[sci.med] Drinking water

murray@ingr.UUCP (Douglas Murray) (12/01/88)

Because of concern about the quality of the tap water in our area, I have
been buying distilled water for drinking and cooking.  Recently, however
I have read that even distilled water can have chemicals present in it.
Is this possible, and if so what are the options available to obtain
unadulterated water for drinking and cooking?

Thanks in advance

Doug Murray

norm@mtgzy.att.com (n.e.andrews) (12/03/88)

In article <3065@ingr.UUCP>, murray@ingr.UUCP (Douglas Murray) writes:
> Because of concern about the quality of the tap water in our area, I have
> been buying distilled water for drinking and cooking.

I have heard (Pearson & Shaw tv appearance) that there is a
significant correlation between water supply softness and death
rates  -- that death rates looked at in different geographic areas
seem to be strongly related to water supply hardness or softness.
IF I remember correctly, soft water areas (mostly in the East?)
had much higher death rates (due to cancer?), and the
correlation with water supply hardness or softness was more
significant than any other observed correlations.  Does anyone
out there have any references for studies to support this?

I wouldn't drink much distilled water for fear of leaching
minerals out of my body.  Is there hard evidence that continuous
use of distilled water for drinking is dangerous?

--Norm Andrews, attmail!mtgzy!norm

ray@Polya.Stanford.EDU (Ray Baxter) (12/05/88)

In article <4467@mtgzy.att.com>, norm@mtgzy (n.e.andrews) writes:

>I wouldn't drink much distilled water for fear of leaching
>minerals out of my body.  Is there hard evidence that continuous
>use of distilled water for drinking is dangerous?

Your body is not an inert lump of matter.  In the first place your
kidneys do not allow much "leaching."  In the second, even if they did
you would quickly find that your food preferences changed to increase
your mineral intake.

The only danger in drinking distilled water is the bland taste.
-- 

gfk@bridge2.3Com.Com (Gregory Kendall) (12/06/88)

In article <4467@mtgzy.att.com> norm@mtgzy.att.com (n.e.andrews) writes:
>In article <3065@ingr.UUCP>, murray@ingr.UUCP (Douglas Murray) writes:
>> Because of concern about the quality of the tap water in our area, I have
>> been buying distilled water for drinking and cooking.

stuff deleted

>I wouldn't drink much distilled water for fear of leaching
>minerals out of my body.

Someone correct me if I'm wrong, but my understanding is that just about
everything moved across a membrane in the body goes by active transport,
rather than the passive transport mechanism involved in leaching, esp.
anything excreted by the kindneys. In short, I doubt that leaching
occurs much from the body.

>
>--Norm Andrews, attmail!mtgzy!norm