Heavy Metal Toxicity, What Is It & How To Reduce It?

Many people are becoming awareof the declining quality of their source water supply and the increasing amount ofcontaminants found within our environment. A large concern, in particular, is heavy metals found in the body from consuming contaminated water, leaving many looking for ways to detox heavy metals.

What Metals are Toxic? 

The most dangerous heavy metals entering the body and causing toxicity poison include lead, mercury, arsenic and cadmium. 

How Do Heavy Metals Get Into Your Body?

Chronic, low-level exposure to toxic metals is an increasing problem worldwide. Heavy metals are commonly found in thousands of different food and beverage products, household cleaning products, furnishings, cookware, body care products, cosmetics, andsomeground water in Australia, as well as copper water pipes.

Heavy metals can also enter a water supply (whether it be townsupply/tap water or tank water) in several ways.

• THM’s (Trihalomethanes) are a breed of deadly modern-day man-made chemicals created as a bi-product of disinfecting (by chlorinating) our drinking (treated town supply) water. They do need to be removed before you drink water as studies have shown they can cause cancer!

   For more on THM’s in Drinking Water and how they are createdclick here.

• Industrial and consumer waste pollute our waterways (which then flows into our dams and is used as a source of our drinking water).,
• Acidic rain (rain passes through a pollution layer in the sky which contains minute particles of heavy metals released from mining operations, fires and exhaust fumes).
• General industrial pollution can flow into streams, lakes, rivers, and seep into our groundwater or aquifers.

What Causes Heavy Metal Toxicity?

Heavy metals are  transported around the body via your blood. They are stored in vital tissues, where they can disrupt many of your chemical, hormonal and neurological processes as well as wreak havoc on your health and overall wellbeing.

Not only do the heavy metals accumulate in the vital organs,but they also inhibit theabsorption of vital nutrients such as vitamins, minerals and amino acids.  For example, when heavy metals are present, minerals like calcium and magnesium are displaced and heavy metals such as lead or cadmium take their place.

What is the health impact of heavy metals in your body?

The symptoms associated with the slow accumulation of toxic heavy metals are multiple and nondescript, yet they affect a vast array of biochemical processes. Sinceheavy metal toxicity symptoms of chronic exposure often develop slowly over months or even years, heavy metal toxicity is often overlooked.

Heavy Metal ToxicitySymptoms & the Effects of Heavy Metals in the Body:

The  heavy metal toxicity symptoms resulting from chronic exposure (impaired cognitive, motor, and language skills; learning difficulties, nervousness and emotional instability; insomnia, nausea, lethargy, and feeling ill) are also easily recognised; however, they are much more difficult to associate with their cause. 

Symptoms of chronic exposure are very similar to symptoms of other health conditions and often develop slowly over months or even yearsin their effects on the body. Sometimes the symptoms of chronic exposure actually abate from time to time, leading the person to postpone seeking treatment, thinking the symptoms are related to something else.

Lead and  mercury exact their most devastating toll on the developing brain:

• Children exposed to lead at a young age are more likely to suffer from shorter attention spans and are less able to read and learn than their peers.
• Children with above-average mercury exposures often have learning difficulties. 
• Recent studies also suggest that arsenic can harm the developing brain. 
• Many other health effects of these metals are well-known.

Mining and metal manufacturing are the largest sources of lead emissions in Australia. Mercury is used in a number of production and manufacturing processes including the chemical production of chlorine, caustic soda and disinfectants , and as a catalyst to speed-up chemical reactions. 

Copper — One of the main culprits of  the effects of heavy metals in the body

In trace amounts, copper is necessary in the body. It’s used to help produce cellular energy and is involved in nerve conduction, connective tissue, the cardiovascular system and the immune system. If you are not occupationally exposed to copper, the major route of exposure is oral. Drinking tap water can contribute substantially to your total daily intake of copper.  High copper may occur naturally in water supplies, particularlyin mining areas across WA, but more commonly it is introduced into the water supply via old copper plumbing.

• Nutritional deficiencies in zinc, manganese and other trace minerals can also contribute to copper toxicity due to the role they play in preventing excess copper accumulation.

When we are consistently dehydrated, the body cannot effectively remove unwanted toxins and stores these in the body in areas such as the joints, leading to further negative effects of heavy metals in the body.

Can Heavy Metal Poisoning Be Prevented?

Fortunately, given all the potential risks heavy metals in the body can pose, 

• Remember to put on protective masks and clothing when working around heavy metals
• What’s more, heavy metals can accumulate in a collection of dirt and dust, so work to keep them out of the home as much as you can
• Take note of advice related to local fish and their mercury levels
• Make yourself aware of potential sites and situations for lead exposure
• Review products for heavy metals before bringing them into your home
• Introduce a water filtration system to ensure healthy, uncontaminated drinking water, such as the zazen Alkaline Water System

Can You Rely on a Water Filter to Remove Heavy Metals & Detox Your Body?

Due to recent news stories, such as lead contamination from water pipes supplying the Perth Children’s Hospital, reduction of heavy metals from our drinking water is top of mind.Many are turning to a home or benchtop water filter to remove heavy metals from their drinking water and to help detox their body.

By ensuring the water you are drinking daily is hydrating you at a Cellular Level, your body can respond by assistingin methods of how to rid the body of heavy metals and perform an effective detox. Thewater filter component is designed for peak  cellular hydration, helping detoxify, nourish, hydrate and energise every cell in your body!

The  zazen Alkaline Water System &Shower Filter Range helpsto reduce and remove heavy metals such as Lead, Copper, Mercury, Nickel, Aluminium and Cadmium from your source water for a longer, healthier life!

All zazen Alkaline Water System testing is conducted in Australia by certified Government water testing laboratories.

Thezazen Multi-Stage Filter Cartridge is designed to trap heavy metals above. This occurs in Stages 2 - 4 of the zazen Alkaline Water System10-stage State-of-the-Art filtration and remineralisation process as shown below.

Looking to detox heavy metal toxins? As your body is being hydrated at a Cellular Level by drinking 2 – 3 litres per day of zazen Alkaline Water, this will assistyour cells to remove stored toxins and flush them from your body. This works synergistically within an overall wellness strategy, helping rid the body of Heavy Metal Toxicity and rebalance itself.

Dr. Batmanghelidj, the author of Your Body’s Many Cries for Water, discovered that the cause of arthritis, lupus and many other diseases is a lack of hydration and electrolytes (alkaline minerals or salts) in the body. He went on to learn that even pain can be eliminated for many people by properly hydrating the body.