FAQ

1.     What is Trihalomethanes or Dioxine and how does it affect our health by taking it through our drinking water?

Trihalomethanes are a group of organic chemicals formed in water when chlorine reacts with natural matter, like humic acids, found in water. Humic acids are the organic portion of soil that is formed by the decay of leaves, wood and other vegetable matter. Disinfecants, like chlorine, are used to reduce the levels of microbes in the water supply. However, as the use of disinfectants increases, trihalomethanes, a DBP, risk increases. There are hundreds of DBP like trihalomethanes, others are chloropicrin, haloacetonitriles and haloketones to name a few.

Numerous studies have linked trihalomethanes to different types of cancers and to miscarriages. A Norwegian study has found trihalomethanes to have mutagenic and carcinogenic effects. The following is a summary of the study found in the September, 1999 issue of "Epidemiology".

Chlorination & Birth Defects:

• Overall risk for birth defects rose 14%
• Risks for urinary tract birth defects were very high; babies faced double the risk of such malformations.
• Serious neural tube defects risks, like spina bifida, rose 26% in babies.

Trihalomethanes also belong to a group of chemicals called volatile oragnic chemicals, VOCs. Also called hormonal disrupters, VOCs are associated with a wide range of problems from cancer to violent behavior.

2. How can we remove Trihalomethanes?

VOCs, as well as trihalomethanes, are not removed effectively through distillation because they recondense back into the water, and these units do not provide sufficient carbon to efficiently reduce VOCs. If you prefer distillation, run your water first through a solid carbon home water filter before distillation. The effective form of water treatment for trihalomethanes is a solid carbon block home water filter. These units contain compressed activated carbon so every water molecule goes through the carbon and not around it as in granulated carbon units. However, you have to remember to clean the activated carbon by running water through a few minutes every time since those contaminants filtered from water can stay in the carbon. 

3.      How important is it to drink water with balanced minerals dissolved?

As important as vitamins are, they can do nothing for you without minerals. Vitamins cannot be assimilated without the aid of minerals. And though the body can manufacture a few vitamins, it cannot manufacture a single mineral. All tissues and internal fluids of our body contain varying quantities of minerals. Minerals are constituents of the bones, teeth, soft tissue, muscle, blood, and nerve cells. They are vital to overall mental and physical well-being. Minerals act as catalysts for many biological reactions within the body, including muscle response, the transmission of messages through the nervous system, the production of hormones, digestion, and the utilization of nutrients in foods. There are 16 essential mineral elements which human body requires as supplements nutrition to grow and maintain life. On earth 103 mineral elements are confirmed for their existence and 70 among them are confirmed to exist in the human body. We cannot produce those minerals in the body so we need to take them in from food or drink. Minerals vary in their functions as (1) structure materials such as bones  (2) physiological function such as iron in red blood corpuscles or iodine of thyroid hormone by connecting themselves with some proteins or fats  (3) neural transmission function as ion forms dissolved in body fluid around neural cell membranes.  Most of so-called “mineral waters” in bottles in the market only shows 4-5 minerals such as calcium (Ca), magnesium (Mg), potassium (K), and sodium (Na). However, natural water contains much more minerals.   It would be very beneficial if you utilize “condensed mineral liquid” we recommend to use with this Aquatech Pro Water System.

Minerals and their functions

<TRACE MINERALS> Minerals that occur in tiny amounts or traces. They play a major role in health, since even minute portions of them can powerfully affect health. They are essential in the assimilation and utilization of vitamins and other nutrients. They aid in digestion and provide the catalyst for many hormones, enzymes and essential body functions and reactions. they also aid in replacing electrolytes lost through heavy perspiration or extended diarrhea and protects against toxic reaction and heavy metal poisoning.

Mineral and Redox Water technology Go to: RESEARCH

4.     What is pH?  What is the best pH for drinking water?

What is pH?
We learned in school that water, or H2O, is composed of hydrogen and oxygen molecules. Neutral water is given a pH value of 7.0. It contains equal amounts of hydrogen ions (H+) and hydroxide ions (OH-). Dissolved chemicals and minerals change the balance of those ions from a perfectly neutral state. Increase the amount of hydrogen ions (H+), and the water becomes more acid ("low pH"). Increase the amount of hydroxide ions (OH-), and the water becomes more alkaline ("high pH"). The further these values rise or fall, the more acid or alkaline the water becomes.

What is the best pH for drinking water? Alkaline (ionized) water has high pH (8~10) by electrolyzing water into two kinds, acid and alkaline water, and use only alkaline water for drinking.   Our body liquid measures neutral (6~8) in pH, therefore, naturally water of neutral pH would be better absorbing in the body.  Besides mineral elements are supposed to decrease in alkaline water of over 8 pH.  Unless special treatment is required for patients of certain diseases, it would not be recommended to drink high pH water like “alkaline/ionized water” in daily basis. Water of low pH (acid), in general, measures high ORP and high pH (alkaline) low ORP.  It is rare to have a neutral in pH with low ORP like the Mineral Redox Water. However, in natural water, acidity of minus ions and alkalinity of plus ions coexist so this mineral redox water can be said an ideal water.

5.     As ORP is a measurement for good redox water, how can we measure it?

The term redox potential, or ORP (Oxidation-Reduction Potential) is measured indirectly as the ability of an aquatic system to conduct electricity, in millivolts (mV, 1/1000 of a volt). Definition of oxidation reduction can be offered as a measure of the ability of a system to eliminate wastes".  Redox is eminently important as an indicator not only of a system's capacity for cycling waste, but indeed of chemically supporting fish, plant, and invertebrate life. There are both oxidation (e.g. biological conversion of ammonia to nitrites to nitrates) and reduction (ridding systems of nitrate aka denitrification, bio-phosphate PO3) that must occur readily in a truly closed system to support (macro-) life.

ORP is usually measured for chemical experiments of water condition to decide whether liquid is contaminated with wastes, measuring its oxidation, and applied to various environmental or industrial pollution conditions. For example, the measure of the pool water's overall ability to eliminate wastes. Reduction represents a low oxidative state caused by wastes and decomposition. However, ORP can be measured in water related to human body as well including drinking water, living organism liquid etc. ORP measured in urine can show oxidation condition of our body. If our body is oxidized which causes possible disease, urine shows high mV or ORP measurement.  Interesting result was found by testing people's urine that many of healthy persons showed ORP voltage of +50 to 74 and persons for further treatment required showed +100 to 124.  Healthy persons had lower voltage of ORP, less oxidation potential in their body. On the other hand, persons of exhausted body condition or having cold had higher ORP. It explains that our body gets oxidized when health condition is not well. To maintain ORP in our body low, drinking Mineral Redox Water is proven to be effective.

Various instruments of measuring ORP are available especially for chemical laboratory industry, however the prices are rather expensive.  We have selected affordable instruments to offer for drinking water with our product line of Aquatech ProX System.

About ORP and Redox Water - Go to: RESEARCH