Arsenic in Irish Bottled Water 2019

Arsenic in Bottled Water

Your bottled water has likely contained arsenic. In August 2019 all bottled water brands produced by Irish company Celtic Pure have been recalled by the Food Safety Authority of Ireland due to the presence of the arsenic. Why take the risk in buying bottled water when you can filter tap water?

Still, sparking and fruit water brands have all been affected by the presence of high levels of the poisonous heavy metal. Dozens of bottled water brands are affected. Aldi, Lidl, Dunnes Stores and the smaller supermarkets including Spar, Mace, Londis and Applegreen have been instructed to remove water from the shelf. (1)  

Arsenic is not your only worry with bottled water

Plastic is in bottled water globally. The Orb study (Orb Media U.S-based non-profit journalism organisation) tested 259 bottles from 19 locations in 9 countries across 11 different brands were found to contain on average 325 plastic pieces for every litre of water. Scientists used Nile red dye to fluoresce plastic particles in the water, developed by Dr Andrew Mayes, University of East Anglia scientist. Nestlé Pure Life was worst offender; concentrations as high as 10,000 plastic pieces per litre. Of 259 bottles tested, only 17 were plastic free. Contamination said to be partially coming from packaging &/or bottling process. Plastic fibres in bottled water brands are twice as high as those found in tap water. (2) The study is not yet published in a journal nor has been peer reviewed. (3)

A second unrelated Story of Stuff study examined 19 bottled water brands in the US, also found plastic microfibres were widespread. (4) Plastic is in all human stools. 9 different plastics have been found in all human stools tested posing a threat to Public Health. (5-7)

Drinking Water is anything But

Drinking water is a social determinant to disease, a powerful determinant of health and also promotes socioeconomic development, (8) yet the Public Health System is failing to protect the public with poor drinking water quality the greatest threat to public health. Irish Water have consecutively failed year after year to meet safety standards for bromate, nickel, nitrite, copper, pesticides, arsenic, fluoride, lead and trihalomethanes (THM), (9-11) thus by definition, Irish tap water poses a public health risk. Regardless of whether you have been convinced that fluoride is the best thing since sliced bread, the hexafluorosilicic acid (fluoride) in our water exceeds safety standards hence by definition poses a risk to Public Health. 1.3 million people in Ireland are drinking unsafe water! (10) Other risks in Irish drinking water include e-coli and cryptosporidium, (12) radon (13) superbugs (14) and plastic. (15)

Eco Gravity Water Filter

Eco Gravity Water Filter Bone Charcoal
Brand Carahealth
€225.00

The Solution

Purify your own water. An end stage filtration unit provides the answer. I recommend our Carahealth Water Filters which use NSF/WRc certified ceramic candles which use microfiltration to remove;

• Waterborne Disease: Cryptosporidium and E-coli etc are parasites typically above 2μm (microns) and are removed by the ceramic outer shell (1μm).

• Chemicals: Chlorine, Fluoride, Pesticides, THM’s, Phenols, Petrochemicals, etc

• Suspended Solids & Heavy Metals: Microplastics to 1μm, Arsenic, Lead, Copper, Mercury, Cadmium, Chromium, Aluminium, Nickel, etc (16-22)

Our Eco Gravity Water Filters are the most environmentally friendly, economic way to purify drinking water. Your Britta filter for example is made from an endocrine disrupting plastic and does not adequately remove many contaminants. The plastic waste produced by plastic cartridges poses an unacceptable risk to human and environmental health. Britta filters do not remove fluoride or water borne disease. Carahealth filter cartridges are made from natural biodegradable bone or vegetable char and changed once a year as opposed to once a month. The units themselves are food grade stainless steel.

1. Farsaci L. Bottled water recall linked to Celtic Pure probe by FSAI and HSE. MSN Ireland. 2019.
2. Mason SA, Welch VG, Neratko J. Synthetic Polymer Contamination in Bottled Water. Frontiers in chemistry. 2018;6:407-.
3. Morrison CTaD. Microplastics Found in Global Bottled Water. Orb Media; 2019.
4. Leonard A. The Story of Bottled Water. The Story of Stuff Project; 2018.
5. Editor KOSES. Nine different plastics found in human stools, research shows. The Irish Times. 2018 Oct 23.
6. Thompson A. Microplastics Have Been Found in People's Poop—What Does It Mean? Scientific American. 2018 Oct 24.
7. Wright SL, Kelly FJ. Threat to human health from environmental plastics. 2017;358.
8. Glick D, Gottschalk J. Water and social determinants of health2009.
9. EPA. Drinking Water Report for Public Water Supplies 2015. County Wexford, Ireland: Environmental Protection Agency 2015.
10. EPA. Drinking Water Report for Public Water Supplies 2016. 2016.
11. EPA. Drinking Water Report for Public Supplies 2017. County Wexford, Ireland: Environmental Protection Agency 2017.
12. Water I. Draft Water Services Strategic Plan A Plan for the Future of Water Services. 2015.
13. EPA. Radon Services [Internet ]. 2018 [cited 2018 Oct 13]. Available from: https://www.epa.ie/radiation/meas/radon/services/apply/.
14. Madec J-Y, Haenni M, Ponsin C, Kieffer N, Rion E, Gassilloud B. Sequence Type 48 Escherichia coli Carrying the blaCTX-M-1 IncI1/ST3 Plasmid in Drinking Water in France. Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy 2016;60(10):6430-2.
15. Anne Marie Mahon RO, Róisín Nash and Ian O’Connor. Research 210: Scope, Fate, Risks and Impacts of Microplastic Pollution in Irish Freshwater Systems. EPA GMIT; 2014.
16. Agrawal VK, Bhalwar R. Household Water Purification: Low-Cost Interventions. Medical Journal, Armed Forces India. 2009;65(3):260-3.
17. Brown J, Sobsey MD. Microbiological effectiveness of locally produced ceramic filters for drinking water treatment in Cambodia. Journal of water and health. 2010;8(1):1-10.
18. Mellor J, Abebe L, Ehdaie B, Dillingham R, Smith J. Modeling the sustainability of a ceramic water filter intervention. Water research. 2014;49:286-99.
19. Morris JF, Murphy J, Fagerli K, Schneeberger C, Jaron P, Moke F, et al. A Randomized Controlled Trial to Assess the Impact of Ceramic Water Filters on Prevention of Diarrhea and Cryptosporidiosis in Infants and Young Children-Western Kenya, 2013. Am J Trop Med Hyg. 2018;98(5):1260-8.
20. Mwabi JK, Mamba BB, Momba MNB. Removal of Escherichia coli and faecal coliforms from surface water and groundwater by household water treatment devices/systems: a sustainable solution for improving water quality in rural communities of the Southern African development community region. International journal of environmental research and public health. 2012;9(1):139-70.
21. Organization NtPHaS. Contaminant Reduction Claims Guide. 2018.
22. Ren D, Colosi LM, Smith JA. Evaluating the sustainability of ceramic filters for point-of-use drinking water treatment. Environ Sci Technol. 2013;47(19):11206-13.

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