Does Drinking Distilled Water Put You at Risk For Urinary Tract Infections and Ulcerative Colitis?

A lot of people seem to believe that drinking distilled water is a safe alternative to consuming tap water, but it may not be quite as safe as you think. You would probably be surprised at just how lax the regulation is when it comes to the water bottlers. The rules that these companies have to follow are far less stringent than those that the water treatment facilities have to go by.

The reason that people are turning to the use of bottled water is the ever rising level of contamination in our reservoirs. There are roughly 80,000 chemical agents in use today that find their way into our groundwater system through mishandling, improper disposal, and faulty storage. Pesticides and herbicides are some of the worst offenders, and they are prominent in our water.

Of all of the chemicals we need to worry about, there are literally over two thousand that have been identified as carcinogens. Every time you open your tap you are exposed to at least one carcinogenic agent, as the chlorine and chloramine that are used to disinfect our water are both cancer causing agents. Drinking distilled water may not keep you safe from these chemicals.

The fact is that while the water treatment facilities can allow no confirmed E-coli or fecal coliform bacteria, there is no such prohibition on bottled water! There is actually a certain amount of coliform bacteria that is allowed to be in bottled water. Consumption of these bacteria can lead to gastroenteritis, urinary tract infections, and neonatal meningitis. And, certain strains cause inflammatory bowel disease, Crohn's disease, and ulcerative colitis.

The water treatment facilities must filter and disinfect our water, but there are actually no federal requirements for filtration or disinfection of bottled water. There have been many recalls of bottled water over the years due to high levels of contamination. This means that drinking distilled water may still not mean that your water is free from any of the harmful chemicals that are present in tap water.

It wouldn't really matter whether or not your bottled water has been put through the most stringent filtration and disinfection process possible, because it is still going to contain cancer causing agents. There are chemicals such as phthalates that leach off of the plastic and into your water. There is no such thing as "pure" bottled water no matter what the bottlers say.

Instead of drinking distilled water you should install a high quality water purification system in your home, and bottle your own water. A home purification system is capable of removing 99% of all of the contaminants present in our water, which is far more purity than you can expect from prepackaged water, as you have learned. If you want to ensure your family the healthiest water possible, then one of these systems is the way to go.

Bottle your own purified water in a seal able glass container, or food grade stainless steel aqua-canteen. You need to forget about drinking distilled water, because it is not what people think it is.