Hard Water - Discover Its Impact on Your Heart Health

The World Health Organization says, "There does not appear to be any convincing evidence that water hardness causes adverse health effects in humans." I may even have a positive health effect and help to reduce heart attacks according to some recent studies.

Some studies have shown a weak inverse relationship between water hardness and cardiovascular disease in men, up to a level of 170 mg calcium carbonate per liter of water - ie: the more calcium in the water the more it could stop heart attacks, up to 170mg!. Other studies have shown weak correlations between cardiovascular health and water hardness. The World Health Organization has reviewed the evidence and concluded the data were inadequate to allow for a recommendation for a level of hardness.

In a review by Frantisek Kozisek, M.D., Ph.D. National Institute of Public Health, Czech Republic gives a good overview of the topic, and unlike the WHO, sets some recommendations for the maximum and minimum levels of calcium (40-80 mg/L) and magnesium (20-30 mg/L) in drinking water, and a total hardness expressed as the sum of the calcium and magnesium concentrations of 2-4 mmol/L.

Hard water is not a health hazard. In fact, the National Research Council (National Academy of Sciences) states that hard drinking water generally contributes a small amount toward total calcium and magnesium human dietary needs. They further state that in some instances, where dissolved calcium and magnesium are very high, water could be a major contributor of calcium and magnesium to the diet.

Hard water in the US

According to the United States Geological Survey, 89.3% of US homes have hard water. The softest waters occur in parts of the New England, South Atlantic-Gulf, Pacific Northwest, and Hawaii regions. Moderately hard waters are common in many of the rivers of the Tennessee, Great Lakes, Pacific Northwest, and Alaska regions. Hard and very hard waters are found in some of the streams in most of the regions throughout the country. Hardest waters (greater than 1,000 mg/L) are in streams in Texas, New Mexico, Kansas, Arizona, and southern California which can also cause very stubborn hard water stains.

Hard water in Canada

Prairie provinces (mainly Saskatchewan and Manitoba) contain high quantities of calcium and magnesium, often as dolomite, which are readily soluble in the groundwater that contains high concentrations of trapped carbon dioxide from the last glaciation. In these parts of Canada, the total hardness in mg/L calcium carbonate equivalent frequently exceeds 200 mg/L, if groundwater is the only source of potable water. Some typical values are: Calgary 165 mg/L, Saskatoon < 140 mg/L, Toronto 121 mg/L, Vancouver < 5 mg/L, Charlottetown PEI 140 - 150 mg/L

Hard water in England and Wales

Information from the British Drinking Water Inspectorate shows that drinking water in England is generally considered to be 'very hard', with most areas of England, particularly the East, exhibiting above 200 mg/L as calcium carbonate equivalent. Wales, Devon, Cornwall and parts of North-West England are softer water areas, and range from 0 to 200 mg/L. In the brewing industry in England and Wales, water is often deliberately hardened with gypsum in the process of Burtonisation.

Hard water in Australia

Analysis of water hardness in major Australian cities by the Australian Water Association shows a range from very soft (Melbourne) to very hard (Adelaide). Total Hardness as Calcium Carbonate mg/L are: Canberra: 40; Melbourne: 10 - 26; Sydney: 39.4 - 60.1; Perth: 29 - 226; Brisbane: 100; Adelaide: 134 - 148; Hobart: 5.8 - 34.4; Darwin: 31.

So living in a hard water area may actually help to reduce your risk of a heart attack. Obviously there are a number of other factors that need to be taken into account, but hard water does at least have some positive aspects!

What do you think about hard water and the risk of heart attacks? Why not leave a post here or you can contact me at support@hardwaterstainstips.com.

Hard Water Health Benefits - Discover the Secrets to Why it May Improve Life Expectancy

Hard water has some fantastic health benefits that seem to encourage longer life expectancy and improved health. In this article we'll discover why this is so and what areas of the world have some of the longest life expectancy.

An episode of Oprah recently looked at some of the so-called blue-zones around the world. These are places in the world where people live the longest and are the healthiest anywhere on earth. If we can take some of what they do and make those healthy moves a consistent part of our own lives, perhaps we could live a little longer (and be healthier in our old age) as well.

The first stop was the Nicoya Peninsula in the rain forest of Costa Rica. There are lots of very healthy centenarians there, possibly because of the excellent hard water, which is full of calcium and magnesium, keeping their bones and muscles strong throughout their lives.

A lot of physical labor still goes into food production there, from clearing fields to raise crops to picking fruit and grinding corn for tortillas, which is a great upper-body workout. In fact, people who live in this region have some of the best physical stamina in the world because they are always on the move. People eat lots of corn, beans and squash, and there is fresh fruit almost year-round.

Another important piece of the longevity puzzle in Costa Rica and elsewhere is a sense of community and family ties. Older people live with their younger relatives, and those connections help keep people feeling young and in touch with their surroundings.

The World Health Organization says, "There does not appear to be any convincing evidence that water hardness causes adverse health effects in humans."

