Re: Air purifiers and water filter skepticism

[Guest guest]

I don't have scientific evidence but I feel like I have the flu if I go

swimming in a pool. I get cold like symptoms (stuffy nose, coughing, dizzy

feeling) if I use anything with bleach in it to clean. Living here with my

parents with all my stuff packed up I couldn't find my natural cleaners for

the new kitty litter boxes I bought. I didn't want some animal at the store

spreading germs to my newborns so I used bleach cleanser on them and had

cold like symptoms and a bad cough for a week. You could say it's all in my

head but it's happened before when I didn't realize someone was using

bleach (though I usually can smell it far off) and Doug remarked on it after

I got sick.

My skin gets very irritated if I use any of those soaps at walmart or your

typical commercial laundry detergent or non-organic tampons or pads.

And I feel a LOT better when I drink water that has minerals in it and is

ionized or whatever. I live on SmartWater right now but I'm hoping to get a

berkey filter system and get off of it as the plastic worries me. I heard

Coca-Cola bought them. I'm not happy.

I drink easily three times as much water if I don't' have my smart water and

I always feel thirsty. It's a lot to do with my insulin resistance and

still eating too many carbs.

Yes I think Chlorine poisons us every single day if we don't take

extra-ordinary steps to avoid it.

Dawn

From:

[mailto: ] On Behalf Of three3_six6_nine9

Sent: Sunday, February 03, 2008 12:47 AM

Subject: Air purifiers and water filter skepticism

Dr. Mercola is raving about this unit:

http://products.mercola.com/air-purifier/

but is this truly safe/effective? I bought one from another source a

while ago and now wonder if it's the best thing for me. I have

allergies to cats and dust and can't avoid either where I am, sadly. I

do feel better since using this product but wonder if this is good

long-term given that part of it uses ozone.

Water filters: ionizers are being hyped, the claim being that they

alter water's pH. Is there any validity to the health claims? I have

yet to read a controlled study that proves that this kind of water

does what the manufacturers claim in the human body. They claim that

this kind of water is used in Japan in hospitals.

Does anyone have links to conclusive controlled studies on what

chlorine in drinking water/showers/baths does to the human body? I

know an environmentalist who says drinking chlorine doesn't harm you

and nor does bathing in it because the amount in water is too low and

doesn't get absorbed into the bloodstream. I need good evidence that

it's harmful, if it indeed is.

Any hard science on the use of water filters is appreciated. I want

the truth about the benefit of using a filter with chlorinated city

water.

[Guest guest]

Thanks, Dawn! I can't swim in chlorinated pools either because I react

badly: rashes, headaches. Bleach gives me headaches and so does

Pinesol (awful stuff for me).

I've tried to avoid chlorinated water by using a carbon water filter

and will continue to, most likely, but I started to wonder about the

evidence. Google searches lead me to references to a study that found

a correlation between long-term drinking of chlorinated water and

bladder and colon cancer, but the full study wasn't available to view

so I have no idea what to believe.

The concentration is higher in pools, I've read, and most people I

know aren't as chemically sensitive as I am. I even react to some

essential oils, certified organic at that, like lavendar.

[Guest guest]

Chlorine is probably the least of your worries with tap water as you

can let the water sit and it will evaporate or boil it and it will

evaporate (unless your city uses chloramines instead). The main reason

to filter your water is to remove Fluoride and all kinds of other toxic

materials. Solvents, insecticides, fertilizers and other toxins are

all being found in tap water. They are now finding prescription drugs

in tap water, antibiotics, antidepressants to name a few. Tap water is

toxic and if you drink a lot of water, especially if it's fluoridated,

you are potentially poisoning yourself. From my research, only reverse

osmosis and distillation safely removes most of these materials. There

are several other types of filters that claim to remove Fluoride, but,

they use aluminum to do so. To make sure aluminum doesn't contaminate

your filtered water you need to have a special carbon filter BELOW the

fluoride filter, not side by side. If you decide on distilled water

you need to remineralize before drinking. I add 1/4 teaspoon Himalayan

sea salt. When I was using another type sea salt I added 1/2 teaspoon,

but when I switched to HSS, 1/2 teaspoon was way too salty. You can

also add colloidal trace minerals instead, but salt is cheaper. I've

also read that once you remineralize distilled water, it should be

exposed to the sun for several hours to " restructure " it. I don't know

if there's any validity to that.

Any hard science on the use of water filters is appreciated. I want

the truth about the benefit of using a filter with chlorinated city

water.

[Guest guest]

The best book, who's author was on a radio health show called " Your Own

Health and Fitness " run by Layna Berman, is:

The Drinking Water Book

ep

On Feb 2, 2008, at 10:47 PM, three3_six6_nine9 wrote:

> Does anyone have links to conclusive controlled studies on what

> chlorine in drinking water/showers/baths does to the human body? I

> know an environmentalist who says drinking chlorine doesn't harm you

> and nor does bathing in it because the amount in water is too low and

> doesn't get absorbed into the bloodstream. I need good evidence that

> it's harmful, if it indeed is.

