Chlorinated water protective for CLL?

[Vlaminck]

Wow, surprising. Just found out my water filter hadn't been working and I've been drinking different levels of chlorinated for ? years. So just quickly googled, wondering if that explained my diagnosis 2019. But no! Maybe I should turn off my filter and put Britta aside as well -- Here is what I found: Abstract

The authors conducted a population-based case-control study of 1,068 incident leukemia cases and 5,039 controls aged 20–74 years during 1994–1997 to examine the association between exposure to drinking water chlorination disinfection by-products and adult leukemia risk in Canada. Residence and drinking water source histories and data from municipal water supplies were used to estimate individual chlorination disinfection by-product exposure according to water source, chlorination status, and chlorination disinfection by-product levels during the 40-year period before the interview. The analysis included 686 cases and 3,420 controls for whom water quality information was available for at least 30 of these years. Increased risk of chronic myeloid leukemia was associated with increasing years of exposure to different chlorination disinfection by-product indexes, with an adjusted odds ratio of 1.72 (95% confidence interval: 1.01, 3.08) for the highest exposure duration to total trihalomethanes of more than 40 μg/liter. In contrast, the risk of the other studied leukemia subtypes was found to decrease with increasing years of exposure to chlorination disinfection by-products. A protective effect was noted for chronic lymphoid leukemia (odds ratio = 0.60, 95 percent confidence interval: 0.41, 0.87) associated with the highest exposure duration to total trihalomethanes of more than 40 μg/liter. More studies with long-term exposure measures and large enough to evaluate leukemia subtypes are needed to further understanding of the issue.

[Eucalyptus22]

I'm not sure I understand some of the words used in the article. Is this article saying that chlorination disinfection by-products are filtres e.g. Brita! And that the carcinogenic effects of trihalomethanes are actually beneficial to those with CLL.

If so, I'm chucking my water filter in bin!

👍

[Vlaminck in reply to Eucalyptus22]

Sorry, the Brita reference was just my addition. Article doesn't relate to that. And yes, starts to make me think of doing the same in such areas as mine where public water is chlorinated. I'm not 100% fluent in lingo either except think I got the gist which is chlorinated water with its by-products is related to some diseases, but inversely related to CLL! And I guess it still leaves the question, could this be because chlorinated water kills off certain bacteria, etc, or the actual intake of chlorinated byproducts. I think the article is saying the latter. Hmmm.

[Eucalyptus22 in reply to Vlaminck]

I'm intrigued by this as I have been using a water filter for years and during that time my CLL rapidly got worse so that I am now in treatment. Maybe I needed the chlorinated water after all. I was just about to buy a new set of cartridges for the filtre but now I am thinking !

🤔

[bennevisplace in reply to Vlaminck]

Chlorination disinfection byproducts (DBPs) are formed when water is chlorinated and organic matter in the water reacts with chlorine. Their formation and occurrence depends on many factors, including the chlorine dose, type of treatment, pH, temperature, residence time, and bromine levels [International Programme on Chemical Safety (IPCS) 2000; Nieuwenhuijsen et al. 2000a]; up to 600 DBPs have been identified (Richardson 1998; Richardson et al. 2008). Different mixtures of by-products may exist in different locations, depending on the various factors mentioned above, making it more difficult to assess any health effects of DBPs, particularly in epidemiologic studies.

ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articl...

[LeoPa in reply to Vlaminck]

I don't see how filtering out the chlorine and dead bacteria from your drinking water through Brita filters could decrease the quality of the drinking water, but I see how the removal of essential minerals from the drinking water could make the water quality to worsen. I use filtered for my coffee and tea but drink unfiltered plane water. We have very high quality drinking water in the area.

[country76]

Interesting. Our water comes from a well. So I have been drinking bottled water from a spring for many years.

[MistyMountainHop in reply to country76]

Beware the plastic water bottles....... They can leach chemicals into the water....

Plastic bodied kettles....are not a good idea.

I seldom use a microwave oven, but if I do, l only ever use glass bowls or ceramics in them.... because using plastic at high temperatures is not a good idea....... *Just my opinion.

[SofiaDeo in reply to MistyMountainHop]

I believe there is data confirming this. I seem to recall a grade schooler doing a science project on how the common foam takeout containers actually leached chemicals into any foods reheated in a microwave in those foam containers. And older plastics contain BPA, which food acidity especially contributes to leaching.

And there is definite proof that plastic bottled waters often contain microparticles, which are suspected to adversely affect the gut biome. More studies on this issue are being done, if I am recalling correctly.

[MistyMountainHop in reply to SofiaDeo]

Some of this bottled water is there for years, before being consumed.......

There are lots of acidic sauces that are sold in plastic bottles/containers...... I wonder how the many types of acidic ingredients react with the many types of plastics.....

Even canned food has chemical coating on the inside of the cans...... that's why we're always advised to empty the contents out, as soon as we open these cans..

[Vlaminck in reply to MistyMountainHop]

I try never to used canned anything. Used to have a very harmful coating, but still don't trust.

[SofiaDeo in reply to Vlaminck]

And I remove foods from so called "microwave safe" bags. I do steam frozen veggies in glass in the microwave, even if the package says it's OK to cook them in the bag.

[Vlaminck in reply to SofiaDeo]

I don't have, never want to have, hate food cooked by, a microwave. I'm going to be one of those old people that kids can talk about -- "You know, she never had a microwave!"

[country76 in reply to MistyMountainHop]

I realize the dangers of heated plastic and don't even store food in plastics, the bottles don't have BPA.

[MistyMountainHop in reply to country76]

Forget the tap/bottled water. It may be safer to go outside and eat the snow, but don't you go, where the Huskies go, and don't you eat that yellow snow (Frank Zappa).

