How water – and its quality – impacts the immune system

FALLBROOK – Humans are made up mostly of water. According to the U.S. Geological Survey's Water Science School, the human body is 60% water. The brain and heart are 73% water. The lungs are a whopping 83% water. Muscles and kidneys are 79% water. And of course, it's not stagnant water.

Water moves throughout the body, oxygenating blood, regulating temperature, absorbing shocks to the brain and spinal cord, manufacturing hormones and neurotransmitters, lubricating joints and flushing out body waste and toxins.

Water also fortifies the immune system. That's because water helps produce lymph. Lymph is a colorless fluid that contains white blood cells. These cells bathe the tissues and drain through the lymphatic system into the bloodstream. And lymph captures bacteria, viruses and other pathogens. Lymph nodes destroy the invaders. Water also helps produce immune cells and circulate white blood cells and nutrients to tissues and bone marrow.

In short, water is an essential nutrient for every cell in the body. And it needs to be replaced regularly. Women need about 2.3 quarts a day. Men need a quart more.

And of course, the quality of drinking water impacts the health of every cell in the body.

Simply put, if people drink adequate amounts of the highest quality water, they help keep their immune system strong. It's only one way to strengthen the immune system, of course, but it is a very important way. People also need to eat lots of fruit, vegetables and mushrooms, exercise, manage stress and sleep 6-8 hours every night.

By drinking enough of the highest quality water, people are helping their body fight off invading bacteria, viruses and other harmful microbes.

On the other hand, if the water they put in their bodies contains toxic chemicals or other harmful agents, people could actually be damaging their immune system. At best, they could be depleting their immune system by tying it up defending against damage those toxins could cause. And that means it's unavailable to defend them from harmful other invading agents like bacteria and viruses.

The Environmental Protection Agency requires water utilities to test for many but not all of the known pollutants and publish results in a yearly "Consumer Confidence Report."

According to the utility's report, measurements are within the EPA's "safe" standards.

However, the reports do not include every toxic chemical or "emerging contaminant" that finds its way into water supplies.

The water supplies teem with a multitude of microscopic stuff – from benign to hazardous. All the good, bad and ugly stuff in water that people swallow makes their way into virtually every cell of their body. 

Some pass through their urine quickly without harm. Others, like lead, cause irreparable damage. Fortunately, tests can measure lead. And the EPA set a zero tolerance for lead in drinking water. So utilities test for lead and include results in the Consumer Confidence Reports.

For the most part, drinking water should be free of lead, unless the home is old enough to still have lead pipes, fittings or solder.

A large group – in fact over 7,800 – "emerging contaminants" known as PFAS chemicals have no scientific methods for testing in drinking water. This chemical group has been around for more than 50 years. They repel water, oil and stains and are in fire-fighting foam. They are useful products with unfortunate side effects. They're linked to cancers, liver damage, reproductive, endocrine and immune disorders. 

So far, scientists have developed tests for only 45 of the over 7,800 PFAS chemicals. That's according to the Metropolitan Water District, which sells water to most of the local water utilities. Tests show these chemicals are in rivers, lakes and even in rainwater. And many of these chemicals, like PFOS and PFOA, remain in the body for years. They continue accumulating with every exposure. On top of that, the EPA has yet to mandate testing for them. Therefore, the Consumer Confidence Reports do not provide a complete or accurate picture of the water supply. With no scientific means of testing for thousands of toxic chemicals, people simply do not know how many are in the water.

And that "unknown" variable is particularly concerning when it comes to PFASs' impact on the immune system. Studies have shown that PFAS chemicals – both the older "long chain" versions like PFOS and PFOA and newer PFAS short-chain replacements – are actually toxic to the immune systems.

A 2019 Natural Resource Defense Council study raised concerns that they even diminish vaccines' protections. According to Anna Reade, Ph.D., staff scientist for the Natural Resources Defense Council, "The immune system is a highly sensitive target of PFAS-induced toxicity; observed effects include impaired responses to T-cell dependent antigens, impaired response to infectious disease, decreases in spleen and thymus weights, and in the number of thymic and splenic lymphocytes. ... PFAS is associated with reduced antibody titer rise in response to vaccines, resulting in increased risk of not attaining the antibody level needed to provide longterm protection from serious diseases..."

Even if the utility companies' "Consumer Confidence Reports" could be complete in every way, the water quality in homes would still not be identical to the utility's water supply. That's because water companies test after treatment at their site, not at pipes linking to the homes.

