If you live near a fracking well, chances are good that your water is fracked

If you live near a site where hydraulic fracturing is being used to extract natural gas, your drinking water is likely contaminated with hundreds of chemicals, all of them toxic. When a well is fracked, millions of gallons of fresh water is mixed with a toxic stew of chemicals. The now-toxic water is forced deep underground at high pressure, where it shatters a type of rock formation known as shale. Gas trapped underground can then be captured.

Unfortunately, the contaminated water used for fracking doesn’t stay underground. It seeps upwards, towards the surface, where it contaminates drinking water aquifers. To make matters worse, the fracking companies that use these chemicals are not required to disclose them to the public.

How does Fracking affect your drinking water?

Your water will be a fracked-up mix of many different toxic chemicals. Here are five of the most common:

• Alpha Particles (Radioactive)
• Alcohol
• Benzene
• Glycol
• Methane

Testing is necessary to find the exact mix of chemicals in your water, but the five listed here are the ones most commonly found around fracking sites.

How to filter fracked water

Because there is likely to be a mixture of toxic chemicals in fracked water, filtration used to treat it has to be effective against a wide range of chemicals, not just a few. Here are two methods that treat a wide range of chemicals:

• Charged Modified Composite Blend® – Broad spectrum filtration technology originally developed for NASA
• Reverse Osmosis – Membrane filter technology, effective but uses a lot of water

LIFE Ionizers® offers two filtration products that offer Charged Modified Composite Blend® technology. Our Dolphin Whole Home filtration system is designed to stop toxic chemicals before they enter your home water supply. The AR-1000 Super Filter is designed to replace filters in most existing home water filtration systems for homeowners who wish to upgrade their existing filtration system. LIFE also offers Reverse Osmosis systems designed for drinking water supplies.

Keep in mind; water softener systems do not protect you against fracking chemicals. Activated carbon and granular activated carbon filters also don’t work unless they are combined with other filter technology.

LIFE Ionizers® Charged Modified Composite Blend® technology reduces the levels of hundreds of chemicals found commonly in tap water to safe levels. LIFE’s Charged Modified Composite Blend® filter media is electrostatically charged, so it magnetically attracts and binds to toxic chemicals. Conventional filter media merely tries to block chemicals. LIFE’s Charged Modified Composite Blend® technology is truly better.

To get more information on how to make your water safe call our water experts today at (888) 888-6889.

Chlorine is turning your home into a gas chamber!

One of the most deadly chemicals contributing to water pollution problems today, Chlorine (Cl2) is an element that is widely used to sanitize public water supplies in the United States. Chlorine is so deadly that it was used as a chemical weapon in World War I, where it caused horrific casualties. Chlorine is liquefied before being used to treat water supplies, but it readily returns to its lethal gaseous form in home water supplies where it causes severe health problems.

How Chlorine Contributes to Water Pollution

Chlorine is added to water supplies to kill bacteria. The problem is, when chlorine kills bacteria it leaves behind chemical byproducts like chloroform and trihalomethanes – potent carcinogens. Chlorine in home water supplies that does not form carcinogenic byproducts is free to evaporate from drinking water and fill a home with toxic gas.

All US Public Water Supplies Contaminated

All 50 states have public water supplies that are treated with chlorine, but that isn’t the only way chlorine gets into your water. According to a report by the US National Library of Medicine (UNLM) there are 1,673 toxic waste sites in the US that are leeching chlorine and its toxic byproducts into public water supplies. This means that it is likely that the amount of chlorine you are being exposed to is much higher than the amount added by your local water authority.

The EPA and other US government agencies which monitor water pollution report that homes in the US have between 2 and 44 ppb (parts per billion) of chloroform gas in their drinking water. These reports say that all US drinking water is contaminated. Homes unlucky enough to be near toxic waste sites (most US homes are) will have as high as 1,900 ppb of chloroform gas in their water!

Effects of Chlorine Water Pollution

Short Term – Your exposure to chlorine comes primarily from bathing and other activities that use hot water rather than from drinking. Short term exposure irritates the eyes and lungs, and within 15 minutes of exposure victims experience coughing, shortness of breath and headaches.

