Safer Water, Healthier Kids: What Every Parents Needs To Know
We are excited to bring you a guest post from our good friend Dr. Roy Speiser at Clean Water Revival (CWR) Environmental.
We don’t publish many guest posts, but Dr. Speiser has been a trusted advisor, colleague, and friend to our founders for decades, and we consider him to be a foremost expert on water purity, filtration, and water-borne toxins and chemicals.
Water is life, and we all deserve the cleanest, purest form possible. Here, Dr. Speiser provides tips on how to attain just that. Enjoy!
P.S. We do not receive commissions from nor are we an affiliate of CWR Environmental; our motivation is to help you get the cleanest and safest water possible.
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I have spent the better part of the last thirty-plus years helping families protect themselves from invisible threats hiding in plain sight.
And time and time again, one of the biggest dangers I see is tap water.
I know that might sound dramatic, especially if you have been told your water is “safe.”
The truth is, many of the prevalent health issues we face today—things like infertility, early puberty, hormone imbalances, and even certain cancers—are not just random. Often, they are linked to the toxins we are exposed to every day.
And one of the easiest ways those toxins sneak into our lives is through our water.
It is the same water we drink, cook with, shower in, and give to our kids, without giving it a second thought about the contaminants hiding in plain sight.
That is why I am writing this especially for families.
If you are the kind of parent who reads ingredient labels, avoids chemicals in cleaners and detergents, and wants to raise your children with every possible advantage, you need to
know what is really in your water and how to make it safe.
But first, we must shine a light on what has been hidden.
Chemicals In Tap Water Today: What You're Not Being Told
We like to think of tap water as clean and safe, but it is not.
Most water treatment systems in the U.S. were built decades ago. They were never designed to remove the wide array of very toxic PFAS chemicals, pharmaceutical residues, fluoride, and hormone-disrupting compounds we see in our source water today.
Plus, disinfection chemicals, fluoride, and other toxic substances are added to the water before leaving the treatment plant.
In fact, numerous unregulated contaminants are not being tested on a regular basis. And those that are monitored often fall under outdated safety limits that have not kept up with current science.
As a water specialist, I have reviewed thousands of water quality reports, and can tell you: it is common to find traces of lead, arsenic, nitrates, fluoride, radioactivity, pesticides, PFAS (“forever chemicals”) —all in water that’s considered “meeting allowable EPA standards.”
Your home water may meet regulatory standards; however, that does not mean it meets your standards as a mother trying to protect her family.
The Environmental Working Group (EWG), has published a study stating many low levels of contaminants in water are hundreds or more times toxic than are allowed by the EPA standards.[1]
The Link Between Water Treatment Chemicals and Hormone Disruption
This is the part I wish more people understood because it is not just a theory, and it is not down the road. It is happening right now.
I have seen the shift with my own eyes.
Girls going through puberty years earlier than we ever thought normal, and boys with decreasing testosterone levels.[2][3] Young couples, healthy by all appearances, who suddenly find themselves facing fertility struggles they never expected.[4] And more women being diagnosed with hormone-driven conditions like PCOS (Polycystic Ovary Syndrome) and endometriosis at an alarming rate.[5][6]
People often assume it is just “the way things are” or blame it on genetics or modern stress. But I have spent decades studying water quality and environmental health, and I can tell you this: a major piece of the puzzle is right there in your tap.
Our water carries low levels of hormone-disrupting chemicals like pesticides, plastic byproducts, and even residues from personal care products and pharmaceuticals.[7-11]
These are not always visible. They do not always have a taste or smell. But they can interfere with your body’s natural hormone signaling in subtle and powerful ways. Over time, that disruption adds up, starting with the fetus, through childhood, there is constant exposure to toxic substances.
Toxins In Water Matter More If You are Pregnant or Planning a Family
When you are expecting—or hoping to be—clean water becomes even more critical.
Your baby depends on you for everything, and that includes the water you drink every day.
What many people do not realize is that during pregnancy, the baby’s brain, nervous system, and hormonal systems are forming rapidly, and they are extremely sensitive to outside environmental toxins.[12][13][14]
Trace levels of contaminants that your body might handle can have a bigger impact on your developing baby.
We are talking about exposures that may influence long-term brain development, immune function, and yes—even future fertility.
With more scientific studies being published by toxicologists, medical researchers, and water engineers over the last 40 years, it is apparent that clean water quality is not a luxury; it is a necessity. It is a foundational requirement to stay healthy.
Why Bathing Exposes You To More Chemicals Than You Think
If you have only been focused on drinking water, I understand, but I always urge families I work with to think bigger.
Your skin is your largest organ, and it is incredibly absorbent.
Most people think of a hot shower as a way to relax, but what you do not realize is that baths and showers expose you to more toxins than a glass of tap water ever could.
When that warm water hits your skin, your pores open wide. And the steam you’re breathing in is not just steam. It often carries chlorine and a mix of chemical byproducts like cancer-causing chloroform and trihalomethanes.[15][16][17]
These compounds have been linked to everything from skin and eye irritation to much more serious long-term health concerns.
