Chlorine in the water supply

Exposure to Chlorine increases Acne outbreaks beceause of it's inherent skin irritation effects. Chlorine irritates rashes, causes rashes, and severely dries the skin. Consider the causes of Acne (both internal and external) and it's easy to see how Acne can worsens with exposure to Chlorine.

In most cases, when the skin becomes overly dry, the body reacts by releasing more oil than usual through the skin. This causes too much oil to be produced and conditions for Acne improve.

If the Acne condition is internal (ie: body reacts to processed sugars, or certain types of foods) then the Acne may initially improve, but with time will actually worsen because of the Chlorine's drying effects on the skin (more oil is produced, etc etc).

Get 20% off at aquasana.com

Chlorine can leave skin feeling dry and itchy and leave hair dry, brittle, and prone to dandruff. It can cause or further aggravate rashes and other skin irritations and it leaves eyes feeling sore and itchy.

The chlorine in showering water has harsh, drying effects on skin and hair. Skin pores widen while showering, making dermal absorption of chlorine and other chemicals possible. The chlorine in showering water can cause rashes and other skin irritations when absorbed by the skin.

For those of you suffering from acne, beware. Acne may improve initially with "chlorine treatment", however, the long term effects are disastrous. Many people experience an increase in acne or generalized breakouts when exposed to high(er) levels of Chlorine. Including swimming often, showering without shower filters, and even drinking unfiltered water.

Science News 1992 -- A new statistical analysis indicates that people who drink chlorinated water run a 21 percent greater risk of bladder cancer and a 38 percent greater risk of rectal cancer than people who drink water with little or no chlorine. There is no proof that chlorine itself actually causes cancer; however, investigators think something in chlorinated water may act as a carcinogen.

CNN 1997 -- A byproduct of chlorination in drinking water has been linked to cancer in rats, leading the government to investigate adverse effects of water disinfectants. A chemical byproduct called MX develops from organic compounds in the chlorinated drinking water, and Finnish researchers found that rats exposed to high levels of MX got several types of cancer.

Australia 2007 -- A new study, published in the American Journal of Epidemiology, measured the exposure to chlorination byproducts known as trihalomethanes (THM).

People living in areas where THM concentrations in the water were higher than 49 micrograms per litre had twice the risk of developing bladder cancer compared to those living where concentrations were less than 8mcg per litre.

Those who drank enough chlorinated water to expose themselves to more than 35mcg of THM a day were 35per cent more likely to develop bladder cancer than those who drank less than that.

Those bathing or showering in chlorinated water were 83 per cent more likely to get bladder cancer, and those swimming in chlorinated pools were 57 per cent more likely than those who were not exposed to THM in this way.

The researchers said that when THM was absorbed through the skin or lungs, it could have a more powerful carcinogenic effect. "If confirmed elsewhere, this observation has significant public health implications," they wrote.

When showering, the heat of the water causes pores to expand and these enlarged pores absorb chlorine instantly. Besides the damaging effects on skin and hair, chlorine can cause health problems when inhaled. Inhaling shower water also allows exposure to volatile organic chemicals. Combined with chlorine, these chemicals can be incredibly dangerous to the delicate tissues in the lungs. The hot water and confined nature of a shower vaporizes chlorine and VOCs and this chemical vapor is then taken into the lungs. Inhalation of such chemical vapor causes great problems for asthmatics, and it can cause similar lung and sinus problems even for those with healthy respiratory systems.

Inhaled chemicals make their way into the bloodstream much more quickly than ingested chemicals, without the added filtration benefits of digestion. In fact, inhaling chemical-laced steam during a shower actually provides more exposure to dangerous chemicals than drinking the same water!

Chlorine can cause permanent respiratory problems. Because so few people know about the chemicals present in the water they bathe in everyday, these chemicals attack swiftly and anonymously.

The best way for you to stop poisoning yourself is to filter your water.

10 Reasons to Use a Shower Filter

1. The EPA has stated that every household in the United States has elevated levels of chloroform in the air due to chlorine released from showering water.

2. Tap water often contains at least as much, if not more, chlorine than is recommended for use in swimming pools.

3. More chlorine enters the body through dermal absorption and inhalation while showering than through drinking tap water.

4. The chlorine in showering water has harsh, drying effects on skin and hair.

5. Skin pores widen while showering, making dermal absorption of chlorine and other chemicals possible.

6. The chlorine in showering water can cause rashes and other skin irritations when absorbed by the skin.

7. Chemicals in showering water vaporize at a much faster rate than the actual water. Thus, the steam in a shower contains a much higher concentration of chemicals than the water itself.

8. Inhaled chemicals make their way into the bloodstream much more quickly than ingested chemicals, without the added filtration benefits of digestion.

9. More water contaminants are released into the air of a home from the shower than from any other source.

10. Chlorine is a suspected cause of breast cancer. Women suffering from breast cancer are all found to have 50-60 percent more chlorine in their breast tissue than healthy women. -- http://www.allaboutwater.org/