Long Term – Regular exposure to chlorine in the home has been associated with asthma and other respiratory diseases. An EPA study of chlorine in drinking water – even in small amounts – shows that chlorine causes higher blood cholesterol levels, higher blood pressure, heart diseases, and significantly increases your chances of dying from a heart attack.

Cancer – The byproducts of chlorine, chloroform and trihalomethanes deserve special mention. Both chemicals are classified as potent carcinogens. There are many different cancers caused by chlorines’ byproducts such as lung, bladder, and rectal cancers, as well as some forms of leukemia.

How to Protect Yourself

LIFE Ionizers™ has the answer to chlorine and toxic water pollution. The LIFE Super Filter^® media was tested using NSF protocols when the filter media was tested by National Testing Labs (NTL). We tested to make sure the LIFE Super Filter^® was effective against Lead and 55 VOC’s as well as Chlorine.  VOC’s tested for include compounds frequently found in herbicides, pesticides, and industrial solvents. The LIFE Super Filter^® is designed to fit nearly all filtration systems, and uses LIFE’s Charged Modified Composite Blend^® filter media which uses a space-age process called ion trapping that was originally developed by NASA to attract and trap pollutants and is rated for 1 micron. No other filter made can protect you like the LIFE Super Filter^®!

Call LIFE Ionizers™ at (888) 688-8889 to find out more or to order your LIFE Super Filter^® today!

City wastewater treatment systems are overwhelmed by flooding

With the Missouri River at flood stage, and officials saying the worst is yet to come, Midwestern cities are bypassing their sewage plants and dumping raw sewage into the Missouri River. One city, Omaha Nebraska is dumping more than 6 million gallons of raw sewage per day into the Missouri River. Other cities are following suit all along the Missouri and Mississippi rivers as sewage treatment plants become overwhelmed by flood waters.

The water which is overwhelming Midwestern cities treatment plants is coming from the tremendous amount of snow fall and heavy rains that have occurred in the Missouri river watershed. Reports on the snowpack say it covered an area 1/6 the size of the USA. The Missouri flows into the Mississippi River which is already flooding out states to the south, so there’s a lot more to come. Some experts are now saying that the flooding will continue throughout much of the summer.

Widespread Drinking Water Contamination Likely

Raw sewage releases will cause a spike in bacterial, viral and cyst levels in drinking water supplies. People drinking or bathing in the affected water are likely to suffer from stomach illnesses and worse as they succumb to the infectious agents found in water that has been contaminated by sewage.

Wastewater isn’t the only problem that the Midwestern states are facing. Massive amounts of waste and chemicals from farms have been also washed away, and are now contaminating both rivers. The two rivers provide drinking water for millions of residents throughout the Midwest.

Many cities have already issued boil alerts to their residents in an effort to make their water safe. Boiling water is an effective first line of defense in an emergency, but it is a limited defense. Boiling only kills bacteria; it does not remove water-borne toxins. Because the problem of infected water is expected to continue for several months, longer term solutions are needed.

Effective Home Treatment for Contaminated Water

Home treatment options for sewage and toxin contaminated water include:

• UV Light Disinfection
• Reverse Osmosis Systems
• Whole Home Filtration Systems

UV Light Disinfection – Critically Important!

UV Light disinfection is the only effective non-chemical means of treating drinking water for bacterial, viral and cyst contamination. The ongoing release of millions of gallons of raw sewage into public drinking water supplies makes UV Light a crucial line of defense against the biological contamination that is currently happening in Midwestern water supplies.

Chemical disinfection has serious shortcomings; it works only if you continue to add chemicals to your water, and it is not entirely effective against cysts. Chlorine, the most commonly used chemical disinfectant also leaves dangerous secondary chemicals in water (such as trihalomethanes) as it disinfects.

Reverse Osmosis Systems

While UV light is used to treat biological contamination, it does not remove toxic chemicals from water. Reverse Osmosis (RO) is a process that will remove over 99% of contaminants from drinking water, combined with UV light; the water produced will be safe to drink. Most RO systems are for at-the-tap treatment so this system should be considered for use in treating a home’s drinking water.

Whole Home Filtration

Whole home filtration systems are a vital first-line-of-defense against polluted water because they stop contaminated water before it enters the home water supply. Should contaminated water enter the home plumbing system, the home plumbing will need to be decontaminated before it is safe to use for drinking water.

