Can Purifying Your Home's Water Help Your Child's Allergies Or Asthma?
Posted on: 5 February 2016
If your child has been diagnosed with allergies, asthma, or another condition that can impair breathing and compromise the immune system, you may be on a constant search for ways to improve your child's environment and lessen his or her discomfort upon exposure to allergens. Because so many allergens and respiratory irritants are airborne, you probably spend more thought on purifying the air your child breathes than the water he or she drinks.
However, switching to purified water can also have a significant positive impact on your child's overall health and well-being. Read on to learn more about how many public water sources can pose issues to children with sensitive immune systems, as well as some of the effects you may notice after switching to purified water.
Is public water unsafe for children with allergies or asthma?
Most public water supplies are heavily treated with chlorine and other anti-microbial agents at a central processing plant before traveling to your home for consumption. This process is necessary to help kill pathogens present in the vast majority of water sources, and is part of what makes the U.S. public water supply among the safest in the world.
However, the chemicals used to treat and decontaminate this water can irritate the mucous membranes of those already dealing with immune system sensitivities inherent with allergies or asthma. Barring high levels of lead or other contaminants, this water isn't unsafe for allergic children to drink—however, if you're already taking other steps to help eliminate irritants and improve your child's health, switching to a gentler source of water is often advised.
Should you install a water purification system in your home?
Before investing in a water purification system, you may want to first test to see whether your child's allergy or asthma symptoms lessen upon the introduction of purified water. By switching to purified bottled water for eating and cooking for a few days, you should be able to notice whether this public water abstinence is having a measurable impact on your child's health. If he or she seems to be breathing more easily, has more energy, or is suffering fewer hives or other skin irritations, you'll have your answer.
In other cases, you may find that you simply prefer the smell and taste of purified water and decide to make the switch for non-health-related reasons. The installation of a purification system to remove contaminants from all the water in your home can take less than an afternoon and should require little ongoing maintenance.
For more information, contact a company that specializes in water purification, such as Aspen Waterwise, Ltd.
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