Q. I read somewhere that drinking soft water might be related to heart attacks. Is this true?
A. There is currently a medical controversy over what effect, if any, drinking hard or soft water may have on heart disease. In some areas with naturally soft water, residents seem to suffer more from heart disease. In other areas, there appears to be no difference between drinking hard or soft water. A number of researchers feet that some other constituent of water — not hardness or softness may be responsible for the variations in heart disease figures in different areas of the country.
Q. Is there any idea what this “other constituent” might be?
A. Some researchers believe that very small amounts of a “protective” substance may be present in some water supplies and lacking in others. This unknown substance could have a beneficial effect on the heart in much the same way that minute amounts of fluoride protect the teeth. At the present time, no one knows exactly what this substance may be.
Other scientists feel that the problem might be caused by other elements, such as cadmium, in the drinking water. It is known that this metal can cause high blood pressure when taken in small quantities. Trace amounts of cadmium can be dissolved from galvanized water pipes by the corrosive action of naturally soft water.
Q. What’s the difference between naturally soft water and the water from my water softener?
A. There’s a great deal of difference! Naturally soft water is generally acidic and contains very few dissolved minerals. This tends to make the water quite corrosive to pipes and plumbing.
The softened water from your home appliance is more like the raw water from which it is made. It is usually alkaline rather than acidic, and contains moderate amounts of dissolved minerals. Thus softening a hard water in the home does not significantly affect corrosion.
Q. If I have a corrosive water supply, how can I minimize the tendency of the water to dissolve metals, such as cadmium, lead, etc., from the piping system?
A. If your supply is a naturally soft, acidic water, you can install a neutralizing filter, or feed a neutralizing substance. In other types of corrosive water, you can feed a corrosion inhibiting substance.
Q. Is there any simple way to avoid potentially dangerous metals from the plumbing system in water used for
cooking and drinking?
A. Yes. Most of the metals dissolve from pipes when water stands in them for extended periods, such as overnight Thus a simple practice is to allow the water to run for a few minutes in the morning to flush out the accumulated dissolved metals before drawing water for cooking or drinking. Further, since hot water tends to be more corrosive than cold water, it is preferable to use cold water for cooking and drinking.
Q. Is there a household water treatment device which will remove the potentially dangerous, health-related metal impurities from water for drinking and cooking?
A. Yes. Several systems are small enough to be installed under a kitchen sink to supply a special faucet, ice cubes, etc., with highly purified water for cooking and drinking. These systems operate on well-known water purification principles, such as demineralization and reverse osmosis, and will substantially remove not only the metals, but laxative sulfates, sodium and other minerals from the water.
Q. I’ve heard that a water softener adds sodium to my water supply. Is this true?
A. Yes. A household water softener removes the hardness minerals -calcium and magnesium- from water and replaces them with sodium.
Q. How much sodium is added to the water by a water softener?
A. That depends on the hardness of your raw water. The following table shows the additional amount of sodium consumed by drinking one quart of softened water.
INITIAL WATER HARDNESS SODIUM ADDED BY SOFTENING
1.0 grains per gallon
5.0 grams per gallon
10.0 grains per gallon
20.0 grains per gallon
40.0 grains per gallon 7.5 milligrams/quart 37.5 milligrams/quart 75.0 milligrams/quart 150.0 milligrams/quart 300.0 milligrams/quart
Q. Is this additional amount of sodium in my diet harmful?
A. For normal, healthy people, the answer is no. The amount of sodium consumed from drinking water is normally only 5-10% of the amount consumed from other food sources. For example, one slice of white bread contains 161 milligrams of sodium; ¾ cup of canned baked beans, 1130 milligrams; 1 tablespoon of catsup, 204 milligrams; 1 medium frankfurter, 610 milligrams; and 1 cup of whole milk, 122-127 milligrams. Even a common Alka Seltzer tablet contains 532 milligrams of sodium.
However, if you suffer from hypertension or are on a sodium-restricted diet, you should consult your doctor about the proper water for drinking. Since most hard waters also contain sodium, your doctor may recommend that you drink sodium-free packaged or bottled water, or remove sodium from your water by demineralization or reverse osmosis.
Q. How can I determine how much sodium is in my water?
A. If you’re using a municipal water supply, your Water Department can tell you the amount of sodium. If you have a private well, an independent testing laboratory can determine the sodium content.
Q. Since I already have a water softener in my home, is there any way I can have all the benefits of soft water and still drink hard water?
A. Yes. In most cases its relatively simple to install a hard water faucet at the kitchen sink for cooking and drinking
purposes. Your local water conditioning equipment dealer can provide you with details and installation costs.
Q. Is there any place I can write for additional information on the subject of soft water and health? A. Yes. Send an e-mail to CWQA at info@cwqa.com or visit www.saltinstitute.org.