Combined Treatment the Ultimate Defense

The three systems described above can be combined to provide the best defense against water contamination. LIFE Ionizers sells the Dolphin Whole Home system, and Reverse Osmosis systems with UV light treatment as an option.

Using more than one treatment system provides a valuable fallback failsafe option should one line of defense become compromised. As a matter of fact, the Department of Defense and the Department of Homeland Security recommend combining these water treatment systems (referred to as “treatment trains”) as an effective home water treatment system in the event of terrorist attack!

With sewage spills and contamination expected to get worse, home treatment is the only option for Midwesterners to have access to safe water supplies. UV light treatment may be the only effective long-term defense against the bacteria, viruses and cysts that are even now infecting public drinking water supplies.

WARNING: Big Brother wants you to be happy

In “Brave New World” George Orwell wrote of a drug  called Soma which was used to keep the population in a perpetual state of happiness, and hence under control. Today, some public health “experts” are now proposing to begin treating public water supplies with lithium – in order to keep people in a perpetual state of happiness.

Lithium, commonly prescribed for depression, mania and bipolar disorder, is now being called “the new fluoride” by some experts. These experts are saying that adding lithium to public water supply may be a cure-all for social problems, including suicide, violent crime and drug use.

One of those experts, Dr. Gerald Schrauzer, published the first paper in 1989 that connected lithium in water supplies to a decrease in some antisocial behaviors. Dr. Schrauzer became interested in lithium after he grew up next to a spring containing lithium in Franzensbad, Czechoslovakia. The water from the spring was said to moderate the temperaments of women in particular. Other springs containing lithium have also been cited for their calming effects.

Fluoridation and Forced Medication

Forced medication through water supplies is nothing new. Fluoride has been added to the water supplies ever since some scientists claimed that people drinking water with high levels of fluoride in it had fewer cavities.

Shockingly, scientists at the time ignored the fact that people drinking water with high levels of fluoride developed “Colorado Brown Stain” or “Texas Teeth”. These conditions describe a mottling and staining of the tooth enamel. Unfortunately, it is now known that “Colorado Brown Stain” and “Texas Teeth” are a disease called dental fluorosis. A whopping 41 percent of American adolescents now suffer from dental fluorosis which causes teeth to become pitted and brittle.

Proponents of Lithium claim Benefits.

A 2009 study of 18 communities in Japan revealed that higher levels of naturally occurring lithium were linked to lower suicide rates. A more recent study corroborates those findings, claiming that a 4 to 15 percent variation in suicide rates in 99 Austrian counties was because of naturally- occurring lithium in water supplies.

According to Jacob Appel, a psychiatrist and bioethicist at Mount Sinai Hospital “As a matter of empirical science, this connection between water-based lithium and suicide is absolutely becoming widely accepted,” Dr. Appel says of the studies performed: “The research, when one of a scientific persuasion reads it, is compelling — even if it might be jaw-dropping.”

Appel believes America is a likely first candidate for lithium supplementation because of the ease that genetically modified foods have been approved by the U.S. government and passively accepted by American consumers.

Experts Point to Potential “Unintended” Consequences

Just as when fluoride was introduced, a debate among experts is evolving about potential “unintended” consequences. Research has not clearly established how lithium affects the brain and there is the largely unexplored potential for personality changes within people dosed with lithium.

One of the proponents of adding lithium to water, Dr. Allan Young, a psychiatry professor at Imperial College in London voices some concern for lithium’s effects: “Lithium certainly dampens impulsivity, which would explain how it dampens suicide rates” Young states. “But at a population level, what if that impulsivity is being directed in a healthy way — the person jumping onto the subway tracks to save a life?”

According to Peter Kramer, a psychiatrist at Brown Medical School adding lithium to the water supply could also have the unintended consequence of widespread personality homogenization: “When you change these resilience factors in the brain, you see other changes too, People are less timid and shy, for example,” Kramer points out that some people may not welcome the changes forced on them by lithium dosing: “But maybe people want the right not to have these subtle changes taking place, without making the choice for themselves.”

Fight Back

If the notion of the government using public water supplies to force you to take a mind-altering drug is as chilling a prospect for you as it is for us here at LIFE Ionizers, then you should consider taking steps to protect yourself. The first and most obvious step is to oppose any effort to put lithium in the water. If lithium is forced upon us, then the next step must be to remove it from your water.

