Lithium, the psychiatric drug prescribed for depression, mania and bipolar disorder, is now being viewed as the new fluoride by some experts. These experts are calling for the addition of lithium to the water supply as a cure-all for social problems, including suicide, violent crime and drug use.

Lithium is the new fluoride

Dr. Gerald Schrauzer, who published the first paper in 1989 connecting lithium in water supplies to a decrease in certain undesirable social behaviors, became interested in lithium after growing up next to a “miracle spring” in Franzensbad, Czechoslovakia. This lithium-containing spring was alleged to moderate the temperaments of women in particular.

For centuries, people worldwide have been attracted to springs like these for their calming benefits, and scientists have since found the benefits to be credited to unusually high natural lithium levels.

Of course this is how the addition of fluoride to the water supply came about. It was discovered that people with “Colorado Brown Stain” or “Texas Teeth”, names that described a mottling and staining of the tooth enamel, lived in areas in Colorado and Texas that had higher naturally occurring levels of fluoride. It was believed that the naturally occurring fluoride in the water made the enamel of the teeth harder and more resistant to cavities, so it was suggested that fluoride be distributed through the water supply to benefit public health.

Unfortunately, we now know that “Colorado Brown Stain” and “Texas Teeth” were cases of dental fluorosis, which can cause pitting and decay of teeth in its severe form, and may actually cause them to be structurally weaker. 41 percent of American adolescents now suffer from this fluoride induced condition.

The argument for it

Proponents of lithium in the water supply claim that it has compelling benefits.

A 2009 study across 18 communities in Japan showed that those with higher levels of naturally occurring fluoride were significantly less vulnerable to suicide. A study from this year corroborated the findings, showing that 4 to 15 percent of the variation in suicides across 99 counties in Austria was due to lithium content in regional water supplies.

“As a matter of empirical science, this connection between water-based lithium and suicide is absolutely becoming widely accepted,” said Jacob Appel, a psychiatrist and bioethicist at Mount Sinai Hospital in New York City. “The research, when one of a scientific persuasion reads it, is compelling — even if it might be jaw-dropping.”

If the research continues to show good results, Appel sees America as a possible first candidate for implementation, citing as a precedent how easily genetically modified and fortified foods have been both approved by the U.S. government and accepted by American consumers.

The public is not buying it

It seems that experts who put forward the notion of adding lithium to the water supply often encounter harsh and sometimes violent feedback.

Dr. Allan Young, a psychiatry professor at Imperial College in London who published a 2009 commentary on the subject, received a handful of death threats and was likened to a Nazi. He also received 500 vitriolic emails after publishing an article on The Huffington Post, several of which were so provocative that they caused him to contact the authorities.

But even experts enthusiastic about adding lithium to the water supply caution about unintended consequences. First, it is still not clear how lithium affects the brain and, second, there is also the consideration of possible personality changes within the recipient.

“Lithium certainly dampens impulsivity, which would explain how it dampens suicide rates,” Young said. “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?”

Adding lithium to the water supply could also have the unintended consequence of widespread personality homogenization, according to Peter Kramer, a psychiatrist at Brown Medical School.

“When you change these resilience factors in the brain, you see other changes too, People are less timid and shy, for example,” Kramer said. “But maybe people want the right not to have these subtle changes taking place, without making the choice for themselves.”

Freedom of choice

To begin with, psychology does not always have the best track record with mental health solutions, particularly when it comes to prescription medications, as evidenced by the implication of antidepressants in suicides and school shootings.

But there is a much more obvious problem. Dr. Paul Connett, director of Fluoride Action Network, has been fighting to get fluoride out of the water in the remaining 2 percent of countries worldwide that still fluoridate, and one of the major arguments against adding fluoride, or any drug — lithium included, to the water supply is that you cannot control the dose that any one person will get. Connett argues that, to mass medicate in this way, the government would need to ensure that the dose for every individual in the society was at such a level that it would be safe and completely non-toxic — this means accommodating an adequately safe dose for everyone including infants to large males or different races, ethnicities, ages and sexes.