>

> Any hard science on the use of water filters is appreciated. I want

> the truth about the benefit of using a filter with chlorinated city

> water.

Parashis

artpages@...

portfolio pages:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/11468108@N08/

http://www.artpagesonline.com/EPportfolio/000portfolio.html

[Guest guest]

--- " three3_six6_nine9 " <lillea.brionn@...> wrote:

> Dr. Mercola is raving about this unit:

> http://products.mercola.com/air-purifier/

> but is this truly safe/effective? I bought one from another source a

> while ago and now wonder if it's the best thing for me. I have

> allergies to cats and dust and can't avoid either where I am, sadly.

> I do feel better since using this product but wonder if this is good

> long-term given that part of it uses ozone.

Lillea,

I am skeptical that the air cleaner that Dr Mercola sells is effective

at removing allergens. Allergens are particles and to be removed from

the air so that you won't breath them, they have to go somewhere.

They apparently are not collected in the air cleaner that he sells, so

how are they removed from the air? He doesn't explain. I also would

be leery of any air cleaner that produces ozone. UV lamps and

electrostatic plates produce ozone. You can smell the ozone. It has

a sweet but slightly pungent odor.

Unlike Mercola's air " purifier " , filter based systems and systems with

electronic panels that attract particles definitely remove particles

from the air. You can see them on the collection filters and panels.

The main question with those systems is how much they can remove from

the air in a large room. If you have carpets or even dirty hard

floors, allergens are swished into the air every time you walk across

the room. That means even high efficiency air cleaners may not be

able to keep up when there is much traffic in the room.

The U.S. EPA has a fairly unbiased evaluation of different air

cleaning methods in this " Guide to Air Cleaners in the Home " :

http://www.epa.gov/iaq/pubs/airclean.html

HTH,

[Guest guest]

Thank you . I guess I should toss my unit out. I can't get my

money back because my 3 months are up (I didn't purchase it from

Mercola). I'm starting to get scared about the ozone. I should have

researched this more carefully. I haven't had it in the main room I

spend time in (my bedroom).

I want to do something to help with the cat hair and dust problem. If

anyone can recommend something, great. I don't have carpets but of

course the dander, etc. are a constant concern because the cats

occassionally visit my floor and it's in the air, etc.

Thanks for the water information, Patty and .

Water in my city (Vancouver, BC Canada) isn't fluorodated and

chloramine isn't used. I have dealt with the company offering this

information about the water and have come to trust them:

http://www.microclear.ca/info_on_van_water.html

[Guest guest]

My cats are hypoallergenic for many people including my DH who is normally

allergic so I can't say if our air filter is really helping a lot or not.

I do get stuffy when there is too much dust in the air and it seems to help.

We have one of those ionic filters from sharper image. I didn't buy it, dad

did and he never uses it so I do =)

It has those grates that collect things and you wipe it clean.

If you own your house I recommend getting rid of the carpet. I hate carpet,

full of toxins and then it traps everything even if you have it cleaned. If

you can't then I recommend that Dyson Animal vacuum. It does a fantastic

job with the fur.

Also I have heard that feeding raw helps with the allergens the cats

produce.. no idea if that's true. However I do know it cuts down on the

shedding and dander because they are healthier. The allergen is in their

saliva, which dries on their fur which is then spread around your house when

they shed and their dander is the main culprit which is full of the

allergens from their saliva.

Dawn

From:

[mailto: ] On Behalf Of three3_six6_nine9

Sent: Sunday, February 03, 2008 4:20 PM

Subject: Re: Air purifiers and water filter skepticism

Thank you . I guess I should toss my unit out. I can't get my

money back because my 3 months are up (I didn't purchase it from

Mercola). I'm starting to get scared about the ozone. I should have

researched this more carefully. I haven't had it in the main room I

spend time in (my bedroom).

I want to do something to help with the cat hair and dust problem. If

anyone can recommend something, great. I don't have carpets but of

course the dander, etc. are a constant concern because the cats

occassionally visit my floor and it's in the air, etc.

Thanks for the water information, Patty and .

Water in my city (Vancouver, BC Canada) isn't fluorodated and

chloramine isn't used. I have dealt with the company offering this

information about the water and have come to trust them:

http://www.microclear.ca/info_on_van_water.html

[Guest guest]

Thanks, Dawn. There are no carpets here, fortunately. It's my dad's

house. I live on the upper floor but there is no door (or way to put

one in) to keep the cat hair from getting up here, and I need to use

the bathroom and kitchen downstairs daily.

