Water is the most important substance on our planet. Every one of your cells, organs and tissues use water to help with temperature regulation, keeping hydrated and maintaining bodily functions. In addition, water acts as a lubricant and cushions your joints. Drinking water is great for your overall health. Water is proven to help you to “ageless” and prevent joint pain and feeling fatigue throughout the day. If you feel these symptoms, it is most likely because you are drinking water that is causing more harm to your body than good. Whether it be tap water or bottled water, both have side effects that are long-lasting.
Tap Water
Although tap water is accessible and somewhat safe, there are many hidden dangers that most are not aware of. The following are possible foreign substances that may occur in your tap water:
- Arsenic: This chemical is present in residential tap water through agricultural or industrial pollution or a private well. Arsenic poisoning may lead to the following health issues:
- partial paralysis
- numbness in hands and feet
- vomiting, nausea, stomach pain, and diarrhoea
- discoloration of the skin
- blindness
- Water Softening: Water softening is the process of removing heavy ions that clog up plumbing, such as calcium and magnesium, from water thus it takes away natural minerals essential for the body. Aside from this, water softening replaces the ions removed with sodium chloride, which, when ingested in large amounts, can cause:
- respiratory distress
- convulsions
- hypernatremia
- Chlorine: When chlorine enters the body, it reacts with water and produces corrosive acids. People exposed to excessive chlorine may experience the following health issues:
- chronic cough
- breathing difficulty
- chronic sore throat
- chest tightness
- airway irritation
If this water bottle is also safe, think again. Research has proven that some water brands have a PH lower than neutral – acidic to be exact – that can cause harm to your body. The creation of plastic water bottles is the result of a manufacturing process where multiple raw materials are manipulated to create a shape ideal for holding liquids. In a raw state, plastic is composed of multiple organic polymers including polyethylene and ethylene. In a soft state, these materials can be shaped into the desired form for the bottle and then cast into a solid state. Plastic water bottles pose a threat to the environment as many of the time, plastic water bottles are thrown into landfills instead of being recycled. Even the recycling process is tedious since one water bottle takes the process of manufacturing plastic requires a large amount of water, averaging 2 gallons of water per bottle to create. Plastic water bottles contain a sizable amount of Bisphenol A (BPA), a substance that has been classified as an endocrine disruptor, meaning it bears a toxic effect on a human’s ability to reproduce. Plastic water bottles also contain plastic softeners known as phthalates which can also be toxic to the health of the consumer. Last but not least, plastic water bottles are specifically designed for single-use and therefore, reusing plastic water bottles has been shown to encourage bacteria growth and chemical leaching.
- It is surprising that Humans globally purchase 1 million plastic water bottles per minute, 91% of which are not recycled. This means that per day plastic water bottle consumption currently rests at an incredible rate of nearly 5 billion per day.
Although water is the most important substance we need since our body is made up of 60% of water and our brain and heart are composed of 73%, we must be cautious about the water we drink. Therefore, one of the best solutions is to buy a filter that can filter your regular tap or water bottle to have a crisp clean taste.
Here at Green Schools Green Future, we believe it is extremely important to save and reuse energy. Our school is built on the fundamentals of building sustainable schools in developing communities. By using green technology to provide students with a progressive curriculum, we will help build our next generation of Green Leaders around the world with the skills they need to succeed in their future. One of the ways we show recycling preservation of the earth is through solar panel warehouses for the eco-school we plan to build. All the energy that will not be used will be sent out for the citizens of the district to use. To learn more about GSGF missions and goals, please look at the about page. www.greenschoolsgreenfuture.org
Sources:
https://www.businessinsider.com/signs-tap-water-contaminated-unsafe-2019-5
https://www.thrillist.com/health/nation/is-tap-water-safe-to-drink
https://blog.gopurepod.com/news-research/the-primary-dangers-of-plastic-bottled-water/
https://www.mindbodygreen.com/0-11193/7-reasons-to-never-drink-bottled-water-again.html
https://home.drinkflowater.com/blogs/posts/the-dangers-of-drinking-from-plastic-water-bottles
https://www.healthline.com/health/food-nutrition/why-is-water-important
https://api.nationalgeographic.com/distribution/public/amp/environment/article/plastic-pollution
Written By Sarah Syed
