IS TAP WATER SAFE FOR DRINKING?

Chlorine is a disinfectant added to drinking water to reduce or eliminate microorganisms, such as

 bacteria and viruses, which can be present in water supplies. The addition of chlorine to our

 drinking water has greatly reduced the risk of waterborne diseases.

Current scientific data shows that the benefits of chlorinating our drinking water (less disease) are

 much greater than any health risks from THMs and other by-products. Although other disinfectants are available, chlorine remains the choice of water treatment experts. When used

 with modern water filtration methods, chlorine is effective against virtually all microorganisms. 

Chlorine is easy to apply and small amounts of the chemical remain in the water as it travels in the

 distribution system from the treatment plant to the consumer's tap,This level of effectiveness 

ensures that microorganisms cannot recontaminate the water after it leaves the treatment plant.

Chlorine is used to combat microbial contamination, but it can react with organic matter in the

water and form dangerous, carcinogenic Trihalomethanes. According to Dr. Joseph M. Price, MD, in Moseby's Medical Dictionary, "Chlorine is the greatest crippler and killer of modern times. It is an insidious poison".

Although concentrations of these carcinogens are low...it is precisely these low levels which cancer scientists believe are responsible for the majority of human cancers in the United States." Report Issued By The Environmental Defense Fund

Dr. Herbert Schwartz of Cumberland County College in Vineman, N.J. says: "Chlorine has so many dangers it should be banned. Putting chlorine in the water supply is like starting a time bomb. Cancer, heart trouble, premature senility, both mental and physical, are conditions attributable to chlorine treated water supplies. It is making us grow old before our time by producing symptoms of aging such as hardening of the arteries."

There is increased evidence for an association between rectal, colon and bladder cancer and the consumption of chlorinated drinking water."