Are shower water contaminants more dangerous to our health than when we use that same water to drink?
Have you considered the vaporising effect of chloramines and volatile organic chemicals (VOC’s) on your lungs when having a hot shower?
In this article, we’ll take a look at:
- Why shower water contaminants can be dangerous to our health.
- The health effects those contaminants can cause.
- How you can remove shower water contaminants from the water supply in your Western Australian home!
What Makes Shower Water Contaminants Dangerous To Our Health?
The many contaminants in the water we drink are bad enough to our health. However, research has shown that when you vaporise those potentially harmful contaminants via a hot shower, they are absorbed directly into our bloodstream via the lungs. As they are released into the air, we breath them in with the water vapour (steam) for as long as we are in the shower. It has been found that breathing in chemicals from heated water has a more direct and undesirable impact, than when the same water is ingested via drinking.
What Health Issues Are We At Risk Of Experiencing From Shower Water Contaminants?
The most dangerous water contaminants when it comes to shower water have been identified as trihalomethanes (THM’s), volatile organic chemicals (VOC’s), chlorine and chloramine. When contaminants are present in tap water, they can lead to a range of detrimental health effects when exposed to them in the shower:
- Allergic Reactions: itchy eyes, coughing and a runny nose (caused by chlorine and chloramine)
- Respiratory Problems: breathing issues and asthma attacks (caused by THM’s, chlorine and chloramine)
- Elevated Risk Of Various Cancers: including cancers of the bladder, colon, breast and kidney (caused by THM’s and VOC’s)
- Damage To Organs: including the heart, lungs, kidney and liver (caused by THM’s and VOC’s)
- Local Skin Irritation: itchy skin, dry skin, rough skin
- Hair Quality Is Affected: scalp sensitivity, some people loose clumps of hair each time it is washed
In Perth & Western Australia, the water is hard water. Calcium deposits & limescale ruin your shower plumbing and glass screens. The ugliness of the tiles on the walls & floor detracts from what should be a pleasurable experience when showering! It adds to the adverse health effects of other contaminants in Perth water.
How Can You Eliminate Shower Water Contaminants From Your Home’s Water?
The best way to eliminate shower water contaminants from your home’s water is to install a water filter system.
- Many of the most dangerous shower water contaminants can be removed with a carbon filter, a reverse osmosis system or a combination of both.
- In addition, hardness minerals can easily be removed by combining your whole house filtration with a water softener.
- Schedule a free water quality analysis with WestOz Water Filter Consultants so we can assess what kind of shower water contaminants exist in your water and suggest the right system(s) for treating them.
In The Meantime, You Can Put In Place The Following Strategies:
- Reduce the temperature of your shower water – reduces the chemical concentration of steam/vapours. Cold showers can reduce the vaporization of volatile chemicals by 50%.
- Take a shorter shower – each doubling in shower time quadruples the dose from accumulating gases.
- Always shower with an exhaust fan on.