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Allergies at Home
Is Your Water Quality to
Blame?
Jennifer L.
Nelson
From peanuts to pollen, millions of people worldwide
suffer from allergies, but what they may not realize is that their drinking
water could be partially to blame for their symptoms.
Most of us probably don’t want to think about what
could be lurking in the tap water that we drink, cook with and bathe in, but
studies have shown that certain allergies and respiratory conditions like
asthma might be linked to chemicals that are commonly used to clean tap water.
How Tap Water Affects Your Allergy Symptoms
It’s widely known that municipalities add chlorine and
other chemical purifiers to their water systems to make tap water safe for
drinking and bathing, but what’s not as widely understood is how some of these
chemicals can disrupt our body’s hormones.
However, researchers are finding that these purifying
chemicals can interfere with our immune systems much like pet dander can cause
hives in someone with animal allergies.
When your body’s immune system identifies an allergen
like dust, peanuts or shellfish as a potential danger, it will release
antibodies to attack the foreign substance, which is what leads to everything
from annoying seasonal allergy symptoms like nasal congestion to
life-threatening conditions like anaphylaxis.
Though it is possible to be allergic to water itself —
an incredibly rare condition known as aquagenic urticaria — what many allergy
sufferers may not realize is that their body might be identifying the chemicals
in their home’s tap water as potential attackers.
Which Chemicals Are to Blame?
A study conducted in Belgium concluded that chlorine,
which is primarily added to water to kill bacteria, could exacerbate allergy
and asthma symptoms.
In fact, research suggests that even the fumes from a
steamy shower in chlorine-treated water could trigger an asthma attack.
Other research has linked chlorine exposure to
conditions ranging from skin and eye irritation to respiratory issues like
bronchitis.
In recent years, another type of water purifying
chemical that has been called into question is known as dichlorophenol.
Also used to clean drinking water, dichlorophenol is
often used to make pesticides — meaning it might just be lingering on some of
your favorite seasonal fruits and vegetables this summer.
The link between dichlorophenol and allergies is
continuing to be established; one study tested more than 10,000 Americans and
found that those with the highest levels of dichlorophenol in their urine were
more likely to have food allergies, which currently affect some 15 million
Americans.
But the chlorine that could be in your water at home
isn’t solely to blame for any adverse allergy symptoms.
Fluoride has also been added to community water
supplies for years due to its ability to fight tooth decay, but research has
been done that suggests both adults and children who suffer from asthma and
allergy symptoms may have negative reactions to fluoride.
How to Filter Your Tap Water to Improve Symptoms
If there’s someone with allergies or asthma in your
home, experts agree you should consider filtering your tap water.
The majority of home water filters remove chlorine by
relying on a semi-permeable membrane and a process known as reverse osmosis
filtration, which also successfully removes pesticides in addition to lead,
calcium, and other hard water minerals.
Reverse osmosis filters remove virtually all of the
chemicals typically found in tap water, and have proven particularly effective
in removing chemicals like fluoride from your drinking and bathing water.
You can also take your home’s water filtration a step
further and invest in a shower filter to prevent absorbing the chemicals
through your skin, but these filters may not eliminate all chemicals in the
water and will likely have to be replaced on a fairly regular basis.
Alternatively, there are whole house filters on the
market that are designed to remove all chemicals, including chlorine and
fluoride, from every faucet in your home.
When installed on all of your kitchen and bathroom
faucets, these filters can provide completely purified drinking and bath water
throughout your home.
5 Water Quality-Related Tips To Relieve Allergies
Still concerned about how traces of chemicals like
chlorine in your tap water might be affecting your existing allergies or asthma
symptoms?
Here are some other water quality-related tips for
allergy and asthma sufferers.
Keep Your Showers Short (and Cool)
Long showers in hot water can lead to increased
absorption of any chemicals that might be lingering in your home’s water
supply.
Allergy and asthma sufferers should consider limiting the
amount of time spent in the shower, using lukewarm water, and turning off the
water entirely while lathering or shaving.
Choose Bottled Water
For those who are concerned about chemicals in tap
water, investing in water purifiers for your faucets will likely be the most
economical option in the long run. However, bottled water can provide a safe
alternative for drinking water when you’re on the go.
Opt For Organic
Even if you install a top-of-the-line faucet water
filter, that doesn’t mean the produce you eat wasn’t previously treated with
the very chemicals or pesticides you’re trying to avoid.
Choose organic fruits and vegetables whenever
possible, and be sure to thoroughly rinse all produce with filtered water prior
to consuming.
Limit Pool Time
Public pools are dependent on increased levels of
chemicals like chlorine in order to kill bacteria. So if you or a loved one has
severe allergies or asthma, you might want to limit time spent at the community
pool.
You can also seek out pools — or treat your own
backyard pool — with non-chlorine chemical alternatives like bromine or
processes like ionization, which relies on copper and silver ions to keep the
water clean.
Use Distilled Water in Humidifiers
Longtime asthma and allergy sufferers probably already
know that humidity in that air can improve their breathing.
But if you’re relying on a humidifier to sleep
comfortably through the night, you might want to fill it with distilled water.
The minerals commonly found in tap water can form
deposits that ultimately promote the growth of bacteria — which, of course, can
then be released into the air and potentially worsen your symptoms.
By following the above tips, you can better protect
yourself and your family from the allergies caused by poor water quality.
With a little preparation and care, you can fight back
against the allergens that lace our water sources, promoting a healthier home.
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