Should Water Really be the Beverage of Choice?

By Brianna Farulla

The majority of our country is unaware of how harmful the air that we breathe is or how the food and beverages that we intake on a daily basis are probably killing us slowly. What’s even worse is to see how a large number of this nation’s population is vulnerable, lazy or uninformed when it comes to the topics that matter. The “Toxic Legacy” report in The Record took matters to a more local level and focused on situations that have occurred in New Jersey.

It’s hard to not take a second to at least be slightly concerned after reading about severe environmental issues that are currently happening in our own town or those nearby. I’m embarrassed to admit that I had no clue of the Ford plant’s existence. I don’t know if that’s my own fault or if it’s the media’s mistake for not covering stories that put our lives in jeopardy, since most editors will be quick to run a feature on a Kardashian rather than on the pollution that we’re inhaling. Regardless of who’s to blame, Ford's pollution truly did some damage.

The “Toxic Legacy” series reported how an entire region’s drinking water may be contaminated. Most officials will deny such a thing, but it’s common sense. We constantly get the thought of water being healthy and pure drilled into our minds. So what do we do? We drink it without thinking of the consequences. Not only do we have to worry about the cancerous plastic that bottled water is packaged in, but now add what chemicals are floating around in our rivers into the mix. What goes on within those bodies of water is mysterious. Knowing that it’s frowned upon to eat any fish that comes out of water around here is alarming enough.

I recently began drinking alkaline water, which comes from an ionizing machine that filters through my pipes. It works as an antioxidant, helps balance the body’s pH levels, detoxifies and enhances the immune system. I compared it to what comes out of a water fountain that I typically drink out of and, as a result, I was disturbed. The fountain water tasted like bleach and was murky, while the alkaline water was clear and refreshing.

The comparison was frightening and made me think of what I’ve been consuming for the past 22 years. However, I’ll make a change whenever I have the opportunity to, so if that means making the switch to alkaline water, I’ll do it. Like most people, I’m guilty of using what’s at my disposal, but sometimes going out of  the way and spending extra money is worth it. I’d now rather take a second to change the filter on my water ionizer than turn the faucet on my sink. The Ford plant was just one distributor of toxins into streams that supply our drinking water. Imagine the other chemicals that have made their way into our water in addition to that?