Lithium can be absorbed through the skin as well as ingested, so just filtering your drinking water is not enough. Whole home filtration would prevent lithium from entering a home’s water supply. Lithium is a mineral, thus effective whole home filtration and Reverse Osmosis systems would both be effective against it. Considering the dangerous chemicals that Big Brother already adds to water, such as fluoride and chlorine, no home should be without effective filtration.

Find out what you can do to protect yourself from forced medication! Call our water experts today at (888) 688-8889 to learn more about our home water treatment systems.

Texans don't care for forced medication, you shouldn't either

In 1836, Texans fought for their independence in the historic Battle of the Alamo against the Mexican Army. Now Texans in Austin are fighting a new battle for their independence against an unwelcome invader in their water – fluoride.

Community activists in Austin cite a growing body of research that concludes that fluoridation does more harm than good as their reason for ending fluoridation of Austin’s water. Their battle to end fluoridation has been ongoing for a year, and has played out at regular city council meetings. The fight grew so contentious that according to councilmember Randi Shade a special meeting was held where: “we can actually deliberate, actually get the facts, start really getting education on what the implications would be for the larger community.”

The meeting, hosted by the Austin City Council Health and Human Services Subcommittee heard from speakers both in favor of and against fluoridation. Experts sought to address specific questions from the City Council and public at large. The purpose of the meeting was to enable subcommittee members to decide if Austin should remove fluoride from the city’s drinking water.

Fluoridation is Bad Science

Statements made by Dr. Paul Connett, Executive Director of the Fluoride Action Network at the Austin meeting suggests that the Federal government should be looking into the science behind fluoridation because much of it is “bad science” that will not stand up to scrutiny. Dr. Connet’s assertion is supported by other scientists such as Dr William Hurzy and 11 other scientists who advise the EPA on fluoridation policy. They have advised the government to issue a moratorium on water fluoridation until its effects are studied.

Case for Fluoridation is Weak

Arguments in support of fluoridation at the meeting were made by Dr. Delton Yarbrough, chair of the Council on Dental Economics, and Dr. Cecil George from the Texas Dental Association. Dr. Connett noted that during neither Yarbrough nor George quoted any actual studies during the meeting, relying instead on endorsements from public health organizations and anecdotal evidence. Each of their claims was countered by Dr. Connett and another expert, dentist Griffin Cole using peer-reviewed studies which demonstrated that the assumptions made about fluoride by public health organizations may be dangerously wrong.

EPA Stance on Fluoridation

While the EPA continues to support fluoridation, but it now states that the amount of fluoride in public water supplies can be “set at the lowest end of the current optimal range”. The new recommendation issued in January of 2011 is based on “the most up to date scientific data” according to EPA Assistant Administrator for the Office of Water Peter Silva.

The shifting stance of the EPA on fluoridation is the result of studies that show that cases of fluorosis – staining and pitting of children’s teeth caused by fluoride – are on the rise in the US.

Filtration Fights Fluoridation

The citizens of Austin are continuing their fight against government-mandated medication, and other communities are following suit. But while these debates continue, so does the intentional poisoning of water supplies by fluoridation.

Thankfully, effective filtration technology exists that can be used to protect oneself against fluoride poisoning. LIFE’s Dolphin Whole Home filtration system^® is designed to trap fluoride and dangerous heavy metals like lead which are concentrated in the bloodstream by fluoride. The Dolphin system uses LIFE’s Charged Modified Composite Blend^® filter media which uses an electrostatic charge to attract and bind to toxins.  Competing systems can’t match the Dolphin’s efficiency in reducing fluoride levels in water since they merely try to block toxins instead of binding them the way the Dolphin system does.

Radiation warnings were witheld from the public by TCEQ officials

Recently uncovered emails between Texas officials reveal a conspiracy to withhold warnings of unsafe levels of alpha particle radiation detected in drinking water from the public. The emails reveal that officials from the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) knowingly defied a ruling from the EPA that would have required them to warn the public about unsafe levels of radiation that were detected in public water supplies. The TCEQ avoided having to warn citizens of the risk by ordering its staff to underreport alpha particle radiation levels found in drinking water for a period of eight years from 2000 to 2008.