[Guest guest]

>>>My cats are hypoallergenic for many people including my DH who is normally

allergic so I can't say if our air filter is really helping a lot or not.

I do get stuffy when there is too much dust in the air and it seems to

help.<<<

I have a bionaire air filter, We have a terrible dust problem in our bedroom,

it really helps[we used to wake up gagging on the dust] Our room stays closed

up because we don't want our dogs on the bed, fur is a problem, but I clean

often.

>>>If you own your house I recommend getting rid of the carpet. I hate carpet,

full of toxins and then it traps everything even if you have it cleaned<<<

I hate carpet due to the allergan thing and aesthetics, but we are just now

buying the house we've lived in for five years, maybe after the sale goes thru'

we can rip up the disgusting things and put in wood floors, or lino or I dunno,

bamboo, or cork, plywood[?] Any thing but w-2-w dirt catchers.

Oh yeah, filters, I love mine our bedroom smells great, and I don't wake up

with a throat so dry and sore I can't breath. It's easy to clean and makes

plenty white noise!

I hope to put in a whole house water filter also, we have very hard well

water, we drink purified water we get from the grocery machines [it's charcoal,

and reverse osmosised]. I'd love t get a shower filter because soon I hear,

we'll be forced to plug into city water.

Kt

[Guest guest]

We have city water in our new place so we're definitely getting the filters.

I want a whole house one but they are pricey. The one I see on the Radient

Life website is $1500 ?? I'd love to get off the smart waters, even though

I buy in bulk I spend a fortune and there's the plastic thing.

The bionaire looks similar to that one dad bought. =)

Dawn

From:

[mailto: ] On Behalf Of webriter

Sent: Sunday, February 03, 2008 5:55 PM

Subject: Re: Re: Air purifiers and water filter skepticism

>>>My cats are hypoallergenic for many people including my DH who is

normally

allergic so I can't say if our air filter is really helping a lot or not.

I do get stuffy when there is too much dust in the air and it seems to

help.<<<

I have a bionaire air filter, We have a terrible dust problem in our

bedroom, it really helps[we used to wake up gagging on the dust] Our room

stays closed up because we don't want our dogs on the bed, fur is a problem,

but I clean often.

>>>If you own your house I recommend getting rid of the carpet. I hate

carpet,

full of toxins and then it traps everything even if you have it cleaned<<<

I hate carpet due to the allergan thing and aesthetics, but we are just now

buying the house we've lived in for five years, maybe after the sale goes

thru' we can rip up the disgusting things and put in wood floors, or lino or

I dunno, bamboo, or cork, plywood[?] Any thing but w-2-w dirt catchers.

Oh yeah, filters, I love mine our bedroom smells great, and I don't wake up

with a throat so dry and sore I can't breath. It's easy to clean and makes

plenty white noise!

I hope to put in a whole house water filter also, we have very hard well

water, we drink purified water we get from the grocery machines [it's

charcoal, and reverse osmosised]. I'd love t get a shower filter because

soon I hear, we'll be forced to plug into city water.

Kt

[Guest guest]

Does iodine sufficiency ameliorate any of those symptoms? I have read

that painting iodine on the thyroid prior to swimming, or supplementing

iodine, and taking an epsom salts bath afterwards is helpful for autism

spectrum kids who are sensitive to the chlorine, but benifit otherwise

from swimming. I was planning on enforcing an iodine / magnesium

protocol on my kids this summer, if it's worth the trouble.

Desh

[Guest guest]

On 2/3/08, Patty <mellowsong@...> wrote:

> Chlorine is probably the least of your worries with tap water as you

> can let the water sit and it will evaporate or boil it and it will

> evaporate (unless your city uses chloramines instead). The main reason

> to filter your water is to remove Fluoride and all kinds of other toxic

> materials. Solvents, insecticides, fertilizers and other toxins are

> all being found in tap water. They are now finding prescription drugs

> in tap water, antibiotics, antidepressants to name a few. Tap water is

> toxic and if you drink a lot of water, especially if it's fluoridated,

> you are potentially poisoning yourself. From my research, only reverse

> osmosis and distillation safely removes most of these materials. There

> are several other types of filters that claim to remove Fluoride, but,

> they use aluminum to do so. To make sure aluminum doesn't contaminate

> your filtered water you need to have a special carbon filter BELOW the

> fluoride filter, not side by side. If you decide on distilled water

> you need to remineralize before drinking. I add 1/4 teaspoon Himalayan

> sea salt. When I was using another type sea salt I added 1/2 teaspoon,

> but when I switched to HSS, 1/2 teaspoon was way too salty. You can

> also add colloidal trace minerals instead, but salt is cheaper. I've

> also read that once you remineralize distilled water, it should be

> exposed to the sun for several hours to " restructure " it. I don't know

> if there's any validity to that.