If it were even possible to arrive at such a dosage, Connett argues that such a policy would violate informed consent because those drinking the water are not being made aware of the risks associated with the drug and do not have the right to opt out if they do not wish to assume those risks.

If you live in South Africa and need environmentally friendly water conservation and solar energy solutions, contact us for a free quote.  Our WWF award winning water systems include, rainwater harvesting systems, grey water irrigation systems, grey water recycling systems, swimming pool backwash recycling systems, toilet flush mechanisms and other water-saving devices (see product demo).

We are also authorized South African JoJo Water Tanks dealers and offer the full range of JoJo water tanks and JoJo tank stands. Yes Solar offers high quality solar water heaters to reduce your electricity bills by up to 40%.  Offset your carbon footprint by switching to green insurance cover, now available in South Africa! Build green and use eco-friendly bamboo products.

Green cleaning is all about not damaging eco-systems or other life on this fragile blue planet of ours.  When it comes to conventional disinfectants, these are usually harsh chemicals such as chlorine bleach.

Commonly used in scouring powders and cleaning solutions, bleach is highly caustic, meaning it can burn skin and eyes – never mind being potentially fatal if accidentally swallowed.  When it travels from your drain into the natural world it can create organochlorines which are suspected carcinogens as well as reproductive, neurological, and immune-system toxins.

So the question is, what are the alternatives?  There are definitely greener disinfectant options available that you should know about.  But before we take a look at these options, it is important to take a moment to rethink our approach to ‘germ control’.  Most of us have been conditioned to believe that we have to kill every single living microbe in our homes or else we would be exposing our family to the risk of disease and infection.  This is complete nonsense – unless you are intending to do open-heart surgery on your counter top, that is.

Unless we are talking about a hospital operating theatre, exposure to small quantities of microbes is, in fact, beneficial.  They actually assist our immune system to develop and protect us from the truly dangerous life-forms out there.  So what we need for home cleaning is an effective, but not chemically dangerous disinfectant product that will do the trick for those important areas of the home where disinfection is necessary, such as the toilet bowl or baby changing table.

Citrus extracts have long been recognised as having antimicrobial properties (among many other beneficial properties) and are now being used in various products to produce highly-effective disinfectant formulations that completely avoid the need for bleaches.  This is old knowledge finally being put to good use.

You will also find products that contain bleach out there, but because they are chlorine-free bleaches (or oxygen bleaches) they are also labelled As ‘eco’ or ‘green’ products.  This is not misrepresentation and these products are also certainly worth considering, as they still offer tough cleaning and disinfectant capabilities without those environmental hazards associated with chlorine-based products.

Of course, if you have the time and prefer to make your own home cleaning products, then you will find a variety of simple disinfectant recipes on-line.  In the meantime, here is one using grapefruit seed extract:

• 1 Litre warm water
• 20 drops grapefruit seed extract
• Mix and pour in a spray bottle

Source: Simply Green May/June 2010

Water Rhapsody Water Conservation Systems Mpumalanga offers water tank and rainwater tank installation, rainwater harvesting systems (see rainwater FAQ), grey water recycling  (see greywater FAQ) and water-saving devices for swimming pools and toilet flush systems (see product demo ).  Our WWF Award-winning water systems can be retrofitted or built into new buildings and can be adapted to small households or large business blocks, hospitals, schools, lodges & hotels.

Water Rhapsody has incorporated Yes Solar- official distributor of German-made Solsquare solar water heating systems that are installed by Eskom-accredited solar installers (our solar geysers are eligible for Eskom solar energy rebates).  We are authorized JoJo Water Tank dealers and Atlas Plastics water tank suppliers in Mpumalanga and Limpopo Province (best water tank prices in the Lowveld!).  We are also able to supply sanitary hardware such as waterless toilets through our JoJo Tanks and Atlas Plastics dealerships.

Contact us for a FREE QUOTE on a solar water geyser, water tank or rainwater/gray water system.  South Africa now has eco-friendly insurance- another way to go green, switch to green insurance cover and reduce your carbon footprint today!

Municipality blames ‘old bicycles’ thrown in system

A Free State municipality has blamed the contamination of its drinking water on “people throwing building rubble and bicycles” into the water-purification system.