Conspiracy of the Highest Order

Tom Smith of the watchdog group Public Citizen describes the situation: “It’s a conspiracy at the TCEQ of the highest order. The documents have indicted the management of this commission in a massive cover-up to convince people that our water is safe to drink when it’s not.”

The emails showed that officials in the TCEQ devised a scheme to underreport levels of radiation that were detected in drinking water supplies. Officials in the TCEQ, upon receiving a report that showed radiation levels in excess of Federal standards would order staff to subtract the margin of error that is expected in reports of this type from the reported levels. The subtraction would reduce the reported level of alpha particle radiation enough so that the commission would not have to alert the public or the EPA of the danger. A ruling issued by the EPA in 2000 specifically forbade the practice, but the email correspondence shows clearly that TCEQ officials choose to ignore it.

Texas Officials Rejected EPA Standards

Kathleen Hartnett White, who was the Chair of the TCEQ Commission at the time and also sat on the Texas Water Advisory Council, says the decision to continue the subtraction was a good one: “As memory serves me, that made incredibly good sense.” She felt that the EPA rules were too expensive, and would end up costing small communities tens of millions of dollars.

White’s financial rationale is lost on Brenda Haynes, who lived in one of the affected districts. Haynes came down with thyroid cancer during the time that the unsafe levels went unreported. Because she wasn’t warned, she continued to drink the contaminated water during treatment for the cancer. Haynes husband Ian reacted angrily to the news: “We were put at more risk than what we thought”. Haynes said that he and his wife would have made different choices at the time if they had been warned.

Texas has a Water Problem

The state of Texas has been in the news several times about water quality, and the news is never good. Despite TCEQ efforts to cover up pollution, there were reports of 18 different chemicals that violated public safety standards between 2004 and 2007. A recent report by the Environmental Working Group (EWG) revealed that Houston Texas has the sixth worst water quality in the nation.

Protect yourself when the Government won’t

Texas isn’t the only state where public officials turn a blind eye to waterborne public health hazards. The most recent EWG report on water pollution reveals widespread contamination by carcinogens like chromium-6 that the EPA doesn’t even require municipal water authorities to report. Problems like this make it clear that if you want safe drinking water, you need to filter it yourself.

Thankfully, effective filtration systems exist that can stop toxins before they can harm you. LIFE’s Dolphin Whole Home Filtration™ system is effective against a wider range of pollutants than competing filtration systems. Conventional filtration systems such as water softeners only stop hard water problems, if you want safe water, you need a filtration system designed to deliver it. The reason LIFE’s Dolphin system is better is our patented Charged Modified Composite Blend® filter media. The system uses a process called ion-trapping which uses an electrostatic charge to bind pollutants inside the filter, literally trapping them. Conventional filters only try to block pollutants; invariably they allow many of toxins through.

Skin rash caused by chloramine poisoning

Chloramines are widely used by municipal water facilities to disinfect water, but concerns about the byproducts of chloramine treatment have caused some treatment facilities to consider alternative methods such UV light disinfection.  Chloramine is created by combining chlorine and ammonia, water treatment facilities often refer to this combination as monochloramine.  Two other forms of chloramine are created when chloramine breaks down in water, dichloramine and trichloramine. Additionally when chloramines break down organic matter (such as bacteria) in water, extremely toxic byproducts are formed.

Chloramines Create other Toxic Problems

Chloramine and its byproducts become vapors which accumulate in indoor air. Health experts state that the most significant exposure to chloramines is during a shower, because since the vapors build up quickly in small, enclosed spaces. Research has also demonstrated that chloramines are corrosive to plumbing, and will leech heavy metals like lead and copper out of plumbing fixtures. Chloramines are also corrosive to plastic and rubber plumbing components as well.

Recent studies conducted by the EPA indicate that the byproducts of chloramines in our water may be even worse than the chloramines themselves. Byproducts such as Iodoacetic Acid, Hydrazine and Nitrosamines are known to be potent carcinogens and mutagens, so these chemicals will cause both cancer and birth defects. Dichloramine and trichloramine are formed as chloramine decays, and both are significantly more toxic than chloramine itself!

