Author: WaterChef® Hong Kong

The purity of drinking water is extremely important to us at WaterChef. At the supermarket, we take the time to examine where our produce and meats come from.  So why is it any different with the water we drink? We believe it’s equally important to be informed of where the water in our home taps comes from, and how to make sure it’s the healthiest and purest possible for our bodies. So where does Hong Kong tap water come from?

You may not be aware that 70-80% of Hong Kong’s public water is actually sourced from China, from the Dongjiang river. The local catchments which source from rainfall only make up 20-30% of water used in Hong Kong.

Dongjiang is a tributary of the Pearl River, which flows through Guangdong province. It provides water not only for Hong Kong, but also for Heyuan, Huizhou, Dongguan, Guangzhou, and Shenzhen.

Guangdong authorities are responsible for maintaining the quality of the water from Dongjiang, and the Hong Kong Water Supplies Department also monitors it once it arrives in the city’s reception point.

The water is treated using “chemical coagulation, sedimentation (at most treatment works), filtration, disinfection by chlorination, pH value adjustment, chlorination and fluoridation” (source: Water Supplies Department).

Although the drinking water meets general WHO standards, what concerns us are all the additional contaminants, even in tiny trace amounts, which technically meet standards, but can still be harmful to our bodies.

In fact, the Water Supplies Department states on their website that “A small amount of residual chlorine is maintained in the treated water to prevent contamination in its journey to your tap.”

On top of this, there is also no monitoring of the pipes on private properties that deliver water from the city sources to individual home taps. Recent scandals regarding lead in water prove that not all housing developments are trustworthy when it comes to quality of drinking water pipes.

This is why when it comes to Hong Kong drinking water and the health of our loved ones and families, we prefer to use our premium drinking water filters to guarantee that the water we consume is safe and healthy.

We’ll be continuing this investigation into the safety of drinking water in Hong Kong. So follow along on our blog & Facebook page!

Source: https://www.wsd.gov.hk/en/core-businesses/total-water-management-strategy/dongjiang-water/index.html

https://www.wsd.gov.hk/en/publications-and-statistics/pr-publications/the-facts/index.html

Of the top contaminants in our tap water, pesticides & herbicides, which are used to kill instects, rodents, and weed, rank high on the list. These chemicals run off from the plants or ground they are applied to and end up in our water supply.

Most public water filtration systems targets bacteria or other large particles, but do not emphasize filtering out pesticides or herbicides. That is why it is likely that the tap water you are drinking in Hong Kong is contaminated with these dangerous chemicals.

Effects on Human Health

Exposure to pesticides and herbicides through drinking water or showers can have many negative effects. The exact effects may depend on the type of pesticide.

Because the nature of the chemicals are to kill unwanted organisms, overexposure to pesticides & herbicides can be detrimental to human neurological health. Certain pesticides have shown to cause hypersensitivity, headaches, nausea, vomiting, and more. Others can decrease blood pressure, or cause muscle weakness and fatigue.

Some studies have also linked food allergies to exposure to pesticides in drinking water. Skin irritation can also result through showering in pesticide-contaminated water.

As with all contaminants, the effects are greater on children as they are smaller and the same amount of pesticide contamination can have a magnified impact on them. Pregnant women should also avoid contaminated water as it can affect her baby’s development.

How to Filter out Pesticides and Herbicides from Your Water

The best way to remove pesticides and herbicides from water is through Carbon Block water filtration technology. WaterChef filters use this technology and remove 99% of contaminants from your tap water.

https://www.safewater.org/fact-sheets-1/2017/1/23/pesticides

https://www.aquasana.com/education/top-5-potential-toxins-in-your-tap

http://acaai.org/news/food-allergies-pesticides-tap-water-might-be-blame

http://www.toxipedia.org/display/toxipedia/Effects+of+Pesticides+on+Human+Health

Drinking water used to be unsafe because of harmful organisms that lived in it. The government sought to fix this problem by introducing chlorine into public water as an inexpensive disinfectant. While chlorine is effective in eliminating harmful microbes, it has come to light that chlorinated water and its byproducts, can be extremely dangerous to our bodies.