The things humans dump into their source of drinking water

The Moqhaka local municipality, which is responsible for Kroonstad, Steynsrus and Viljoenskroon, in the north-eastern Free State, has been dealing with water shortages and contamination for the past two weeks.

More than 1000 cases of diarrhoea were reported and 350 people were treated at hospitals and clinics.

But provincial health spokesman Jabu Mbalula said the situation had been resolved and people were now receiving clean water.

“After people were complaining of diarrhoea we had tests done on the water, and it showed the water was not being purified. The problem was that the water needed chlorine,” he said.

But the municipality’s technical manager for water supplies, Mike Lelaka, denied on Friday that the contamination of the tap water was due to there being no chemicals, saying: “This can’t be so.”

He said old infrastructure and “continual pipe breakages, as well as people throwing building rubble and bicycles” into the water source was contaminating the water.

“I cannot confirm if the water was making people sick but we are doing everything we can.”

Debbie Shahim, a Moqhaka ward councillor for the DA, said the municipality “knowingly pumped water through the system without chemicals”.

“The situation is because the municipality is in economic distress. There is never money to fix the water problems,” she said.

Shahim said the municipality poured 6t of chlorine into the water to solve the problem.

However, she said, this was only a short-term solution.

Lelaka said the water crisis was “one of those things” and the municipality has “tried to keep the water clean”.

Mbalula said a provincial team has been assigned to the problem “to see what can be done”.

The DA ward councillor for Steynsrus, Albie Viljoen, said a school was forced to send more than 500 children home after 100 pupils were made ill, allegedly by drinking water, last week.

The town is now relying on local farmers and Kroonstad for its water supply.

The water problem comes as Moqhaka is in danger of having its electricity cut.

It is one of five municipalities in the Free State that owes Eskom millions of rands.

This month, Eskom published an advertisement in which it said it would cut Moqhaka’s power on November 8 because of the non-payment of about R45-million.

A spokesman for Premier Ace Magashule said each municipality “must make their own arrangements with Eskom” to pay the arrears.

Source: Times Live

Dumping refuse and other unwanted goods into water systems seems to be a huge problem in South Africa.  Africa’s rivers continue to be used as waste removal vessels; poor communities along rivers may have limited or zero municipal services but this is no excuse for contaminating the water causing suffering t0 downstream communities.  It seems to be an endemic practice (“out of sight, out of mind”) to knowingly or ignorantly pollute our waters.  Ignorance in rural communities is one thing but when urbanized people contaminate a city’s or town’s own water source, this behaviour beggars belief.  Who would knowingly contaminate the water he/she is likely to drink?  While working as acting Water Control Officer in White River (Mbombela Local Municipality, Mpumalanga), I have found everyday trash dumped into the town’s canal system and other things from toilet seats to used baby nappies to rotten chickens and dead pets (particularly along the canal in the Kings View area of White River).  This section of the canal has had to be fenced for this reason and ‘no dumping’ signs have been erected.  However this has not stopped determined residents from throwing their trash over the fence into the canal!  It seems that there are some incredibly stupid and/or callous people out there who like to call themselves civilized!

In the light of the above, it is a very good idea to filter municipal water and/or obtain your own water supply.  Borehole water should be used sparingly as groundwater supplies are being over-abstracted and groundwater is also becoming contaminated.  Rainwater harvesting is one solution to obtaining your own water supply- it is even possible, in some areas, to become fully water self-sufficient; the limiting factors obviously being rainfall patterns and water storage capacity (rainwater tanks and above- or below-ground reservoirs).  Gray water recycling also reduces water consumption drastically (why use drinking water to flush toilets when waste grey water is available for this?).  Greywater irrigation can also ensure that your garden is watered during times of water restrictions and during the dry season.

