, or you can send your sample to an independent laboratory to test for chlorine.

The simplest solution is to put filters on your taps and don't drink your tap water or use it for cooking.

The best bottled water to buy is found in glass containers and I personally prefer pure spring water that has not been processed before bottling. Your body needs the minerals found in natural spring water. Natural spring water can natural forms of chloride and I have written about this distinction in detail in Splenda: Is It Safe or Not?

Posted by: Janet Starr Hull, PhD on December 21, 2005 11:08 AM

The rapid affects of chlorine may be determined by your outside environment: heat, time of year, etc. But, I disagree with you in that we have three ornamental fish ponds w/ koi and goldfish and a 75-gallon salt water tank w/ live rock etc. The smallest amount of manufactured chlorine added to any of these bodies of water creates death of fish, algae, and heatlhy fungi within a matter of minutes.

Continue to let your drinking water sit out as some chlorine may evaporate but don't forget, some may not.

Posted by: Bodybuilding on January 21, 2006 2:26 PM

Its interesting that you offer some good information regarding the use of Splenda. This additive has become very popular among the health and fitness crowd and there may be some physiological aspects that aren't quite apparent to those who have been using it.

Would you like to discuss this article or provide a comment?

Visit Dr. Janet Starr Hull's Alternative Health Web Forum and discuss Splenda toxicity information.

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Chlorine In Your Tap Water and In Your Diet Cola

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