Mixed Up Article
What's the truth about... tap water
(Filed: 22/09/2005)
Lucie Hoe finds out if bottles are the only way to go
Last week, Health Protection Agency specialists reported that campolybacter, which causes intestinal problems in 42,000 people a year, could "slip through the net" in British water supplies.
With consumption of bottled water exceeding 1.3 billion litres a year, is this the final blow to drinking what comes out of our taps?
What else is lurking in tap water?
Studies have also revealed that male fertility can be affected by female hormones leeched from the contraceptive Pill, which are found in many samples of tap water. Last year, in Scotland alone, there were 28 incidents of contaminated drinking water. In 22 of the most serious failings, Scottish Water customers had to boil their tap water.
Is anything else added?
Campaigners claim that British tap water is treated with too many chemicals, including aluminium sulphate and liquefied chlorine. As water travels through old pipes, it may become contaminated by chemicals or microbes - such as lead and bacteria.
To some, fluoride, added to about 11 per cent of the population's supplies, is also a concern. Although it is proved to ward off some dental problems, too much can make teeth brittle and lead to mottling. Some studies also suggest that it may be linked to conditions such as hip fractures and bone cancers, and affect the thyroid gland.
Best to hit the bottled water, then?
Not necessarily. Research announced this week at the World Dental Congress in Montreal reveals that children who drink too much bottled water are risking tooth decay. Dr Sheldon Rose, a Toronto dentist, blamed a lack of fluoride in bottled water. Jo Tanner, a spokesman for the British Dental Association, says that the association is "pushing for fluoride to be added to more water supplies because of its dental-health benefits", and adds that most bottled waters "contain too little fluoride to be effective in the fight against tooth decay".
A study at the Newcastle School of Dental Sciences, published in the British Dental Journal two years ago, showed that fluoride levels in children who drank from 25 popular brands of bottled water were 26 to 48 per cent lower than those who drank fluoridated tap water. As well as being cheaper, tap water could be better after all.
(Filed: 22/09/2005)
Lucie Hoe finds out if bottles are the only way to go
Last week, Health Protection Agency specialists reported that campolybacter, which causes intestinal problems in 42,000 people a year, could "slip through the net" in British water supplies.
With consumption of bottled water exceeding 1.3 billion litres a year, is this the final blow to drinking what comes out of our taps?
What else is lurking in tap water?
Studies have also revealed that male fertility can be affected by female hormones leeched from the contraceptive Pill, which are found in many samples of tap water. Last year, in Scotland alone, there were 28 incidents of contaminated drinking water. In 22 of the most serious failings, Scottish Water customers had to boil their tap water.
Is anything else added?
Campaigners claim that British tap water is treated with too many chemicals, including aluminium sulphate and liquefied chlorine. As water travels through old pipes, it may become contaminated by chemicals or microbes - such as lead and bacteria.
To some, fluoride, added to about 11 per cent of the population's supplies, is also a concern. Although it is proved to ward off some dental problems, too much can make teeth brittle and lead to mottling. Some studies also suggest that it may be linked to conditions such as hip fractures and bone cancers, and affect the thyroid gland.
Best to hit the bottled water, then?
Not necessarily. Research announced this week at the World Dental Congress in Montreal reveals that children who drink too much bottled water are risking tooth decay. Dr Sheldon Rose, a Toronto dentist, blamed a lack of fluoride in bottled water. Jo Tanner, a spokesman for the British Dental Association, says that the association is "pushing for fluoride to be added to more water supplies because of its dental-health benefits", and adds that most bottled waters "contain too little fluoride to be effective in the fight against tooth decay".
A study at the Newcastle School of Dental Sciences, published in the British Dental Journal two years ago, showed that fluoride levels in children who drank from 25 popular brands of bottled water were 26 to 48 per cent lower than those who drank fluoridated tap water. As well as being cheaper, tap water could be better after all.
posted by Bill at
8:39 PM
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