Water Rhapsody specializes in water conservation systems that include rainwater systems , rainwater tanks and gray water systems (see the benefits of Water Rhapsody’s systems).  Our water systems can be adapted to small households or to large office blocks, hotels and schools. Should you have questions about our water systems, see rainwater FAQ and grey water FAQ. Our merge with Yes Solar Mpumalanga enables us to offer high quality, German-made Solsquare solar water heating systems (why buy a solar water heater?).  Yes Solar is an official Solsquare distributor in Mpumalanga (White River / Nelspruit areas).  Solar energy is a great renewable energy source for sunny South Africa.  Solsquare solar geysers are Eskom- and SABS-approved and and are installed by qualified solar installers (our solar water heaters are eligible for substantial Eskom solar geyser rebates).  Contact us for a free quote on a solar geyser, water system or JoJo water tank or water tank stand (we are authorized dealers for JoJo Tanks in South Africa and also supply high quality Atlas Plastics water tanks to the Mpumalanga and Limpopo Lowveld).

Silulumanzi recently launched a new water plant opposite Karino Estate.  This plant will supply half of the stands, approximately 2250, with clean water.  It will produce nearly two megalitres of water a day.  The ideal would be to supply the whole of the Karino Estate with clean, drinkable water.

Ms Yolanda Oosthuizen with clean drinkable water after it has gone through four stages of filtration.

At the moment there are approximately 4500 stands that have to be supplied with basic water works.  Water is being pumped from the Crocodile River, cleaned, purified and then distributed to the estate.  Engineering for the whole project took approximately eight months to complete.  The whole process of purifying water entails four stages.  One of the most complex processes involves the adding of polymer.  Polymer is a positive catalyst compound added to negative H2O.  This process causes particles in the water to bind to each other, allowing mud particles to sink to the bottom.  The water is then pumped to a control room where chlorine is added which kills all parasites and common germs.

Source: Excerpts from Lowvelder Newspaper, 3 August 2010

Water scarcity in South Africa and in a growing number of other countries is becoming more prevalent.  Local municipalities struggle to provide enough water for new developments and municipal water quality can be an issue.  The Karino water plant will provide some water to the Karino Estate (located near Nelspruit, Mpumalanga) but in times of drought the Crocodile River water will become over-utilized and abstraction will be curtailed.  Water conservation systems such as rainwater harvesting systems and grey water recycling systems should be incorporated into the design of houses on new developments such as those that will be built on Karino Estate (and the growing number of other country estates in the Lowveld).  Although all Water Rhapsody’s systems can be retrofitted, it is ideal to work with architects and builders in the early stages of construction.  The cost of incorporating one or more water-saving systems into a new building is minimal compared to the overall cost.  Serious water shortages are looming; every homeowner should be attempting to mitigate the effects of the water crisis by installing some sort of water saving system.  Water tanks are an important part of preparing for water shortages.  Water tanks are used for rainwater collection and for storing reserve municipal and borehole water.  We always advise that appropriate water filtration be implemented- even chlorine in water can be hazardous to your health.  We also advise against letting chlorinated swimming pool backwash water enter the environment; we supply and install a cost-effective backwash recycling system (see product demo, Poolside Tank) so that hazardous chlorinated water doesn’t damage the environment.  As with water, energy-saving systems should also be considered whenever possible.  Water Rhapsody Mpumalanga has now incorporated Yes Solar Mpumalanga- we supply solar products, specializing in solar water heating and solar geysers (installed by Eskom-accredited technicians so they are eligible for substantial rebates).  Whether you are building a new house or want to make your existing home more water- and energy efficient, contact us for a FREE quote and assessment. We are working with various country estates and eco estates in Mpumalanga and Limpopo Province where we advise estate managers on holistic water management and encourage homeowners to have at least one form of water conservation system built into their houses.

Few people realize that washing our cars in our driveways is one of the most environmentally un-friendly chores we can do around the house. Unlike household waste water that enters sewers or septic systems and undergoes treatment before it is discharged into the environment, what runs off from your car goes right into storm drains — and eventually into rivers, streams, creeks and wetlands where it poisons aquatic life and wreaks other ecosystem havoc. After all, that water is loaded with a witch’s brew of gasoline, oil and residues from exhaust fumes — as well as the harsh detergents being used for the washing itself.

Commercial Car Washes Treat Waste Water
On the other hand, federal laws in both the U.S. and Canada require commercial carwash facilities to drain their wastewater into sewer systems, so it gets treated before it is discharged back into the great outdoors. And commercial car washes use computer controlled systems and high-pressure nozzles and pumps that minimize water usage. Many also recycle and re-use the rinse water.

