ECOsmarte blog

So let's talk about taking minerals out of drinking water. I had a bit of a head to head with a couple of people on an informational board where a person wrote in asking about a solution for her well water. Without fail the responders recommended she use a softener for the hardness and RO (reverse osmosis) for drinking water. Then they began to discuss the various pros and cons of a couple of systems, one of which was actually called EcoWater. This kind of fried me - because I know all the reasons that softeners and RO are absolutely NOT environmentally friendly or ecologically beneficial (or even benign). So, tell me how can a company who does the following in any way claim to be ECO-anything? RO water wastes 3-4 gallons for every gallon it produces Water softeners put harmful chlorides into the environment (whether potassium or sodium) Water softeners waste even more water by regenerating approximately 2-3 times per week at 50 gallons a pop for an average family of 4 - do the math - that's 100-150 gallons of wasted water a week Water softeners require regular servicing, using significant fuel for service trucks, and causing increased carbon emissions into the atmosphere. So that's all about the environmental costs...which sound pretty significant to me, considering ECOsmarte does, like, none of the above. Thus ensued a varied and spirited discussion about whether ECOsmarte technology was valid and/or effective and why tried and true salt softener/RO combinations are all they could see their (limited) way though to considering. To be fair - they are purveyors of salt/RO systems and I am obviously a purveyor of a new (and superior) technology option. So of course we were debating each other. Then one of the contributors seized on something I wrote about leaving the minerals in the water. Specifically: "The healthy minerals stay in the water where your body needs them". His reply:

" I am always a bit confused on the thinking here. What minerals from water do we depend on? I try not to confuse what miniscule[sic] amount of INORGANIC minerals that might be in the water that could possibly replace the organic minerals we get from a proper diet and mineral/vitamin suppliments[sic]. That always seems to be little more than a marketing ploy. I believe that water should be a transporter of nutrients and not a supplier. Unless my doctor prescribes that I drink 14 gallons of HIGH MINERAL content of water, I would never depend on H20 to provide my nutritional daily needs.

When I am spurred on to do a bit of research, it's always an exciting time. I mean, you can find out just about anything on the internet. Yet one must be careful because you can find contrasting views on most everything, too. Information obtained from websites that are selling things that benefit from the opinions or "facts" expressed are suspect. Formal studies are preferable, from objective sources. Articles can be tricky - because the person writing the article can have an investment in what they say being true, no matter how seemingly official the place you find the article. So imagine my delight when I found a study by the World Health Organization (no less), on the health aspects of calcium and magnesium in drinking water and the potential health consequences of long term consumption of demineralized, remineralized and altered mineral content drinking waters. Excerpts:

“Over 80 observational epidemiological studies have been reported in the published literature since 1957 (Calderon) relating water hardness and cardiovascular disease risks. Most, but not all of the studies found an inverse (protective) association between cardiovascular disease mortality and increased water hardness (measured by calcium carbonate or another hardness parameter and/or the calcium and magnesium content of the water. ….The group concluded that there is sufficient epidemiological evidence of an inverse relationship between calcium and magnesium concentrations in drinking water and ischemic heart disease mortality, and that consumption of water containing calcium and magnesium, and therefore all the reintroduction of Mg and Ca into demineralized water in the remineralization process would likely provide health benefits in those consumer populations. ….In addition, limited but suggestive evidence exists for benefits associated with other diseases (stroke, renal stone formation, cognitive impairment in the elderly, very low birth weight, bone fractures among children, pregnancy complications, hypertension and possibly some cancers). Hard water is a reliable and stable source of calcium and sometimes magnesium although the absolute and relative concentrations will vary greatly by source. Consumption of moderately hard water containing typical amounts of calcium and magnesium may provide an important incremental percentage of their daily intake. Inadequate total dietary intakes of calcium and magnesium are common worldwide. Therefore, an incremental contribution from drinking water can be an important supplement to approach more ideal total daily intakes. Moreover, hard water can reduce the losses of calcium, magnesium and other essential minerals from food during cooking. If low mineralized water is used for food and beverage production, reduced levels of Ca, Mg and other essential elements would also occur in those products. Low intakes would occur not only because of the lower contribution of these minerals from water used in beverages, but also because of the high losses of the minerals from food products (e.g. vegetables, cereals, potatoes, or meat) into water during cooking.”

Leave the minerals in, people! Stop wasting huge amounts of water with RO and water softeners. Stop putting chlorides into the environment. ECOsmarte Water is your solution.

Oh man, I just found this on the website of a purveyor of salt pool systems:

"What makes the ******* Salt Purification System, by ********, the best choice for your pool? It’s salt…it’s natural… There are no harsh chemicals, nothing damaging to you, your children, or your pool. Salt is also environmentally and ecologically friendly."

How can they actually get away with saying stuff like that?

First of all, salt pools are CHLORINE pools. Nice use of the phrase "purification system", but the reality is that every salt system uses salt to produce CHLORINE. So all you people out there who smugly say - "oh, I have a salt pool", when other pool owners complain about chlorine...hello, you have a chlorine pool, too! Less chlorine, but still chlorine, and the same toxic by-products that come with it. "No harsh chemicals?" What the heck would you call CHLORINE?

Second, for all you people who doubt that salt pool systems damage pools and equipment, I have never found a more thorough investigation into the salt pool issue than this blogger, The Pool Guy. He has pictures and explanations and links and as much information as you care to digest about why and how salt pools harm your pool, your pool equipment and even the waterfalls and expensive decorative stone tile surrounding it.