[Vlaminck in reply to MistyMountainHop]

haha yum!

[country76 in reply to MistyMountainHop]

Haha Unfortunately we don't have snow however may I can drink rainwater.

[MistyMountainHop in reply to country76]

I have plenty of powdered water, but what do l mix it with?

[Eucalyptus22]

So basically, we need to drink plain ordinary bleach smelling tap water if we are to stay healthy??

[SofiaDeo in reply to Eucalyptus22]

I got a whole house water filtration system, to remove chemicals as well as biologicals. Chlorine is very reactive, I don't think it's great for our lungs to breathe it when showering, let alone have residue on our skin. I am not sure it will turn out that drinking chlorine will turn out to prevent CLL. But chlorine ingestion in this study seems to be associated with increased CML, so mmmm which disease is it "better" to get?!?

[country76 in reply to SofiaDeo]

I would rather have Cll.

[DawnRedwood in reply to SofiaDeo]

We have a whole house water filtration system as well and after my husband installed it he had the health dept. come out and test our water. After the test came back the gentleman from the health dept. came out to the house and told us our water was great! - he even said it was better than the water in the nearby town that uses chlorine. (And when we visit friends in town as soon as I go into their home I can smell what I thought was Clorox........but it's the water, usually in the kitchen sink.!!!! When you're not used to chlorinated water you can smell it in someone's home.)

[JigFettler Volunteer in reply to SofiaDeo]

My best buddy is our local water services tech chap. UK btw. He writes the soft ware that checks the quality of the water I drink from the tap. And dozen of water treatment works here in the UK. I know what water goes thru here to be cleansed. Straight tap water is safe in my rural corner of the UK.

Is it so all over, I don't know, but it cld be.

Jig

[SofiaDeo in reply to JigFettler]

I too think most tap water systems are safe. There are occasional problems that IMO are regional things. Where I am at, the open water reservoirs in the mountain foothills are fenced, but I know the numerous rodents and birds aren't affected by the fencing. So I was most concerned about any failure resulting in even a tiny contamination of infectious agents. When I was near bigger cities, there wasn't wildlife surrounding the water storage areas, and I wasn't as concerned haha.

[JigFettler Volunteer in reply to SofiaDeo]

We do use a filter system for water consumed, cook with, for it removes the chlorinated aroma, albeit barely discernable.

Jig

[MistyMountainHop in reply to Eucalyptus22]

I use a Britta style filter jug....... but I'm not sure they filter out much..

[SofiaDeo in reply to MistyMountainHop]

I like Brita water taste, and sometimes use them on long vacations because local tap water often tastes "off".

[Vlaminck in reply to Eucalyptus22]

I know, sounds awful, and I don't know from this article that that is going to be a salvation. Just found it interesting because so counter-intuitive.

[seelel]

I would think that are more preferable ways of dealing with CLL than consuming chlorine!

[Vlaminck in reply to seelel]

haha yes, and maybe it cures Covid also! (totally joking)

[DawnRedwood in reply to seelel]

LOL!!!!!!!!! I do agree!

[Big_Dee]

Hello Vlaminck

I think it is nice that the population in general is checking out the health effects of our chemically induced life style.

Water was originally purified with chlorine gas, but now more common is chlorine acids. Unknown to general population is that many municipal water systems are intentionally made slightly acid for purification and also to increase water piping life. Biggest drinking water contaminants are our own sewage in ground water.

All plastics have plasticizers which makes them malleable, thermo set plastics are some what better in this regard. The plastics in turn leach plasticizers over the course of their life. Note how brittle some plastics become from UV exposure.

On the down side metals also outgas and form metal oxides when used for cooking.

I however do not want to go back to eating only raw uncooked food, well maybe some raw herring for New Years.

[AussieNeil Partner Administrator in reply to Big_Dee]

Water treatment, reticulation and waste water removal and treatment have arguably saved more lives than any other community health intervention. Water sanitation is a major World Health Organisation (WHO) concern. Municipal water is actually purposely made slightly alkaline after treatment to reduce pipe corrosion, which means less metal in our drinking water. Per the conclusion of this WHO document who.int/water_sanitation_he...

"Although pH usually has no direct impact on water consumers, it is one of the most important

operational water-quality parameters. Careful attention to pH control is necessary at all stages

of water treatment to ensure satisfactory water clarification and disinfection. For effective

disinfection with chlorine, the pH should preferably be less than 8. The pH of the water

entering the distribution system must be controlled to minimize the corrosion of water mains and pipes in household water systems. Failure to do so can result in the contamination of drinking-water and in adverse effects on its taste, odour, and appearance.

The optimum pH will vary in different supplies according to the composition of the water and

the nature of the construction materials used in the distribution system, but is often in the

range 6.5–9.5. Extreme pH values can result from accidental spills, treatment breakdowns,

and insufficiently cured cement mortar pipe linings.

No health-based guideline value is proposed for pH."

Neil

[Big_Dee in reply to AussieNeil]

Hello AussieNeil

Absolutely, municipal water treatment has saved millions of lives. The US EPA (Environmental Protection Agency) does not have regulations for water pH, however their suggested guide lines are 6.5 to 8.5 pH. Aqua solution of Chlorine dioxide is pH3 and is of course diluted by water. Biggest problem with galvanized steel and cast iron piping is water borne oxygen creating rusty pipe damage. On the other hand "hard water" with large amounts of dissolved minerals is a bigger problem in clogged pipes, valves and safety relief valves. The slightly acidic water does lessen the piping damage. Not withstanding the optimum water pH would be 7.0, alkaline water will chemically attach Al and Cu as you noted cement used piping joints.