Water leaves the utility through a distribution system of huge pipes. Portions of those pipes are corroded and cracking.

According to the San Diego County Water Authority, portions of water pipes are more than 60 years old. It is no wonder that portions of the pipe occasionally rupture. And it's no surprise that when water lines crack or rupture, water quality is at risk.

More than actual ruptures in the pipes, however, there are many other ways drinking water can become contaminated or degraded within the distribution system.

According to National Academies Press publication on Drinking Water Quality Integrity, there are numerous other risks to water quality within the pipes leading to homes, including aging water within the pipes, pipe materials corrosion, interactions of disinfectants and biofilms, which are bacteria colonies inside pipes.

Water quality within homes can vary as well. A Purdue University Study showed that water quality differs in homes and even differs from room to room and by season. Researchers took 58 water samples throughout a year within a single house. They call the results "concerning." For example, they discovered no disinfectant 10% of time, increases in water pH, large fluctuations in organic carbon, no disinfectant exiting the house's water heater more than 85% of the time, chemical fluctuations by season, lead level exceeded exposure limit for children, and some "lead-free" plumbing components still leached lead.

These changes all point to problems predicting water quality within homes.

"After water enters a home, it continues to age," Andrew Whelton, associate professor of civil engineering of Purdue University, said. "Older water is more likely to have contaminants that are problematic. Because the quality of water delivered to a single home can vary significantly, and building plumbing can change the water too, predicting drinking water safety at every building faucet is currently not possible."

Staying healthy is largely up to individuals. Government agencies and water utilities can only do so much to supply "safe" drinking water. Of course, people need to stay informed about environmental threats that government agencies can help control. And they need to understand the dangers to public water supplies that water utilities can and should test for and inform residents of the results. It is up to each person to voice their concerns to public representatives and utilities if they believe there are measures they can take to improve water quality.

In such a complex and fast-paced world, however, people cannot rely solely on the government or utilities to provide the highest quality drinking water or to keep them safe.

As people are witnessing now, viruses travel fast with little warning. So they need to do what is within their power to keep their immune systems healthy and ready to fend off such invisible invaders.

The safest and cleanest drinking water comes from reverse osmosis systems. A February 2020 Duke University study proved it. Reverse osmosis systems removed more toxic PFAS chemicals than any other filtration system.

Reverse osmosis systems also remove the most bacteria, viruses and other "emerging" contaminants.

If the family budget doesn't allow for installing a reverse osmosis system, Dale Anderson and Water Heaters Plus Plumbing recommends residents consider these measures for their drinking water.

Do not use the hot water faucet for food or drink preparation. If the water heater is a conventional tank-style, water sits stagnant for longer periods of time. Stagnant water is more vulnerable to bacteria and contains fewer, if any, disinfectant agents.

Buy reverse osmosis drinking water from local water stores. If possible, use glass containers instead of plastic. The glass containers are reusable and can be brought back to the water store for refills. Plus plastic bottles, even those labeled BPA-free, may not be completely safe.

Use a two-stage carbon filtration system and change filters often. A Duke University study showed that most point-of-use filters do not effectively remove many chemicals from tap water. However, the study suggested that two-stage carbon filtration was more effective. So if residents have a filter on their refrigerator water dispenser, for example, use it and pour it into a pitcher filter.

Change water filters frequently. The Duke University study revealed that when filters are not changed on schedule, they can actually increase bacteria, viruses and chemicals. Old filters filled with trapped debris can build up communities of more bacteria and then those colonies of bacteria, viruses and chemicals are let loose back into the water.

Try not to rely on bottled water. Plastics, even when labeled "BPA-free" are not completely safe even though the Food and Drug Administration said they are. According to Scientific American, University of California Los Angeles and other studies, the replacement plastics still pose threats to the endocrine system and interfere with normal functioning within a cell, even at low levels. They can even cause heart arrhythmias. Almost all of the 455 commercially available plastics tested leached estrogenic chemicals, plus plastics do not break down in the environment.

Drinking the highest quality water strengthens the immune system to fight off bacteria and viruses. Reverse osmosis systems deliver highest quality water and remove the most bacteria and viruses as well as chemical pollutants.

For more than 30 years, Dale Anderson and Water Heaters Plus Plumbing has provided a wide range of water treatment systems as well as all plumbing services and the newest reverse osmosis systems that provide the cleanest and best tasting water available.

Find out more at https://waterheatersplusplumbing.com or call (760) 594-1226.

Submitted by Dale Anderson, owner of Water Heaters Plus Plumbing.