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New York City tap water maintains a high prestige amongst its drinkers. Who hasn’t boasted to a visiting tourist about how good our water is. Well here is some information on what is actually in it.

And yes, the water is flouridated.

It also contains chlorine, orthophosphate, and sodium hydroxide (aka LYE).

Orthophosphate is used as a corrosion inhibitor for the inside of pipes to prevent the leaching of lead into the water. Yikes. I find this unsettling. From the EPA government site:

At very high levels, orthophosphate could cause bone decalcification and increased parathyroid gland activity (due its regulation of the calcium-phosphorus balance in the human body). If you have medical concerns related to additional phosphorus in drinking water, including severe kidney disease or severe calcium regulation dysfunction, consult your physician.

Chlorine in water has been hailed as a savior to many a parasite infested water drinker – and who wouldn’t mind a little chlorine instead of giardia or cryptosporidium. No thank you. But there is a darker side to chlorine – triahalomethanes. Chlorine introduced into the water supply reacts with other naturally-occurring elements to form toxins called trihalomethanes (THMs), which eventually make their way into our bodies. THMs have been linked to a wide range of human health maladies ranging from asthma and eczema to bladder cancer and heart disease.

A simple free remedy to combat this is good old-fashioned patience. Chlorine and related compounds will make their way out of tap water if the container is simply left uncovered in the refrigerator for 24 hours. But patience I have not and this is my baby – the Jupiter Melody Alkalizing Ionizing water filtration system. Email today to get an additional $200 off any Jupiter filter.

For current information on the bacteria and parasites in our water click on this link: Cryptosporidium and Giardia Background Information and Monitoring Program