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Archive for the ‘heavy metals’ Category
Chromium Water Contamination
Tuesday, February 16th, 2010When you think of chromium or chrome, you probably think of the silvery shine on the bumper of a car (at least on the old ones.) However, chromium is used for much more than a coating, and when it gets into the water supply, it is potentially dangerous. Today, you can protect yourself from this heavy metal using a home water filter like the Big Berkey.
A quick chemistry lesson reveals that chromium combines readily with other elements to make chromium compounds as it can have a valance anywhere from -2 to +6. However, it usually combines with a valance of either +3 (as in CrCl3) or +6 (as in K2Cr04). The valance of an ion determines how it will combine with other elements and thus what compounds are formed.
Chromium has been used in manufacturing in a variety of ways. Some examples include leather tanning, the manufacture of catalysts, paints, fungicides, glass and ceramics, in photography, as well as chrome plating. Most of us would be familiar with the lead chromate (PbCrO4) that was used on school buses due to it’s bright color and the fact it did not fade in the sun. Because of environmental and health risks of the chromium VI compound, this paint has been replaced with less risky pigments.
Though most of our intake of chromium is in the food we eat, nearly 10% can come from the water we drink. Chromium can get into the air in the form of aerosols but is easily removed via precipitation. Rainwater contains generally less than a microgram of chrome per liter, however groundwater can contain upwards of 2 micrograms of chromium per liter due to more exposure to contaminating sources. For instance, near manufacturing plants, measurements of 40-80 micrograms/liter have been found contaminating the surrounding ground water sources. The closer you live to manufacturing plants that may be using chromium, the higher the risk of exposure.
It is certainly not true that chromium is all bad. In fact, Chromium (III) is an essential nutrient that helps the body use sugar, protein, and fat. An intake of 50–200 µg of chromium (III) per day is recommended for adults. If we don’t get that amount, it may result in weight loss or decreased growth, improper function of the nervous system, and a diabetic-like condition. Therefore, chromium (III) compounds have been used as dietary supplements and are beneficial if taken in recommended dosages. Excessive amounts of chromium (III), however, can be harmful to the body also.
Other forms of chromium, especially chromium (VI) can be toxic. As Dr Robert Jackson, a holistic doctor states “Calcium chromate, chromium trioxide, lead chromate, strontium chromate, and zinc chromate are known human carcinogens. An increase in the incidence of lung cancer has been observed among workers in industries that produce chromate and manufacture pigments containing chromate.” Other problems that have been found related to excessive intake of chromium include, renal failure (kidney failure), liver problems (elevated hepatic enzymes), thrombocytopenia (low blood platelets), hemolysis (breakdown of red blood cells), changes in thought processes, gastrointestinal disorders, chest pain, erythema/flushing/rash, dizziness, headache, agitation, and rhabdomyolysis (breakdown of muscle fibers that can lead to kidney damage).
Chromium, like other heavy metals, may have other lasting negative effects on the health yet unknown to us. How much chromium VI are you ingesting daily? Unfortunately many city quality reports do not provide the chromium levels, so it’s hard to know. All of the Berkey Water Filters utilize the black berkey filters that remove 95% of heavy metals, including chromium, from the water. Utilizing this berkey home water filter daily will ensure you are greatly reducing the amount of chromium that your body takes in.
Tags: chromium filter, chromium water, chromium water contamination, filtering chromium water, removing chromium water
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Are you Drinking Aluminum?
Monday, January 25th, 2010Water contamination by industrial metals such as aluminum is becoming a serious problem. Considered a heavy metal, ingestion should be avoided at all costs and is the reason why many citizens have opted for home water filters as a reliable means to protect themselves and their families.
Aluminum was first discovered in the early 1800’s, but was very expensive to use at $90/pound. In 1886, Charles Martin Hall developed an inexpensive method of extracting the metal from the ore resulting in a price drop to $2/pound. What ensued was an explosive increase in aluminum utilization across all industries becoming the third most produced metal today.
However, aluminum has brought with it some problems. A study by D.R.C. McLachlan showed a disturbing relationship between the amount of aluminum in drinking water and Alzheimer’s cases. He concluded that if the aluminum level in the public water had been kept below 100 micrograms/liter, 25 percent or more of the cases could have been prevented. Other studies make similar claims, yet there seems to be a continuing scientific debate as research into the aluminum-Alzheimer connection and it’s associated risk degrees goes deeper.
The negative affect of industry on our health has been know for decades, but as time passes, knowledge continues to be gleaned as to just how much risk we’ve placed our bodies at. Studies are revealing that most all heavy metals, when ingested over longer periods of time, will adversely affect our health. Especially susceptible and damaged by these metals are the nervous system and organs. Small levels of exposure can be tolerated, but as heavy metals accumulate in the body, a disharmony begins to develop. This disharmony can turn into disease, body disorders, and cancer.
Aluminum solubility has relative dependency with the PH of the water, becoming more soluble at high and low PH levels. For instance, when the PH is less than 4.5, solubility rapidly increases and can be absorbed by the body much easier. The most common compounds of aluminum, aluminum oxide and aluminum hydroxide, are both insoluble, but other compounds such as aluminum sulfate is water soluble and is considered more dangerous as it leeches into our water supplies.
The connection between aluminum in the water and Alzheimer’s is alarming enough to motivate each of us to act. Step one for the general population should be to find a quality water filter to filter their drinking water. Whether you get your water from a well or a municipal supply, aluminum will surely be present but will hopefully be at very low concentrations. Most cities set a maximum allowable level of 50 and 200 g/L but the only way to guarantee protection is pursue further water filtration at the point of use, your home.
One technique is to distill your drinking water but this removes valuable minerals such as potassium and magnesium while also stripping out the taste. We recommend a comprehensive water filter like the Berkey Water Filter that uses a combination of various filtration media that are able to remove 95% of the aluminum in the water. The Black Berkey filters that come standard with each counter top water filter system do this for a very low cost averaging approximately 2 cents per gallon. Since concentrations of this metal have not been shown to have any benefit for the body, the more we remove, the better off we are!
Tags: aluminum drinking water, aluminum health, aluminum in tap water, aluminum water filter, aluminum water filters, risks aluminum body
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