In just ten minutes, you can potentially absorb more volatile chemicals through your skin and lungs in the shower than from drinking a glass of unfiltered water.
And yet it is something most people never even think about.
That is why I often say: if you do not filter your shower water, you are missing half the picture.
For children and babies with sensitive skin, this can be even more critical. Many skin disorders, such as eczema, rashes, and scalp issues, may be aggravated by elevated levels of chemicals in their bathwater.
Shower filters are effective for chlorine reduction; however, they do not remove chemicals such as trihalomethanes.
One of the most overlooked but impactful changes you can make is to install a whole-house filtration tank.
In my home, and in the systems I design for clients, the goal is always this: If you would not drink it, do not bathe in it.
My Top 5 Water Safety Tips For Moms, Parents, & Families
If I could sit down with every mother, father, parent, and caregiver reading this and give them a water safety game plan, here is exactly where I would tell them to start.
1. Do Not Rely On How Your Water Looks Or Tastes
Clear water is not necessarily clean. Many dangerous toxins—like lead, nitrates, and PFAS—are colorless, odorless, and tasteless.
Request a copy of your local water quality report and reach out to a Water Specialist to help you interpret it.
2. Filter At The Point Of Use – Your First Step To Clean Water
Install a high-quality multistage filter where you drink, cook, and rinse vegetables. Focus first on your kitchen sink and showers.
If your budget allows, definitely consider installing a whole-house tank on your main pipe.
This will remove all the chemicals and start the reduction of heavy metals for all your showers, baths, sinks, and other fixtures.
3. Watch Out For “Off the Shelf” Generic Filters
Due to the new and more insidious PFAS chemicals in our public water supplies, it is no longer safe to rely on “off the shelf” generic filter products to clean your water thoroughly.
We have continually upgraded the filtration technology of our CWR Environmental systems to effectively remove these toxic chemicals from your source of water.
4. Replace your filters on schedule
Filters that are not maintained properly lose their ability to remove contaminants and stop working entirely.
Follow the filter change guidelines, set a reminder, and do not let this step slide.
5. Do Not Forget Your Children’s School Or Daycare
Ask questions about what kind of water your children are drinking when they are away from home.
Sending a reusable filtered water bottle can go a long way.
Related reading: Resources for Educating Schools on Safer Cleaning
How to Choose the Right Water Filter for Your Family
With so many products on the market, it is easy to feel overwhelmed. But choosing the right water filter comes down to two key questions:
1. What contaminants are you trying to remove?
If you live in an agricultural area, nitrates and herbicides might be your biggest concern. In older homes, it is often lead. In urban areas, PFAS, chloramine, heavy metals, and even radioactivity are top priorities.
Knowing your local water quality is the first step.
We can help you determine what system you need for your area by reviewing the local Water Quality Report, or if you have a well, we can supply a test kit.
2. What is realistic for your lifestyle?
Every home needs a sufficient filtration system to protect their family’s health.
If you live in an apartment or condominium, start with a well-designed sink filter unit and a shower filter.
Ultimately, the best filtration solution is a combination of a custom-designed triple filter or Reverse Osmosis unit combined with a whole-house filtration tank.
I have reviewed just about every type of filter on the market; there are hundreds of products, and almost all are not specifically designed to remove the range of toxic contaminants detected in your water.
That is why I created my own line of CWR Environmental filtration equipment designed to remove the contaminants that are detected in your water, without over-complicating the process.
Clean water is not a luxury. It is a necessity, and you deserve to know what is in your water and how to fix it.
I have spent my career helping families do just that—and I am here to help you, too, because nothing matters more than the health of your home and the people in it.
Get More Water Safety Tips In
- How to Choose the Best Water Filter for Every Home and Budget
- Start Drinking & Bathing in Clean Water Right Away
References:
- https://www.ewg.org/tapwater/state-of-american-drinking-water.php
- https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamanetworkopen/fullarticle/2819141
- https://www.urologytimes.com/view/testosterone-levels-show-steady-decrease-among-young-us-men
- https://www.emjreviews.com/reproductive-health/news/global-infertility-rates-rising-study-finds/
- https://www.ajog.org/article/S0002-9378(23)00241-7/abstract
- https://medicine.yale.edu/news/yale-medicine-magazine/article/endometriosis/
- https://www.ewg.org/childrenshealth/carcinogen-pollutes-tap-water-supplies-14-million-americans/
- https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0958211808701277
- https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/widely-used-herbicide-linked-to-cancer/
- https://oehha.ca.gov/proposition-65/chemicals/glyphosate
- https://www.ewg.org/enviroblog/2017/09/nearly-100-cancer-causing-contaminants-found-us-drinking-water
- https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC5967632/
- https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC9937639/
- https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33735860/
- https://www.epa.gov/sites/production/files/2016-09/documents/chloroform.pdf
- https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC11750423/
- https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC6985399/