Chlorinated Water and Cancer

The element chlorine on its own is a dangerous, corrosive gas. It is changed to liquid form and mixed into drinking water. Governments claim that the amount of dilution of chlorine makes it safe for our bodies to intake, but more research is showing this is not the case. In fact, researchers have recently been linking chlorine in drinking water to increased likeliness of developing cancers – particularly bladder, rectal and breast cancers. This should no doubt be concerning to all who drink tap water regularly.

Chlorine By-Products

But wait, there’s more – chlorine in water reacts to organic compounds which create chlorine byproducts such as trihalomethanes (commonly abbreviated as THM). THMs enter into our bodies and turn into free radicals, which are known to cause harm to vital cells and our organs.

Beyond drinking water, we can even breathe in THM when we take a shower as it can be released when the hot water turns to steam. Scientific American writes that “A recent study conducted in Hartford, Connecticut found that women with breast cancer have 50-60 percent higher levels of organochlorines (chlorine by-products) in their breast tissue than cancer-free women.”

Solutions to Chlorine in Water

Knowing now about the dangers of chlorinated water, the next obvious question is, how do we remove it from our drinking & shower water? Drinking bottled water won’t help as most bottled water companies use sources that come from public treated water, and have the same amount of chlorine in it as drinking from the tap.

In the end, carbon block filters such as WaterChef’s are the most effective way to safely remove chlorine and chlorine by-products from your drinking and shower water. WaterChef filters remove 99% of contaminants including chlorine.  For healthy, safe, and great tasting home water, check out www.waterlinks.com.hk

Sources: Scientific American, Pure Earth

In the same way you need to eat more while pregnant, you also need more water. The Institute of Medicine recommends about 10 8-oz glasses of water (or the equivalent) a day, and more in a hot place like Hong Kong.

There are many reasons why it’s important to get enough water while you’re pregnant. Here are just a few:

• Water is how nutrients are passed to your baby
• Prevents urinary tract infections, constipation and hemorrhoids, which are all more common among pregnant women
• Dehydration in the last trimester can lead to pre-term labor
• Staying hydrated can prevent swelling and preeclampsia

It’s not always easy to get water in your system during pregnancy. Between morning sickness, the constant need to use the toilet, and feelings of bloating, drinking more water may be the last thing on your mind. Try infusing lemon or lime in your water to help with nausea and make drinking water more appetizing.

While you increase your water intake for both you and your baby, remember the importance of drinking and using healthy, filtered water.

Dr. Mira Aubuchon, MD, an assistant professor in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology at the University of Cincinnati College of Medicine commented in a Babble article: “Yes, there are chlorinated by-products in tap water that in some small studies have had some negative effects [on the health of the baby]…” These potentially harmful by-products are not absorbed simply from drinking water, but can be inhaled, such as when you’re in the shower, or through skin contact, like when you wash your hands.

Our water filters use a special carbon block technology that filters out more contaminants than any other filtration technology. Find out more!

Many people understand the benefits of drinking filtered water, but why filter the water we shower in? Just as there are many reasons to filter the water you drink, there are equally important reasons to purify the water you wash in.

To understand this, we must first realize that the health of our skin is an important part of our whole body health. In fact, the skin is the largest organ of our body! It does amazing things like creating and synthesizing Vitamin D, and has its own unique microbiome made of good healthy bacteria. The skin also has the ability to absorb things it comes in contact with, which is why it’s important to make sure the things it touches is healthy.

In the same way that we wouldn’t touch harsh cleaning chemicals like bleach so that it doesn’t get absorbed by our skin (we’d recommend using natural Soapnut Republic cleaners instead!), we want to make sure the water we wash in is filtered of contaminants like chlorine.

Studies have shown that showering in chlorinated water can actually cause our body to absorb more chlorine than drinking that same water. This is because when we shower in warm water, our skin absorbs a greater amount of what it’s coming in contact with.

Additionally, the steam from the shower causes us to inhale the chemicals in the water including chlorine, chloramine (a mixture of chlorine & ammonia) and trihalomethanes (such as chloroform).

Lastly all these harsh chemicals in shower water can harm the microbiome that lives on our skin. Without these protective bacteria, our skin can suffer from irritation, and potentially even cause chronic dry skin or eczema.

So how can you protect your skin and body? Get an easy to install shower filter system and replace the filter every six months. If you have questions, don’t hesitate to contact us!

Source: https://wellnessmama.com/119128/shower-filter/