Radiant Life has a new water filter that does that all for you:

http://www.radiantlifecatalog.com/prod.cfm/ct/7/pid/1150

Chris

[Guest guest]

On 2/3/08, <oz4caster@...> wrote:

> Unlike Mercola's air " purifier " , filter based systems and systems with

> electronic panels that attract particles definitely remove particles

> from the air. You can see them on the collection filters and panels.

> The main question with those systems is how much they can remove from

> the air in a large room. If you have carpets or even dirty hard

> floors, allergens are swished into the air every time you walk across

> the room. That means even high efficiency air cleaners may not be

> able to keep up when there is much traffic in the room.

For about $25, I bought a 20x20 box fan and matching MERV-11 filter

from Home Depot, and used packing tape to seal the filter to the fan.

Then I just turn the fan on, and it filters the air while circulating

it. It seems to be effective and tends to need changing after a few

months due to the visible buildup of dust in the filter and the

decreased circulation and presumably filtering efficiency.

Chris

[Guest guest]

That seems ridiculously expensive for a water filtering system.

This is the filter I've used for almost a year now and it doesn't

restructure the water but there are other ways to do that...not to

mention it costs about $1300 less. It has the de-ionization filter

after the RO membrane which should completely remove any fluoride.

http://tinyurl.com/5o6ov4

It wasn't that hard to set up either, and they also sell extra filters

for pretty cheap.

After changing all the filters on my system I would literally get a

~4ppm range when testing for TDS. I do let my water sit in glass jugs

in the sun and add concentrace minerals to it.

-

> > Chlorine is probably the least of your worries with tap water as you

> > can let the water sit and it will evaporate or boil it and it will

> > evaporate (unless your city uses chloramines instead). The main

reason

> > to filter your water is to remove Fluoride and all kinds of other

toxic

> > materials. Solvents, insecticides, fertilizers and other toxins are

> > all being found in tap water. They are now finding prescription drugs

> > in tap water, antibiotics, antidepressants to name a few. Tap water is

> > toxic and if you drink a lot of water, especially if it's fluoridated,

> > you are potentially poisoning yourself. From my research, only

reverse

> > osmosis and distillation safely removes most of these materials.

There

> > are several other types of filters that claim to remove Fluoride, but,

> > they use aluminum to do so. To make sure aluminum doesn't contaminate

> > your filtered water you need to have a special carbon filter BELOW the

> > fluoride filter, not side by side. If you decide on distilled water

> > you need to remineralize before drinking. I add 1/4 teaspoon

Himalayan

> > sea salt. When I was using another type sea salt I added 1/2

teaspoon,

> > but when I switched to HSS, 1/2 teaspoon was way too salty. You can

> > also add colloidal trace minerals instead, but salt is cheaper. I've

> > also read that once you remineralize distilled water, it should be

> > exposed to the sun for several hours to " restructure " it. I don't

know

> > if there's any validity to that.

>

> Radiant Life has a new water filter that does that all for you:

>

> http://www.radiantlifecatalog.com/prod.cfm/ct/7/pid/1150

>

> Chris

>

[Guest guest]

,

Could you please share the name, my antispyware

will not me connect to tinyurl anymore.

Thank you

From: gdawson6

That seems ridiculously expensive for a water filtering system.

This is the filter I've used for almost a year now and it doesn't

restructure the water but there are other ways to do that...not to

mention it costs about $1300 less. It has the de-ionization filter

after the RO membrane which should completely remove any fluoride.

http://tinyurl.com/5o6ov4

It wasn't that hard to set up either, and they also sell extra filters

for pretty cheap.

After changing all the filters on my system I would literally get a

~4ppm range when testing for TDS. I do let my water sit in glass jugs

in the sun and add concentrace minerals to it.

-

[Guest guest]

Search ebay for " reverse osmosis maximus "

-

>

>

> ,

>

> Could you please share the name, my antispyware

> will not me connect to tinyurl anymore.

>

> Thank you

>

>

>

>

> From: gdawson6

>

>

> That seems ridiculously expensive for a water filtering system.

>

> This is the filter I've used for almost a year now and it doesn't

> restructure the water but there are other ways to do that...not to

> mention it costs about $1300 less. It has the de-ionization filter

> after the RO membrane which should completely remove any fluoride.

>

> http://tinyurl.com/5o6ov4

>

> It wasn't that hard to set up either, and they also sell extra filters

> for pretty cheap.

>

> After changing all the filters on my system I would literally get a

> ~4ppm range when testing for TDS. I do let my water sit in glass jugs

> in the sun and add concentrace minerals to it.

>

> -

>

>

>

>

[Guest guest]

,

Thank you.

From: gdawson6

Search ebay for " reverse osmosis maximus "

-