Dangers of Reverse Osmosis (RO) water

Vk Muthu @EzhilAUG 09, 2020, 15:56 IST

Dangers of Reverse osmosis (RO) water

Consuming reverse osmosis (RO) water for even a few months can create serious side effects, warns WHO.

It has been scientifically confirmed that drinking reverse osmosis water causes more bodily harm and faster than most contaminants found in tap water.

Reverse Osmosis (RO) systems to purify water are in use extensively. Besides the aqua companies that market RO water personal water purifiers are also preferred by many households. RO system off course removes water impurities. But they also remove 92-99% of beneficial calcium and magnesium!

After analysing hundreds of scientific studies concerning RO water, the World Health Organization states that such water has a definite adverse influence on the animal and human organism.

Side effects, even after just a few months

What is alarming is the fact that consuming RO water for even just a few months can create serious side effects.Czech and Slovak populations who used reverse osmosis water developed various health complaints suggestive of acute magnesium (and possibly calcium) deficiency within several weeks or months. Among the complaints were cardiovascular disorders, tiredness, weakness or muscular cramps.

Dietary minerals do not compensate the lack of minerals in RO water

RO water which doesn’t contain enough minerals, when consumed, leaches minerals from the body. This means that the minerals being consumed in food and vitamins are being urinated away. Less minerals consumed plus more minerals being excreted causes serious negative side effects and big health problems. In a scientific study performed to see if minerals consumed in food can make up for the lack of minerals in RO water, scientists concluded that reduced mineral intake from water was not compensated by their diets. Low-mineral water was responsible for an increased elimination of minerals from the body.

Negative effect on homeostasis mechanisms

Consumption of RO water leads to the dilution of the electrolytes dissolved in the body water. Inadequate body water redistribution between compartments may compromise the function of vital organs. Side effects at the very beginning of this condition include tiredness, weakness and headache; more severe symptoms are muscular cramps and impaired heart rate. Long-term consumption of acidic filtered water devoid of essential elements produced by RO filters is unhealthy.

Risk factor for many diseases

Recent studies suggest that RO water may be a risk factor for hypertension and coronary heart disease, gastric and duodenal ulcers, chronic gastritis, goitre, pregnancy complications and several complications in new-borns and infants, including jaundice, anaemia, fractures and growth disorders.

Use of RO water for cooking causes substantial losses of all essential elements

When used for cooking, RO water was found to cause substantial losses of all essential elements from food (vegetables, meat, cereals). Such losses may reach up to 60 % for magnesium and calcium or even more for some other micro-elements (e.g., copper 66 %, manganese 70 %, cobalt 86 %). In contrast, when mineralized water is used for cooking, the loss of these elements is much lower, and in some cases, even higher calcium content was reported in food as a result of cooking.

Addition of minerals to remineralise the RO water will not be optimum

According to the World Health Organization the practice of adding minerals back into the reverse osmosis water could not be considered optimum, since the water does not contain all of its beneficial components. In the case of borderline deficiency of a given element, even the relatively low intake of the element with drinking water may play a relevant protective role. It is practically impossible to recreate natural water with all of its minerals and trace elements from RO treated water.

Recent recommendations

More recent studies have provided additional information about minimum and optimum levels of minerals that should be available in demineralised water.

Magnesium- a minimum of 10 mg/L and an optimum of about 20-30 mg/L

Ccalcium- a minimum of 20 mg/L and an optimum of about 50 (40-80) mg/L

Total water hardness- the sum of calcium and magnesium should be 2 to 4 mmol/L

At these concentrations, minimum or no adverse health effects were observed.

Besides the adverse effects described above RO systems also waste 70-80 per cent of water during filtration. This ‘reject’ water is saline as it has a higher concentration of chemical contaminants and is of no use for any other purpose.

Alternative to RO systems

Boiling

Proper boiling must be ensured. Let the water steam and churn for a couple of minutes. However, the chemical contamination present in water is not completely eliminated by boiling. Furthermore, boiling may not always be possible anytime in any situation due to lack of heat source or shortage of fuel or electricity.

Chlorine

Pour four drops of liquid bleach in one liter of water; 8 drops in per half gallon; and 16 drops in per gallon of water. Let it rest for at least half an hour to make the water drinkable. Excessive chlorine can be dangerous to health and must maintain some caution.

Iodine

Pour 5 drops of iodine in per liter of clean water. Add some extra few drops if the water is cloudy. Let it rest for at least half an hour before it is suitable to drink. Iodine is more effective if the water temperature is more than 21 degrees Celsius. However, iodine does not kill all 100% of the pathogens present in water.

Government should intervene

People go for demineralised RO water because of the failure of Govt. machinery to supply safe water from public water supply system. Therefore the Government should take earnest steps to see that local bodies supply potable safe water to the people. Govt. should give top priority for this.

Role of medical fraternity

Doctors should play an active role in educating the public about the dangers of RO water consumption and counsel the people to go for alternatives.

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