ON Jan 15, 2007, an article titled ''Bladder Cancer and Exposure to Water Disinfection By-Products through Ingestion, Bathing, Showering, and Swimming in Pools'' was published in the American Journal of Epidemiology, Volume 165, Issue 2.



Researchers at the Municipal Institute of Medical Research in Barcelona compared 1,200 men and women with bladder cancer to a healthy group, questioning each about their exposure to chlorine.



Lead researcher Dr Cristina Villenueva commented that inhaling or absorbing chlorine and trihalomethanes (THMs), a common by-product of chlorine used for municipal water disinfection may lead to a higher concentration in target organs, such as the kidney, bladder or colon.



The study has shown a significant uptake of THMs when showering, bathing or swimming in pools.



The disinfectant can be absorbed through the skin and accumulate in the bladder.



Bladder cancer kills nearly 5,000 in Britain every year.



Three years ago, chlorine in the water supply was linked to a risk of birth defects or miscarriages.



Another study conducted in 1999 in Iowa, United States, has found a strong link between chlorination by-products and brain cancer.



So is there anything we can do to protect our loved ones from the harmful effects of chlorination and its by-products?



A practical and cost-effective solution is to install a ''Point-of-Entry'' whole house water filter that contains granular activated carbon.



Activated carbon is one of the best tools that can be used to reduce chlorine and THMs in the water supply.



It has a natural affinity for a number of pollutants like benzene, chlorine, THMs and volatile organic chemicals (VOCs), which bind to its surface in a process called ''adsorption''.



The installation of a point-of-entry water filter will ensure that water supply entering your house is rid of excessive chlorine and its harmful by-products, thus eliminating the need to install multiple showerhead/spa/point-of-use filters that serve the same purpose.

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