Some studies have shown a weak inverse relationship between water hardness and cardiovascular disease in men, up to a level of 170 mg calcium carbonate per liter of water. So again a small amount of these calcium and magnesium minerals can actually be helpful for improved life expectancy. Other studies have shown weak correlations between cardiovascular health and water hardness. The World Health Organization has reviewed the evidence and concluded the data were inadequate to allow for a recommendation for a level of hardness.

In a review by Frantisek Kozisek, M.D., Ph.D. National Institute of Public Health, Czech Republic he gives a good overview of the topic, and unlike the WHO, sets some recommendations for the maximum and minimum levels of calcium (40-80 mg/L) and magnesium (20-30 mg/L) in drinking water, and a total hardness expressed as the sum of the calcium and magnesium concentrations of 2-4 mmol/L.

Hard water is not a health hazard. In fact, the National Research Council states that hard drinking water generally contributes a small amount toward total calcium and magnesium human dietary needs. They further state that in some instances, where dissolved calcium and magnesium are very high, water could be a major contributor of calcium and magnesium to the diet.

So although hard water can cause those annoying hard water stains around the home we all know about, the minerals contained in it may also be helpful to build strong bones and may improve cardiovascular disease.

What do you think of this post, let me know what you think by posting your own comment!

Soft Water Health Advice

Softening water is often very helpful as it has a number of benefits, in particular reducing scale build-up and sometimes improving the taste. However, softening it also has a certain effects on human health and also on the environment which are important to consider.

The hard water to be treated passes through a bed of the resin which contains sodium and potassium ions. As the water passes through the resin, the hardness ions are trapped in the resin and replaced by the sodium or potassium ions which are released into the water - effectively softening it. The harder the water is, the more sodium or potassium ions are released from the resin and into the water.

Effect on Humans

For people on a low-sodium diet, the increase in sodium levels (for systems releasing sodium) in the water can be significant, especially when treating very hard water. A paper by Kansas State University gives an example: "A person who drinks two liters (2L) of softened, extremely hard water (assume 30 gpg) will consume about 480 mg more sodium (2L x 30 gpg x 8 mg/L/gpg = 480 mg), than if unsoftened water is consumed." This is a significant amount, as they state: "The American Heart Association (AHA) suggests that the 3 percent of the population who must follow a severe, salt-restricted diet should not consume more than 500 mg of sodium a day. AHA suggests that no more than 10 percent of this sodium intake should come from water. The draft guideline of 20 mg/L for water protects people who are most susceptible."

Effect on Environment

Over time the resins gradually lose their effectiveness and must be regenerated by passing a concentrated brine solution through them. Most of the salt used for regeneration gets flushed out of the system and may be released into the soil or sewer. This process can be damaging to the environment, especially in arid regions. Some jurisdictions prohibit such release and require users to dispose of the spent brine at an approved site or to use a commercial service company.

Most water softener manufacturers provide metered control valves to minimize the frequency of regeneration. It is also possible on most units to adjust the amount of salt used for each regeneration. Both of these steps are recommended to minimize the impact of water softeners on the environment.

In industrial scale water softening plants, the effluent flow from re-generation process can be very significant. Under certain conditions, such as when the effluent is discharged in admixture with domestic sewage, the calcium and magnesium salts may precipitate out as hardness scale on the inside of the discharge pipe. This can build up to such an extent so as to block the pipe as happened on a major industrial plant in Australia in the 1980s. I certainly would not want to be the person who had to clean that pipe!

To Sum Up...

Although there are benefits to softening water, there are also consequences that must be taken into account, both human and environmental as discussed above. In my opinion, the benefits of softening probably outweigh the disadvantages as long as one is aware that it does directly effect the quality of the water and consequently the minerals it contains. People who must have strict control over their diet (particularly their sodium intake) need to be aware of this.

Also, domestic water softening devices are very useful in preventing the hardness minerals (those that cause hard water stains and limescale problems). They also do not have a significant impact on the environment compared to the much larger sized devices that are employed in industry.

Health Issues of Hard Water

The World Health Organization says, "There does not appear to be any convincing evidence that water hardness causes adverse health effects in humans."

Some studies have shown a weak inverse relationship between water hardness and cardiovascular disease in men, up to a level of 170 mg calcium carbonate per liter of water.

Other studies have shown weak correlations between cardiovascular health and water hardness. The World Health Organization has reviewed the evidence and concluded the data were inadequate to allow for a recommendation for a level of hardness.

In a review by František Kožíšek, M.D., Ph.D. National Institute of Public Health, Czech Republic gives a good overview of the topic, and unlike the WHO, sets some recommendations for the maximum and minimum levels of calcium (40-80 mg/L) and magnesium (20-30 mg/L) in drinking water, and a total hardness expressed as the sum of the calcium and magnesium concentrations of 2-4 mmol/L.

Also, the National Research Council (National Academy of Sciences) advises that hard drinking water generally contributes a small amount toward total calcium and magnesium human dietary needs. It further states that in some instances, where dissolved calcium and magnesium are very high, water could be a major contributor of calcium and magnesium to the diet.

For some good information on how hard water may "stop" heart attacks, see this article at the BBC website at http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/3396141.stm.