Last but certainly not least, "Salt is also environmentally and ecologically friendly." What? Since when? Tell that to the folks in Santa Clarita, CA, who can't install new salt-based water softeners because the chloride level in the Santa Clara River is affecting the crops and throwing the local fauna out of balance. Tell that to the folks in Australia who lose more than $130 million of agricultural production annually from salinity. When you have to drain that pool at some point, where is it all going to go? When you backwash the filter, where does the water go? It is illegal in Santa Clarita for new or existing salt pools to be connected to the sewer system. Does anyone out there seriously think they did that just for fun? Apparently the purveyors of the aforementioned salt chlorine generator (I like to call things by their proper name) don't get it. Or maybe they will just say whatever they think will sell you a system. For shame.

The Pool Guy also brought to my attention this article in the Florida Sentinel asserting that salt pools are ecologically friendly pools.... Huh?
Particularly interesting are these two lines, that really truly do come one right after the other:

A salt system converts salt into chlorine, eliminating the need to transport and handle chlorine tablets or liquid. "Chlorine is a toxic chemical," said Tracy DeCarlo, a Florida Green Home certifying agent and a home-design function analyst with Detailed Solutions Inc. "I don't believe we should be drinking it or swimming in it."

Okay....so what exactly do you think you are swimming in if it's not Chlorine?? NOTE: I received a reply to an email I sent to Tracy. Turns out Ms. DeCarlo was somewhat misquoted. She was trying to be helpful to the reporter, and did not consider herself an expert on ecologically friendly pools. Rather than pointing the reporter in the right direction, she was quoted as being knowledgeable in this area.

The worst thing about this article is that the Florida Green Building Council is stating that a salt system is one of the choices to satisfy the green pool prerequisite to qualify for the "Florida Green Home Standard". Other choices include a competitor of ours that reduces the amount of Chlorine instead of eliminating Chlorine like ECOsmarte Pools will.

So...all you ECOsmarte dealers in Florida are hereby put on notice - straighten those people out down there!

I am a member of the Green Building Council of Ventura County. We just merged with San Luis Obispo and Santa Barbara Counties to create the California Central Coast Chapter of the US Green Building Council. We hold no such misconceptions about salt pools here. Probably because I would loudly take issue with any such assertions from a salt chlorine generator rep - I've done the research.

(And I have to admit The Pool Guy made some of my research much easier. Thanks for the links, Pool Guy.)

I found some information about anti-bacterial soaps - way scary!
The common ingredient in anti-bacterial soaps is Triclosan, which is poison, can be absorbed into your skin/body and stays in the environment roughly forever. Read about it here and if you are like me...never buy anti-bacterial soap again. I hate the fear mongering that goes with advertising, sometimes. Fear the Germs!! They will kill you!!! Come to find out the "solution" offered is worse than the cure, for you and for the Planet. Geez!

Well, I'm in a mood this morning. Okay, I know we purveyors of non-chlorine and non-salt (chlorine) pools are in the minority and the toxic chlorine pool peddlers are still in the majority. The tide is turning, but not fast enough for me. I also understand that since I represent a company that manufactures chlorine-free and salt-free pool and spa systems, that salt pool and chlorine pool salespeople might be prone to attacking the validity of this technology. So they can sell people more toxic chemicals. So - I took a look in their bag of secrets (that are not so secret now that the internet is in existence).

I pulled these links up in an instant with a Google search for "chlorine pool asthma". Read these recent news links and articles - that are ALL about Chlorine pools. Perhaps you will think twice about having any chlorine in your pool, or anywhere in the water for your home. (We can help you with that.)

Washington Post article "Being in the Pool Is Just Plain Irritating"
The Ledger online from Florida "Asthma Risk Higher For Infants Who Swim Indoors"
The Independent online from Ohio "Swimmer's Cough"
The Herald from South Carolina "Fumes affect 20 children at kiddie pool in Myrtle Beach"
Daiji World from the West Coast of India "Love to Swim? Beware of the Water!"
Last but best - this site is so comprehensive and informative about the dangers of chlorine pools: "Chorine Toxicity - A Matter That Should be of Concern to All Swimmers, Coaches and Parents"

Now, I gotta tell you - that was SO easy to research. And this information is just the tip of the iceberg. Try doing a search with "chlorine cancer" - that's scary. Or try "chlorine miscarriages" - that's very sad. Again, try "chlorine heart disease" - very scary. Chlorine by-products are absorbed through your skin, so don't think that since you are not drinking it - you're safe. Please don't continue to jump into that pool filled with toxins, or drink unfiltered water. Technology already exists that can help you eliminate chlorine by-products from your pool or spa, and from your drinking water, too. ECOsmarte.

Today, a Rant for you...
Well lookie here, more salt water pool corrosion problems. The Southland Leisure Center in Calgary has a way-cool wave pool, which was injudiciously paired with a salt chlorine generator system. Turns out it's not just a problem...it's a $2.6 million dollar problem.

A big Rave to pool man Steve Riley in Dallas Texas, who voiced his opinion on WFAA-TV that salt-water pools come with serious disadvantages. When the most common thinking is that salt-water pools are the next best thing to sliced bread, I admire the courage and chutzpah of a pool professional to speak out and say what he sees, despite the enormous pressure and countering of the salt chlorine generator industry. All is not perfect in the land of salt. Here is a video clip that ran on WFAA-TV in Texas earlier this month. The reporting doesn't get too deep into the causes, but speaks of definite problems with corrosion of stainless steel and decorative stone work. If you'd prefer a print version - here.

So how many of you out there missed the switch from chlorine to chloramine for disinfection of our drinking water? I started looking into it when I happened across an article in Salon.com November of last year that spoke about the connection between increased levels of lead in the water and the switch to chloramine disinfection.

A warm welcome to all of you who have discovered ECOsmarte's new blog. Why are we here? Because our passion is water. We are here to create a forum to discuss and explore the fascinating world of water, how it affects our health and our planet.