The International Carwash Association, an industry group representing commercial car wash companies, reports that automatic car washes use less than half the water of even the most careful home car washer. According to one report, washing a car at home typically uses between 80 and 140 gallons of water, while a commercial car wash averages less than 45 gallons per car.

Think Green When Washing Your Car
If you must wash your car at home, choose a biodegradable soap specifically formulated for automotive parts, such as Simple Green’s Car Wash or Gliptone’s Wash ‘n Glow. Or you can make your own biodegradable car wash by mixing one cup of liquid dishwashing detergent and 3/4 cup of powdered laundry detergent (each should be chlorine- and phosphate-free and non-petroleum-based) with three gallons of water. This concentrate can then be used sparingly with water over exterior car surfaces.

Even when using green-friendly cleaners, it is better to avoid the driveway and instead wash your car on your lawn or over dirt so that the toxic waste water can be absorbed and neutralized in soil instead of flowing directly into storm drains or open water bodies. Also, try to sop up or disperse those sudsy puddles that remain after you’re done. They contain toxic residues and can tempt thirsty animals.

Waterless Car Wash Products are Good for Small Jobs
One way to avoid such problems altogether is to wash your car using any number of waterless formulas available, which are especially handy for spot cleaning and are applied via spray bottle and then wiped off with a cloth. Freedom Waterless Car Wash is a leading product in this growing field.

A Better Car Wash Option for Fundraising
One last caution: Kids and parents planning a fundraising car wash event should know that they might be violating clean water laws if run-off is not contained and disposed of properly. Washington’s Puget Sound Carwash Association, for one, allows fund-raisers to sell tickets redeemable at local car washes, enabling the organizations to still make money while keeping dry and keeping local waterways clean.

Source: About.com: environmental issues

Contractor washing construction vehicle in the Komati River

Washing vehicles is a necessary part of maintenance.  However, some people go to extremes and waste f a r too much water just to remove superficial dirt.  Generally, using a bucket as opposed to running water from a hose , will save water.  Eco-friendly cleaning products allow you to wash your car on your lawn- thus saving irrigation water.  As an added bonus, many eco friendly cleaning formulas are better for your car’s paintwork.  In many parts of rural Africa, vehicles are parked in or on the edges of rivers and washed.  This is a normal activity for many with no thought of water contamination from carwash soap and oil and grease from the vehicle. During c onstruction projects, contractors can be heavily fined if any of there vehicles are washed outside of a proper washbay that has oil traps installed.  Many aquatic organisms are super-sensitive to even minute amounts of contaminants.  Edu cation at school level is required to put an end to this environmentally damaging habit. A clean, shiny car is often a source of pride to the owner but it’s not acceptable if the environment is harmed to keep it that way.  Use waterless washing formulas to clear away light dirt and when a major wash is required, try to use an automated car wash that recycles water.  Water Rhapsody have developed a special water recycling system for automated car wash machines; and have begun installing these around southern Africa.  Contact us for all your water conservation needs (we supply and install water tanks too!).

]]> http://www.rainharvest.co.za/2010/07/eco-friendly-car-washing/feed/ 2 http://www.rainharvest.co.za/2010/06/groundwater-pollution-an-ever-increasing-problem/ http://www.rainharvest.co.za/2010/06/groundwater-pollution-an-ever-increasing-problem/#comments Sun, 27 Jun 2010 15:03:44 +0000 admin http://www.rainharvest.co.za/?p=2007 Tweet

About half the population in the United States relies to some extent on groundwater as a source of drinking water, and still more use it to supply their factories with process water or their farms with irrigation water. However, if all water uses such as irrigation and power production are included, only about 25 percent of the water used nationally is derived from groundwater. Still, for those who rely on it, it is critical that their groundwater be unpolluted and relatively free of undesirable contaminants .

A groundwater pollutant is any substance that, when it reaches an aquifer , makes the water unclean or otherwise unsuitable for a particular purpose. Sometimes the substance is a manufactured chemical, but just as often it might be microbial contamination. Contamination also can occur from naturally occurring mineral and metallic deposits in rock and soil.

