Showering: Is Your Health at Risk?

For the past decade, people have focused on the importance
of clean drinking water. Purified drinking water reduces or
eliminates chemicals found in normal tap water. However,
the body derives its need for water from alternative sources,
most notably while showering.

It is common practice in North America to shower on a
daily basis, sometimes more than once. Unfortunately, most
people are unaware that more chlorine is absorbed
through the skin during the average shower than by drinking
six to eight glasses of tap water. This may make one wonder,
how clean is shower water?

Are you a fan of hot showers?
Since the skin is porous, it is the body's way of excreting
toxins and regulating temperature, hot showers cause the
pores of the skin to dilate, allowing chlorine and other
free radicals to be rapidly absorbed. Chlorine is also
contained within the water vapor that enters the air as
steam, and which we breathe into our lungs as we shower.
Dr. Halina Brown, a professor of water chemistry at the
University of Pittsburgh, claims that the exposure to
vaporized chemicals in water supplied through showering,
bathing and inhalation is 100 times greater than through
drinking the water.

Furthermore, chlorine and other water contaminants reduce
the effectiveness of many shampoos, conditioners, lotions,
oils and skin creams, leaving your skin dry and unnourished.

Any contact the body has with water is cause for concern.
Swimming pools and hot tubs use chlorine to kill bacteria.
Little thought is given to the effect on the human body.
Chlorine is a highly toxic element, which has the ability
to denature protein. All living organisms are made up of
protein; thus any living organism that comes in contact
with sufficient quantities of chlorine is killed. After
swimming or showering you may notice that you have sore
eyes, sinus blockage, respiratory problems (such as
asthma), cracking skin (hands and feet), or dry hair and
an itchy scalp. You may also feel tired and your skin
might smell of chlorine for hours afterwards, even after
showering.

What is your health worth?
The May 2003 issue of Elle Magazine, featured a
showerhead that has a carbon filter that removes chlorine
as well as other toxic substances in our water like lead,
iron oxides and other sediments that leave dulling deposits
on the hair. If the showerhead removes the minerals that
cause this dulling effect, one might notice
an increase in shine and hydration. This is something you
may want to consider when comparing showerheads
and filters.

Here's to your health.