From alarming reports of contaminants like lead and arsenic in public water to viral trends around alkaline and chlorophyll water, it’s challenging to know what’s safe and effective for hydration. We all know we need to drink water, but how much is enough, and what hidden dangers might be lurking in our tap water? Get ready to uncover the truths about common water contaminants, understand the real risks of dehydration, and discover whether specialty drinks like alkaline water are genuinely worth the hype.

Key Takeaways

• Public water can contain dangerous contaminants like lead, arsenic, uranium, and nitrate. These come from various sources, including acid rain, industrial waste, and old plumbing. Exposure to these can lead to serious health issues, such as hypertension and cognitive decline. It can also cause various cancers, including bladder, kidney, and testicular cancer.
• Not drinking enough fluid can cause a range of adverse effects, from bad breath and decreased attention to increased risk of kidney stones, urinary tract infections, a stressed heart, and potentially bladder cancer.
• The recommendation of eight glasses a day is just an average. Individual fluid needs depend on factors like age, gender, diet, and metabolism. Certain medications (like antihistamines and antidepressants) and uncontrolled diabetes can also increase fluid requirements.
• The belief that alkaline water can treat cancer, eliminate belly fat, or lubricate joints is a grave misunderstanding of how the body’s pH works. It is not proven to hydrate better than neutral water and would impair protein digestion if consumed in a large enough quantity to neutralize stomach acid (pepsin).
• While marketed for weight loss and energy, a semisynthetic version of chlorophyll has been shown to bind cancer-causing agents and reduce the risk of liver cancer in specific populations. However, consuming a salad provides a simple, food-based alternative. Anyone taking immunosuppressants should avoid these drinks.

The Hidden Dangers in Your Water: Sources and Contaminants

Surface water from lakes, reservoirs, and rivers is readily contaminated by acid rain, runoff from highways and urban areas, pesticide runoff from agricultural fields, and industrial waste dumped directly into it. In groundwater aquifers, contaminants break down much more slowly in groundwater aquifers than in surface water because they are not exposed to sunlight or aerobic microbes and receive no aeration. Contamination of groundwater can occur from multiple sources: hazardous waste sites, dumps and landfills, underground tanks, storage of gasoline and other chemicals, and improperly discarded household chemicals and solvents.

Key contaminants and health risks

Recent investigations have found that public water supplies contain concerning levels of lead, arsenic, uranium, and nitrate. 

• Lead accumulates in the body and damages the brain, kidneys, and other organs, and plays a role in the development of hypertension and accelerated cognitive decline. 
• Arsenic is a known carcinogen, causing bladder cancer and affecting the brain. Toxicity can lead to diminished language skills, memory problems, and impaired executive functioning. 

Beyond heavy metals like arsenic, other common water treatments can pose risks as well. 

For instance, disinfectants, such as chlorine in water, can react with organic compounds to produce carcinogens. In 2006, the EPA began to phase in lower limits for disinfection byproducts in drinking water. The agency estimated these changes would prevent approximately 280 cases of bladder cancer every year, underscoring the significant public health benefit of environmental regulation.

In addition to these common contaminants, the environment also contains other persistent, man-made chemicals that can affect water quality. Perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) was previously used in manufacturing nonstick pans and stain-resistant carpets. Though it is no longer made, it persists in the environment. PFOA is known to cause kidney and testicular cancer. Utility companies monitor it, but the results are not always public. The highest levels have traditionally been found in areas like New York and West Virginia, where it was discharged.

Hydration: Your Personal Fluid Needs

The risks of dehydration

Dehydration shouldn’t be taken lightly. It causes a range of adverse effects: 

• Bad breath and cavities
• Decreased blood volume and a stressed heart
• Increased body temperature
• Reduced joint lubrication
• Less elastic skin
• Increased risk of urinary tract infections and kidney stones

Severe dehydration results in kidney failure with a build-up of toxins and death. There is also some evidence that dehydration can play a part in the development of bladder cancer. 

How much water is enough? 

The recommendation for eight glasses of water a day is simply an average. Some individuals only need half that much, while others may require more than twice as much. How much you need depends on your age, gender, individual metabolism, and diet. 

Most experts recommend drinking 2-6 cups of water, up to 5 cups of unsweetened coffee or tea, and up to 2 cups of low-fat milk a day. 

Don’t forget to pay attention to what you eat – most adults get an additional 2 ½ cups of fluid from food every day. After all, fruit is 85% water. 

Factors that increase fluid needs

Certain medications, including antihistamines and antidepressants, increase fluid needs. Uncontrolled diabetes can also cause dehydration. 

You need 2 to 3 cups of water about 2 to 3 hours before working out if you’ll be exercising for less than an hour. You should drink ¾ to 1 ½ cups every 15-20 minutes while you’re exercising.

Separating Fact from Hydration Fiction

The alkaline water misconception

A lot of people have been buying devices to make their water alkaline because they believe that drinking it will help their belly fat disappear, kill cancer cells, and lubricate their joints. Pure water has a pH of 7, meaning it is neither acidic nor alkaline. There is a grave misunderstanding about how pH works in the human body, and some people have bought into the idea that stomach acid causes gastroesophageal reflux (also known as GERD, acid reflux, and heartburn). However, even if your goal were neutralizing this acidity, it would take many, many liters of alkaline water to inactivate pepsin. 

Doing so would be a grave mistake, too, as pepsin is crucial for protein digestion. An overabundance of stomach acid does not cause GERD. 

Chlorophyll water: Limited benefits

While marketed for weight loss and energy, studies have indicated that a semisynthetic version of chlorophyll might bind cancer-causing agents and reduce the risk of liver cancer in specific populations. Of course, you could just eat a salad and call it a day. Regardless, anyone on immunosuppressants should avoid these drinks. 

Conclusion

You can safeguard your health by understanding the real-world dangers of water contaminants like lead and arsenic, acknowledging your personal fluid needs, and ignoring unproven trends like alkaline or chlorophyll water. Utilize resources like the EPA to check your water quality. And, when in doubt, choose plain water.

If you’re concerned about your water, you can check the water report at www.epa.gov/ccr. Any water line installed more than 35 years ago (before 1986) could contain lead. Regardless of when your house was built, your water could be contaminated if the lines haven’t been updated since then.