People Take Hipsters' Advice on Water, Risk Incurable Disease
A new hipster health movement is on the rise, but it comes with dangerous risks.
The trend, which is especially popular in California, is drinking “raw water.” It’s exactly what it sounds like — drinking untreated, unsterilized and unfiltered water with the belief that it is healthier than tap water.
The New York Times published an article last week that explored how and why many Americans are turning to raw water.
Those who drink raw water might be searching for better health but the truth could be far more hazardous.
The World Health Organization claimed that drinking untreated water can result in hepatitis A, norovirus, cholera, dysentery, typhoid and polio.
According to the CDC, America’s drinking water supplies are among the safest in the world.
So why is there a movement to drink raw water?
Live Water, a raw water bottling company, claimed that consumers should be interested in drinking their product because millions of chemicals and toxins are pouring into our rivers and oceans. Bottled water contains toxins as well.
However, they claim raw water from a so-called ancient aquifer is better for us than treated water.
Some consumers are buying that story, and they are also buying the fancy water, which is pricey. A 2.5 gallon of raw water can cost around $40.
Food-safety expert Bill Marler emphasized the danger of drinking unfiltered, unprocessed water in an interview with Business Insider.
“Almost everything conceivable that can make you sick can be found in water,” Marler said. This includes cholera, E. coli, Hepatitis A, and Giardia.
Unfiltered water, even from the cleanest streams, can contain animal feces, Giardia and cryptosporidium.
Marley explained that advances in technology and stringent safety standards have removed the danger of drinking untreated water from our modern society. Most people do not know anyone who has contracted illnesses or diseases from drinking untreated water and have a hard time understanding the risks in doing so.
“You can’t stop consenting adults from being stupid,” Marler said. “But we should at least try.”
It is good to be healthy, but it is even better to be smart and healthy.
H/T CBS
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