For many years, people believed that the soil and sediment layers deposited above an aquifer acted as a natural filter that kept many unnatural pollutants from the surface from infiltrating down to groundwater. By the 1970s, however, it became widely understood that those soil layers often did not adequately protect aquifers. Despite this realization, a significant amount of contamination already had been released to the nation’s soil and groundwater. Scientists have since realized that once an aquifer becomes polluted, it may become unusable for decades, and is often impossible to clean up quickly and inexpensively.

Types of Groundwater Contamination

Groundwater pollution caused by human activities usually falls into one of two categories: point-source pollution and nonpoint-source pollution.

crop spraying

Point-source pollution refers to contamination originating from a single tank, disposal site, or facility. Industrial waste disposal sites, accidental spills, leaking gasoline storage tanks, and dumps or landfills are examples of point sources. Chemicals used in agriculture, such as fertilizers, pesticides, and herbicides are examples of nonpoint-source pollution because they are spread out across wide areas. Similarly, runoff from urban areas is a nonpoint source of pollution.

Because nonpoint-source substances are used over large areas, they collectively can have a larger impact on the general quality of water in an aquifer than do point sources, particularly when these chemicals are used in areas that overlie aquifers that are vulnerable to pollution. If impacts from individual pollution sources such as septic system drain fields occur over large enough areas, they are often collectively treated as a nonpoint source of pollution.

Groundwater typically becomes polluted when rainfall soaks into the ground, comes in contact with buried waste or other sources of contamination, picks up chemicals, and carries them into groundwater. Sometimes the volume of a spill or leak is large enough that the chemical itself can reach groundwater without the help of infiltrating water.

Groundwater tends to move very slowly and with little turbulence, dilution, or mixing. Therefore, once contaminants reach groundwater, they tend to form a concentrated plume that flows along with groundwater. Despite the slow movement of contamination through an aquifer, groundwater pollution often goes undetected for years, and as a result can spread over a large area. One chlorinated solvent plume in Arizona, for instance, is 0.8 kilometers (0.5 miles) wide and several kilometers long!

Depending on the complexity of the aquifer and the types of contamination, some groundwater cannot be restored to a safe drinking quality. Under these circumstances, the only way to regain use of the aquifer is to treat the water at its point of use. For large water providers, this may mean installing costly treatment units consisting of special filters or evaporative towers called air strippers. Domestic well owners may need to install an expensive whole-house carbon filter or a reverse osmosis filter, depending on the type of contaminant.

Source: Water Encyclopaedia

How NOT to store hazardous chemicals (photo taken at a construction site in Mozambique)

Groundwater pollution is becoming more prevalent; ‘borehole’ water can no longer be considered safe to drink, always test it for contamination.  Groundwater can be contaminated by E.coli bacteria and chlorinated solven ts (amongst numerous other harmful substances and organisms). Chlorine-contaminated ground water can possibly allay fears of E.coli and microbial pathogens but chlorine in itself is harmful to many other lifeforms, including humans.  Volatile organic compounds (VOCs) can potentially form when substances containing chlorine are released into the environ ment; these can also be extremely hazardous to health. This is good reason to prevent your swimming pool backwash water from entering the environment.  Water Rhapsody’s Poolside Tank reuses swimming pool backwash water so that none of it leaves your pool system; saving the environment, saving water and saving you money.  Where chlorine is used to disinfect drinking water, special steps should be taken to prevent over-chlorination.  When possible, more eco-friendly methods should be employed to render water safe for drinking and bathing.  Rainwater harvesting (rooftop rain water collection then stored in water tanks) is one solution to a contaminated groundwater supply. See our product demo for a simple explanation of all Water Rhapsody’s water systems (including greywater recycling systems).

]]> http://www.rainharvest.co.za/2010/06/groundwater-pollution-an-ever-increasing-problem/feed/ 1 http://www.rainharvest.co.za/2010/06/wash-your-hair-with-rainwater/ http://www.rainharvest.co.za/2010/06/wash-your-hair-with-rainwater/#comments Wed, 23 Jun 2010 18:13:16 +0000 admin http://www.rainharvest.co.za/?p=1964 Tweet

Solve your hard-water hair problems with rainwater.