A Nationwide Problem

Practically all drinking water in the US contains some level of chloramines, and research suggests that there is no “safe” level of chloramine! Municipal water authorities continue to add it to drinking water supplies due to a lack of feasible alternatives. Chloramine has replaced chlorine as a preferred water treatment because it remains in water longer than chlorine, thus offering longer-term protection against bacteria. Many communities are beginning to call upon their municipal treatment facilities to stop using chloramine to treat their water, but most water authorities cite a lack of resources as preventing them from switching to safer alternatives.

How Chloramine Water Pollution will kill you

Short term exposure to high enough levels of chloramine in tap water causes difficulty in breathing and skin rashes. Damage to the respiratory system from chloramine is likely to be permanent, if you experience any of the following symptoms from contact with your water, you should seek medical help immediately to determine if you have been poisoned:

• Wheezing, Shortness of Breath
• Coughing, Choking
• Eye Irritation
• Sinus Congestion

Chloramines are especially lethal to people with asthma because of the irritation to the lungs they cause.

Long term exposure to even small amounts of chloramines and their byproducts have been linked to respiratory illnesses like asthma, gastrointestinal problems, and several forms of cancer. People with liver or kidney problems are highly susceptible to ammonia toxicity if they are exposed to even tiny amounts of chloramines. Children living in homes with chloramine-tainted water are at elevated risk for lead poisoning due to chloramines’ corrosive effects on plumbing fixtures.

Most Conventional Filters are Ineffective

Most conventional home water treatment systems (such as water softeners) are completely ineffective against chloramines. Advanced treatment technology is a must if chloramine contamination is to be effectively stopped before it can harm you or your loved ones.

LIFE Ionizers™ offers advanced treatment in its Dolphin Whole Home Filtration™ system, or in the LIFE Super Filter™ replacement filter which is designed as a replacement for the inadequate filters provided in most existing home filtration systems. LIFE’s filtration is more effective against chloramines than conventional treatment systems because of the ion-trapping effect of LIFE’s exclusive Charged Modified Composite Blend® filter media. Ion-trapping uses an electrostatic charge to bind pollutants like chloramines within the filter, preventing them from escaping into the home. LIFE also offers a Catalytic Granular Activated Carbon Cartridge for drinking water systems that is designed to target chloramines exclusively. All LIFE water ionizers come standard with filtration that is highly effective against chloramines as well.

Death is on tap

10. Jacksonville, Fla.

What’s wrong: According to the Environmental Working Group (EWG) 23 different toxic chemicals were found in Jacksonville’s water supply. The chemicals most frequently discovered in high volumes were trihalomethanes, like chloroform. Other dangerous chemicals like lead and arsenic were also found.

How it will kill you: Many trihalomethanes are believed to be carcinogenic. Lead is very harmful to children; it results in stunted growth, kidney problems, and nervous system disorders, seizures and death. Arsenic is extremely poisonous to humans; it can cause cancer, strokes, heart disease as well as kidney failure.

9. San Diego, CA.

What’s wrong: The home of LIFE Ionizers™, According to California’s Department of Public Health, San Diego’s drinking water system contains about 20 contaminants.  The worst offenders are trihalomethanes and manganese, a natural element that’s a byproduct of industrial manufacturing.

How it will kill you: Trihalomethanes as has already been mentioned cause cancer. Manganese attacks the brain and nervous system; symptoms of manganese poisoning are similar to Parkinson’s syndrome, including slurred speech, awkward movement, and lethargy.

8. North Las Vegas, NV.

What’s wrong: North Las Vegas’ water supply had a total of 26 contaminants, compared with the national average of eight. The water contained an extremely high level of uranium, a radioactive element. Trihalomethanes, arsenic, and bromate were also found at disturbing levels

How it will kill you: Uranium builds up in the body over time. Its effects are marked by a general decline in health, and cancer. Bromate poisoning can cause cancer, and symptoms include deafness and kidney failure.

7. Omaha, NE

What’s wrong: 20 chemicals that are above health guidelines were found in Omaha’s water, and four of those were detected in illegal amounts. These were atrazine, trihalomethanes, nitrate and nitrite, and manganese.

How it will kill you: Long term exposure to atrazine causes respiratory problems, limb paralysis and death. Nitrate poisoning is marked by respiratory difficulties, and is known to cause “blue baby” syndrome in infants. Manganese attacks the central nervous system.

