Fwd: [SymphonicHealth] CHLORINE

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CHLORINE

Posted by: " VoicePrints " VoicePrints   sokosprincess

Tue Feb 12, 2008 5:35 am (PST)

 

CHLORINE

Who was the genius who decided to start putting a poisonous chemical, a

bleaching agent, in our water supply to kill germs? It certainly does a

great job

of killing most living things in our water; but it may be killing us

too!

Chlorine, you may recall, was used as a deadly weapon during World War

I.

Chlorine is a pro-oxidant, causing free radical damage in the body, a

major

factor in aging and every kind of disease.

Nevertheless, chlorine has been used to disinfect public water in the

U.S.

for the last hundred years. It is not the most effective means of

disinfection,

and it is certainly not the safest, but it is the cheapest. According to

a

fairly recent report, it is used to treat water reaching about 75% of

American

homes.

Not too surprisingly, in the past few decades, chlorine and chlorine

by-products have been linked with various forms of cancer (especially

bladder, colon

and rectal), neurological issues, reproductive problems such as

miscarriages

and neural tube defects, heart disease (both hardening of the arteries

and

elevations of blood pressure), decreased immunity and allergies,

hypothyroidism and

lung problems.

.. . . chlorine gas

When you smell chlorine in your shower, it's because chlorine from tap

water

is escaping into the air as chlorine gas. Heat and increased surface

area as

the water is sprayed through the shower head accelerate this release.

Since

showers are usually poorly ventilated, chlorine gas concentrations can

be

quite

high.

In sufficient concentrations, chlorine gas is an irritant to mucous

membranes, the respiratory tract and the eyes. You can experience

symptoms

long before

you can smell chlorine -- you can't smell it until levels are over 3.5

parts

per million (ppm).

While severe respiratory tract damage occurs at higher concentrations,

even

at very low concentrations, volunteers experienced irritation of the

nose, a

weak cough, increased dryness of the throat, coughing, minor difficulty

breathing and headache.

Chronic exposure to chlorine, as most Americans experience, creates

chronic

inflammation that damages cells and tissues faster than the body is able

to

repair them. This causes repair deficits, resulting in disease and aging

--

you

start to slowly fall apart.

People with any kind of lung disorders, like asthma, are going to be

more

sensitive to chlorine's irritating effects. Children inhale more air per

unit of

body weight than adults, so they will be more adversely affected.

A Belgian study in 2003 of children who swam in chlorinated swimming

pools

found elevated levels of trichloramine in their blood. Trichloramine is

formed

when chlorinated water reacts with urine, sweat and other organic

matter,

and

it is believed to initiate a process that destroys the cellular barrier

that

protects the lungs.

Interestingly, high blood levels of trichloramine were found even among

people who never swam in the chlorinated pool but just sat around it.

.. . . would you like to age faster?

As a molecule, chlorine likes to grab organic matter and hold on for

dear

life, changing the nature of that organic matter in the process. This

makes

it an

excellent disinfectant.

However, we must not forget that we are also organic matter. Chlorine

attacks

hair and skin as well, binding with their molecules. Hair becomes dry

and

brittle, and sometimes loses color. Skin gets flaky and itchy. Chlorine

initiates

free radical damage, aging the skin, and is associated with rashes like

eczema.

Chlorine reacts with oils in the skin to form chlorinated compounds

associated with cancer, which can then be absorbed through the skin into

the

bloodstream.

The skin also has a normal protective bacteria balance which is

disturbed by

chlorine.

If you have town or city water, there are chlorine filters available for

shower heads and drinking water. Distilled water is soft like rain water

and

easy on your kidneys, joints, and whole body and can be delivered to

your

home in the polycarbonate 5 gallon bottles. Belmont Springs is one we

use

around here.