People have been washing their hair with rainwater for years. Some claim it has mystical benefits, that your hair will be shinier, more manageable or that the water is cleaner because it comes from the sky. There is a grain of truth to all this.

Rainwater is soft water. Hard water doesn’t wash as well as soft water. You can’t lather as well and it leaves more soap scum behind. If you are accustomed to a hard-water hair wash, then rainwater will do wonders for your hair. Those people who most benefit from a rainwater hair wash probably live in a hard water area.

Rainwater still has chemicals in it, but it won’t contain some the heavier chemicals found in hard water. Rainwater is not safe to drink without filtering it first. If you live in an acid rain area or any place where a layer of smog casts a pallor over the town, I’d avoid using rainwater for hair. Luckily, most of the hard water areas are in the middle of the United States. Lot’s of good clean rainwater there.

For those of you just looking to save water, washing your hair with rainwater is one of many ways in which you can preserve the potable water in your faucets.

Source: Planet Green

Showering in chlorinated water

Chlorine is a toxic chemical. It is used in water treatment to reduce and kill forms of biological agents, such as bacteria and viruses found in water systems. Chlorine is harmful to you when you drink it and when it is absorbed into our skin and inhaled into your lungs when you shower. It has been estimated that the “shower steam” in your bathroom can contain up to 100 times the amount of chlorine than the water, because chlorine evaporates out of water at a relatively low temperature. If you bathe or shower in unfiltered tap water you are inhaling and absorbing chlorine into your body.

Conditions contributed to or aggravated by chlorine exposure:
· Respiratory Conditions (nose, throat, lungs, sinuses): Asthma, bronchitis
· Hair: Dry, brittle
· Skin: Dry, flaking, dandruff, itching, rashes (especially with infants and children)
· Eye conditions

Chlorine is universally used to chemically disinfect water. It kills germs, bacteria and other living organisms. Chlorine readily passes through the cell wall and attaches to the fatty acids of the cell, disrupting the life sustaining functions. The human body is composed of billions of cells. Most people are aware that the quality of their drinking water can be improved by filtering their tap water or buying bottled water. However, many do not realize that they are addressing only a part of the problem.

One half of our daily chlorine exposure is from showering. Chlorine is not only absorbed through the skin, but also re-vaporized in the shower, inhaled into the lungs, and transferred directly into the blood system. In fact, the chlorine exposure from one shower is equal to an entire day’s amount of drinking the same water. Drinking filtered or bottled water only does half the job.

Source: Heart Spring

Some excellent advice; save water by using rainwater to wash with, for your health.  If you want to drink rain water harvested off your roof, it needs to be filtered.  According to many women, especially those with long hair, rainwater IS the best water to wash your hair with.  Apart from hard water problems, many municipalities over-chlorinate the water supply.  White River (Mpumalanga, South Africa) municipal water is dreadful to drink because of this.  And don’t think you are getting aware from chlorine exposure if you filter your municipal water for drinking but use it unfiltered for showering.  As the article above points out, half of your daily chlorine exposure is from showering! Rainwater does seem to have other ‘feel good’ properties that are difficult to define.  Chlorinated water from swimming pool backwash water can also have a negative effect.  As an environmental consultant in Mozambique, I sometimes took advantage of a tropical downpour for an impromptu shower (clean water is hard to find in the middle of nowhere!).  The feeling of well-being after taking a ‘rain shower’ is difficult to describe.  Washing a vehicle with rainwater also seems to give superior results compared with municipal water.  I’ve always wondered what the long term effect of all the chlorine in municipal water has on a car’s paint job; I have no desire to test it on my vehicle!

Harvesting rainwater is therefore good for your health (and your hair!), saves water and saves you money.  Rainwater tanks provide a useful reserve of water in times of water shortage.  Water Rhapsody’s rainwater harvesting system is designed to augment or even supplant your existing water supply but is integrated into the plumbing so that if either source is depleted, the system automatically switches over to the other source.  The number of water tanks, your roof area and your rainfall statistics determine how much rain water you can harvest and store.