6. Houston, TX.

What’s wrong: Between 2004 and 2007 tests found 18 chemicals that exceeded federal and state health guidelines, compared to the national average of four. A total of 46 pollutants were detected, compared to the national average of eight. The city water has contained illegal levels of alpha particles, a form of radiation. Similarly, haloacetic acids, from various disinfection byproducts, have been detected.

How it will kill you: Alpha particles are a short lived form of ionizing radiation that mutates and destroys living tissue. Just like uranium, you can expect a general decline in health, cancer, and many other health problems.  The effects of haloacetic acids have not been well documented, but evidence links exposure with birth defects.

5. Reno, NV.

What’s wrong: 126 chemicals were tested for in Reno over four years, 21 were discovered in the city’s water supply, eight were detected in levels above EPA health guidelines, and three, manganese, tetrachloroethylene, and arsenic occurred in illegal amounts.

How it will kill you: Tetrachloroethylene is deemed a likely carcinogenic. Arsenic is extremely poisonous to humans, and manganese is a neurotoxin, so it is a tossup as to whether cancer will kill you before you get Parkinson’s.

4. Riverside County, CA.

What’s wrong: The water in Riverside County contained 13 chemicals that exceeded recommended health guidelines over the four tested years, and one that exceeded legal limits. In total, 22 chemicals were detected in the district’s water supply. The contaminant exceeding legal health standards was tetrachloroethylene.

How it will kill you: Kidney and liver problems have both been attributed to long term exposure to tetrachloroethylene; research indicates it is likely to cause cancer as well.

3. Las Vegas, NV.

What’s wrong: Las Vegas has the dubious honor of making this list twice. Vegas water has a large range of pollutants. Some of the worst contaminants included radium-226, radium-228, arsenic and lead.

How it will kill you: You are gambling with your life if you even touch the water in Vegas. You can make bets on what will kill you first, radiation poisoning, cancer, liver and kidney failure, neurological problems, and more,

2. Riverside, CA.

What’s wrong: Riverside County water (#4 on this list!) is bad enough, but Riverside city water is far worse.  15 chemicals were found that exceeded health guidelines and one was found that exceeded legal standards. Since 2004, the water has almost consistently had alpha particle activity, traces of bromoform (a form of trihalomethane) and uranium.

How it will kill you: The alpha particle activity and uranium will give you radiation poisoning if the bromoform doesn’t give you cancer first.

1. Pensacola, FL.

What’s wrong: The worst water in the nation is found in Pensacola. 45 chemicals were detected, and 21 were discovered in unhealthy amounts. The worst of these were radium-228 and -228, trichloroethylene, tetrachloroethylene, alpha particles, benzene and lead. Cyanide and chloroform were also detected.

How it will kill you: There are so many severe toxins in Pensacola’s water that it is impossible to determine which will do you in first. Take your pick of radiation poisoning, cancer, liver and kidney failure, or any number of neurological diseases.

What you can do to protect yourself

We know of no commercially available filters designed to protect you from the damaging effects of radiation, if you live in any of the areas listed in this article for radioactive water, you should move.

The other water problems listed in this article can be treated effectively with home filtration. LIFE Ionizers™ filtration products use our patented Charged Modified Composite Blend^® Filter media (developed using  NASA technology) which stops VOCs, heavy metals and hundreds of other contaminants. Homeowners may wish to consider our Dolphin Whole Home Filtration™ system which stops contaminants and toxins before they can enter the home.

Click here to find out what’s in your water with a free water quality report

Unsafe water - Coming to a tap near you

Budget cuts proposed by congressional committees in the House of Representatives are expected to strip nearly a billion dollars from EPA programs that provide low interest loans to water authorities seeking to repair or upgrade water facilities. Public health officials expect the cuts to be devastating, they will expose millions of Americans to contamination that will sicken many people and contribute to cancer and other public health problems. The funny thing is, the proposed budget cuts are not expected to save the Federal Government any money! Both programs being cut primarily make loans to municipalities which are later repaid.

EPA Administrator Warns of Dire Consequences

In testimony before the U.S. Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works, EPA administrator Lisa Jackson discussed the impact on public safety the deep cuts proposed by GOP lawmakers will have. Jackson says the cuts will prevent the EPA from implementing or enforcing clean water laws. She pointed out that reductions in enforcement activity have always resulted in large polluters flouting legal restrictions in an effort to increase profits.

