According to the CDC, "The number of young people who had a food or digestive allergy increased 18 percent between 1997 and 2007." This is a dramatic rise that has continued in the years following this report. A recent study suggests that one of the possible explanations for the increase in food allergies is a specific chemical that's commonly found in tap water. Today we're going to talk about the effects of this chemical in our tap water and why installing a home filtration system might help prevent the development of food allergies for the young people in your life!
Dichlorophenol: The chemical in question
Dichlorophenol is a chemical that's used by water treatment plants to chlorinate tap water. It is also used by farmers as a pesticide for many different fruits and vegetables. People can be exposed to dichlorophenol either by simply drinking tap water that contains the chemical or by consuming produce that has been sprayed with a pesticide that uses it.
A 2012 study links dichlorophenol exposure with increase in food allergies
In a study released in 2012 by the American College of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology, researchers found that children with food allergies had much higher levels of dichlorophenol in their urine than children without food allergies. Although this is just a statistical association, it suggests that there is a distinct possibility that exposure to dichlorophenol is directly related to an increased likelihood of children developing food allergies.
In particular, scientists believe that consuming dichlorophenol kills naturally-occurring bacteria in our digestive systems, which causes food allergies.
Avoid dichlorophenol and other chemicals in your water by installing a water filtration system
Because dichlorophenol is a chemical that's added by water treatment plants, you have to take action to remove it from your home's water supplies. North Carolina Water Consultants offers a number of different treatment systems that can remove dichlorophenol and many other chemicals from your home's tap water, including other chemicals that are added when treatment plants chlorinate our water. Contact us to have your water tested so that we can match you with the perfect system!
If you have any questions about the link between tap water and food allergies, or if you'd like a water system serviced or installed in your home, contact North Carolina Water Consultants, your water softener and water filtration system dealer in North Carolina and South Carolina. We provide service all over the Carolinas, including towns like Davidson, Kannapolis and Concord, NC.