Showering: Is Your Health at Risk?

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Showering: Is Your Health at Risk?

 

For the past decade, people have focused on the importance

of clean drinking water. Purified drinking water reduces or

eliminates chemicals found in normal tap water. However,

the body derives its need for water from alternative sources,

most notably while showering.

 

It is common practice in North America to shower on a

daily basis, sometimes more than once. Unfortunately, most

people are unaware that more chlorine is absorbed

through the skin during the average shower than by drinking

six to eight glasses of tap water. This may make one wonder,

how clean is shower water?

 

Are you a fan of hot showers?

Since the skin is porous, it is the body's way of excreting

toxins and regulating temperature, hot showers cause the

pores of the skin to dilate, allowing chlorine and other

free radicals to be rapidly absorbed. Chlorine is also

contained within the water vapor that enters the air as

steam, and which we breathe into our lungs as we shower.

Dr. Halina Brown, a professor of water chemistry at the

University of Pittsburgh, claims that the exposure to

vaporized chemicals in water supplied through showering,

bathing and inhalation is 100 times greater than through

drinking the water.

 

Furthermore, chlorine and other water contaminants reduce

the effectiveness of many shampoos, conditioners, lotions,

oils and skin creams, leaving your skin dry and unnourished.

 

Any contact the body has with water is cause for concern.

Swimming pools and hot tubs use chlorine to kill bacteria.

Little thought is given to the effect on the human body.

Chlorine is a highly toxic element, which has the ability

to denature protein. All living organisms are made up of

protein; thus any living organism that comes in contact

with sufficient quantities of chlorine is killed. After

swimming or showering you may notice that you have sore

eyes, sinus blockage, respiratory problems (such as

asthma), cracking skin (hands and feet), or dry hair and

an itchy scalp. You may also feel tired and your skin

might smell of chlorine for hours afterwards, even after

showering.

 

What is your health worth?

The May 2003 issue of Elle Magazine, featured a

showerhead that has a carbon filter that removes chlorine

as well as other toxic substances in our water like lead,

iron oxides and other sediments that leave dulling deposits

on the hair. If the showerhead removes the minerals that

cause this dulling effect, one might notice

an increase in shine and hydration. This is something you

may want to consider when comparing showerheads

and filters.

 

Here's to your health.

Peter McGarry

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