Jackson says that the cuts will stop projects currently underway that are needed to upgrade crumbling infrastructure. Efforts to prevent groundwater supplies from being contaminated by highly destructive activities such as hydraulic fracking will also be terminated. Fracking is a highly controversial method we reported on earlier used to extract natural gas which can even make your tap water flammable!

The impact on public health will be devastating, Jackson states: “The result would be more asthma attacks, more missed school and work days, more heart attacks, more cancer cases, more premature deaths, and more polluted waters.”

Home Filtration is Your only Hope

Most people already know that their tap water is unsafe; Americans spend about 6 billion dollars a year on bottled water. Unfortunately, bottled water can’t protect you, toxins commonly found in tap water are also absorbed through the skin, and dissolved gasses like chloramines can quickly make the air in a home toxic. Meanwhile, Congress is making it very clear that you are on your own in the face of increasing pollution threats.

Homeowners can opt for whole home filtration, which is installed on the home’s water supply and prevents toxins from entering the home. Renters may wish to consider shower filters, countertop drinking water systems, and other portable methods of water filtration that can easily be taken with you when you move.

Whichever method of filtration you choose, LIFE Ionizers has technologically advanced filtration systems to fit your needs. LIFE’s Charged Modified Composite Blend® Filter media incorporates NASA technology and is ETR Labs® certified to be effective against a wider range of pollutants than any other filter media. Conventional filters require specialized “layers” of filter media, one for each type of pollutant to be filtered. The problem with having so many layers in a filter is that each layer has to be so thin that it isn’t very effective. Filters with LIFE’s Charged Modified Composite Blend® require no layers because the filter media itself has an electrostatic charge to attract and trap pollutants. This makes LIFE filtration the most effective protection money can buy!

Worried about what’s in your water? Click here for a free water report

GOP proves yet again that it does not care about the people of Wisconsin

Republicans in both houses of the Wisconsin legislature have introduced bills that would repeal a Department of Natural Resources rule which requires municipalities to disinfect drinking water supplies. Approximately 12 percent of the state’s municipalities do not disinfect their water supplies currently. Rep. Erik Severson R-Osceola, one of the bill’s sponsors, argues that there is no problem if the people aren’t complaining “When people in an area are not complaining about the drinking water, the water is good.”

Studies Show Increasing Risks

Mark Borchadt, a highly regarded infectious groundwater disease specialist, does not share Rep. Severson’s lack of concern. Research performed by Borchadt attributes about 13% of acute gastro-intestinal illnesses in Wisconsin to dirty water produced by municipalities that don’t disinfect their water supplies. Borchardt advocates the use of UV light treatment for water disinfection, citing a 2008 study he performed that showed reduced rates of stomach illnesses in municipalities that use UV light disinfection.

Sandra McLellan PhD of the University of the Wisconsin Milwaukee School of Freshwater Sciences expects the water contamination to get worse due to the effects of global warming as spring rainfall totals rise:

Spring rains are expected to increase over the next 50 years, and with that increase, aging sewer systems are more likely to overflow because the ground is frozen and rainwater cannot be absorbed.

McLellen and her colleagues have demonstrated that in worst case scenarios there would be an average of a 20% increase in the size of sewer overflows. Some cities around the Great Lakes already experience overflows about 40 times per year.

How to Prevent Water Borne Infection

Whole home filtration with UV light disinfection is essential for keeping your home’s water supply safe from the threat of water borne infection. LIFE Ionizer’s exclusive Charged Modified Composite Blend® filtration media technology uses an electrostatic charge which captures a wider range of contaminants than any other filter made, rather than just attempting to strain them like conventional filters. Our Whole Home Filtration System can be fitted with optional UV light disinfection to kill water borne infections.

UV light and home filtration is necessary even with municipal water disinfection. A study performed at UC Berkley revealed that even treated water may not be safe. People over the age of 55 suffered increased risk of stomach illness drinking ordinary tap water as compared to people who drank tap water treated by home filtration and UV light disinfection systems.

Learn more about how LIFE’s Whole Home Filtration systems protect you when your government won’t.