Chlorine actively kills off bacteria and other harmful microbial waterborne pathogens in your water that can cause serious sicknesses but it’s becoming more and more evident that this destructive chemical may do more damage than meets the eye. Here are five health conditions you may be surprised to know have been directly linked to this perilous substance that your’re showering yourself with daily.
Breast Cancer
Breast cancer, as well as colon and bladder cancer, is a serious health concern of Chlorine. The Environmental Defense Fund states “Although concentrations of these carcinogens are low, it is precisely these low levels that cancer scientists believe are responsible for the majority of human cancers in the United States”. A Breast Cancer Research study conducted in Hartford, CT found an alarming rate of 50%-60% higher levels of chlorination in the breast tissue of women with breast cancer than women without breast cancer.
Asthma and Bronchitis
Chlorine gas, which is released into the air through evaporation when you shower, is even more harmful than the liquid form. Chlorine gas was actually used in strong doses during World War I as a chemical weapon until eventually even stronger weapons were discovered. This poisonous gas reacts with water in the lungs and creates a highly corrosive and toxic acid known as Hyrdrochloric acid. In World War 1, concentrations of 1000ppm killed hundreds of people rapidly, but even at low levels Chlorine gas caused harmful reactions such as severe eye irritation, coughing, rapid heartbeat, difficulty breathing and vomiting. If you’ve ever cleaned with a product containing Chlorine in a congested area such as a closet, you may have already experienced yourself that this potent chemical can easily burn your lungs and cause difficulty breathing when inhaled. Breathing in Chlorine has many damaging effects on your lungs and can easily cause bronchitis and other detrimental respiratory conditions. This is exceptionally alarming to those who are already suffering from common chronic respiratory diseases such as asthma and Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary disease.
Senility
Although memory loss is something that generally comes with age and is often caused by blood pressure and circulation problems, many people are very unaware their daily exposure to toxins can play an even bigger role. A recent study conducted on 30 people above the age of 60, half being patients with dementia, showed much higher amounts of calcium, Chlorine and Phosphorus in their hair than normal. Elderly people are much more sensitive to toxins than young adults and the effects of Chlorine and other toxic chemicals their often exposed to daily can have a much more damaging effect. The same Chlorine in our water that irritates our skin and causes breathing difficulty can actually eventually cause disorientation in elderly people. This is mainly because with age, the liver’s capability to detoxify lessens. When the liver eventually isn’t able to detoxify harmful chemicals such as Chlorine, the chemicals roam through the circulatory system and can cause damage to organs including the brain and its functionality. This damage can cause dementia. This can easily be prevented by simply taking the preventative measures of eliminating toxins from your daily life.
Skin Irritation
Have you ever noticed irritated red patches or itchy bumps showing up on your body? Have you pondered on what could cause these skin irritations? You may have suspected an allergic reaction but I bet you’ve never questioned your shower water. Chlorine can cause a reaction known as irritant dermatitis, which is much like a chemical burn. Most people have no idea what causes these vexatious skin irritations that suddenly appear on their bodies but unfortunately the culprit is more than likely the Chlorine in their shower water. Chlorine has a drying effect on the skin and also irritates common skin conditions such as eczema and psoriasis.
It’s evident Chlorine play an important role in killing off bad bacteria from our tap water. No one will argue it’s good that Chlorine keeps our water free from disastrous water borne diseases and harmful bacteria but it should, without a doubt, leave its destructive properties there- not out of our shower heads and into our bodies as well. Thankfully, today’s technology makes it simple to filter Chlorine and other harmful chemicals and foreign particles from our tap water. All of these health concerns and more can easily be avoided by simply investing in a shower head with a filtration system. Aroma Sense shower heads in particular let you indulge in the aromatic fragrance of essential oils while you shower as well and the built-in effective moisturizing Vitamin C shower filter naturally reverses many of the damaging effects of Chlorine.