Most of us take for granted that the water flowing from our tap is clean and pure. We compare our tap water with the standards of much of the world and we reassure ourselves that the water in our drinking glass is safe. But we should be asking an important question: “safe” and “pure” compared to what?

The practice of purifying our drinking water with chlorine was pioneered by the military a century ago. It began to be commonplace in the U.S. in the 1930’s and was widespread by World War II. Chlorination has been a major boon to human health: the spread of water-borne diseases that still claims millions of lives around the world soon became a thing of the past in the developed world. That, as they say, is the good news.

But remember Dr. Mixon’s first rule:  “Anything strong enough to help is strong enough to hurt!” That applies to chlorination of water in a surprising way. Chlorination very effectively kills bacteria, parasites, and viruses. But as they are destroyed, these organisms and their component parts do not simply vanish. The chlorine rips them apart and transforms the basic molecules of their bodies into a series of compounds referred to as “halomethanes,” or chlorination sterilization byproducts (sometimes referred to as “disinfection byproducts”).

Here is the scary part. Virtually all of the dozen or so recognized chlorination sterilization byproducts are known to be carcinogens – that is, they can cause cancer. The over-consumption of some of these byproducts has been linked to rectal, bowel, and bladder cancer, and these byproducts also appear to be linked to an increase in some forms of leukemia.

Although everyone in the water treatment industry knows about the problem, only a few of these potentially dangerous chemicals are monitored by city water departments, while others are not. For many people the risk is statistically insignificant; however, these chlorination sterilization byproducts are especially dangerous to people who have a predisposition for cancer formation, whether it be from genetics, exposure to other carcinogens or poor life style. So what is a health-conscious person to do?

Fortunately we have an ideal solution. These unhealthy compounds can be removed from your drinking water by distillation. That’s why we sell the Water Wise distillers in our store. What’s more, we recommend these distillers to all our patients, and we provide them for all our doctors at Longevity Medical Clinic. So the bottom line is simple. I approve of adding chlorine to the water supply. The tragic alternative would be to let millions die from infectious disease. But chlorine has its downside, and a wise person takes common sense precautions. Chlorination is good public policy – drinking pure, clean safe distilled water is good personal policy. Ask us about it next time you call or visit Longevity Medical Clinic.