Can I drink my RO water??
- Thread starter dawnskaybug
- Start date
Drinking RO water, DI water, or RO/DI water (all of these are what is considered "free water") is perfectly harmless and it will HYDRATE you just as regular water out of the tap does (tap water is also considered free water since it really contains only small amounts of mineral compared to what is contained in the fluid within ones body) - so from the bodies perspective they are essentially the same thing - FREE WATER.
This is why:
If you begin drinking excess amounts of free water, serum osmolarity begins to fall (but still remains within a normal acceptable range of 275-295 mOSM/L). Your brain senses (using osmoreceptors) a decrease in serum osmolarity (but still within the normal range) and tells your kidneys to dump the excess free water (by decreasing pituitary release of vassopressin - a hormone that normally stimulates your kidneys to hold on the free water) independent of salt in order to maintain serum osmolarity essentially constant. At the same time, your thirst drive is suppressed (by the lowering of serum osmolarity) so you stop drinking free water to further encourage serum osmolarity to rise to the middle of the normal range.
If you stop drinking, and go outside in the heat (increased insensible losses + losses through sweating) the reverse happens.
In the setting of drinking excess free water the only way you get into trouble is as follows: you ignore your lack of thirst and continue drinking free water at a rate that is in excess of your kidneys ability to excrete it (or hold your pee and become post-renal). In this setting serum osmolarity will drop further and further below the normal range until you develop brain swelling and seizures (water intoxication) and possibly death. Firtunately, this setting is rare and surprising difficult to acheive in a healthy person with normal renal function (unless you enter a radio contest). If you are interested in more information, do a Google search usinf the key words "diabetes insipidus" or "syndrome of innappropriate ADH secretion" or "water intoxication"
This is why:
If you begin drinking excess amounts of free water, serum osmolarity begins to fall (but still remains within a normal acceptable range of 275-295 mOSM/L). Your brain senses (using osmoreceptors) a decrease in serum osmolarity (but still within the normal range) and tells your kidneys to dump the excess free water (by decreasing pituitary release of vassopressin - a hormone that normally stimulates your kidneys to hold on the free water) independent of salt in order to maintain serum osmolarity essentially constant. At the same time, your thirst drive is suppressed (by the lowering of serum osmolarity) so you stop drinking free water to further encourage serum osmolarity to rise to the middle of the normal range.
If you stop drinking, and go outside in the heat (increased insensible losses + losses through sweating) the reverse happens.
In the setting of drinking excess free water the only way you get into trouble is as follows: you ignore your lack of thirst and continue drinking free water at a rate that is in excess of your kidneys ability to excrete it (or hold your pee and become post-renal). In this setting serum osmolarity will drop further and further below the normal range until you develop brain swelling and seizures (water intoxication) and possibly death. Firtunately, this setting is rare and surprising difficult to acheive in a healthy person with normal renal function (unless you enter a radio contest). If you are interested in more information, do a Google search usinf the key words "diabetes insipidus" or "syndrome of innappropriate ADH secretion" or "water intoxication"
mr.wilson
.Registered Member
Sorry, I guess you missed it my earlier post.
They don't outright condemn the idea of drinking DI water in the working copy of the report, but they outline some of the issues of concern that need further study in their opinion.
http://www.who.int/water_sanitation...mineralized.pdf
They don't outright condemn the idea of drinking DI water in the working copy of the report, but they outline some of the issues of concern that need further study in their opinion.
http://www.who.int/water_sanitation...mineralized.pdf
Ah - I found your post. I address their points one by one:
1/2) Direct effects on intestinal mucosa, metabolism, and mioneral homeostasis and Zero Ca and Mg intake - Studies are not conclusive in this area and most importantly in a typical setting one will not be drinking excess RO/DI water and will obtain plenty of minerals (including calcium. Especially if one were taking ad daily multivitamin and drinks skim milk).
3) Low intake of essential elements and microelements - See answer to 1/2 above.
4) Loss of Ca, Mg, and essential elements in food prepared with low-mineral water - One who is drinking RO/DI water is unlikely to be able to displace all the water they consume with RO/DI water (nor are they likely to wish to do this) and even if they did, there would be plenty of these substances in the water that is already contained in most foods food prior to cooking. I suppose if one did not drink any liquids other than R/O DI water and eveything they ate war dried food rehydrated with RO/DI water there could be an issue. However, this scenario is unlikely. Also, see answer to 1/2 above.
5) Increased risk from toxic metals - True, but not practically speaking, especially, if plastic piping and storage containers are used. As for plastic, there is always a theoretical concern even with plain old tap water as well as food storage for that matter.
6) Bacterial contamination - True, but I think in practical terms this is only a real concern in public water systems.
Finally, the report is targeted toward public water supplies and therefore there are a different set of issues in this setting - the real issue being the bacterial issue.
1/2) Direct effects on intestinal mucosa, metabolism, and mioneral homeostasis and Zero Ca and Mg intake - Studies are not conclusive in this area and most importantly in a typical setting one will not be drinking excess RO/DI water and will obtain plenty of minerals (including calcium. Especially if one were taking ad daily multivitamin and drinks skim milk).
3) Low intake of essential elements and microelements - See answer to 1/2 above.
4) Loss of Ca, Mg, and essential elements in food prepared with low-mineral water - One who is drinking RO/DI water is unlikely to be able to displace all the water they consume with RO/DI water (nor are they likely to wish to do this) and even if they did, there would be plenty of these substances in the water that is already contained in most foods food prior to cooking. I suppose if one did not drink any liquids other than R/O DI water and eveything they ate war dried food rehydrated with RO/DI water there could be an issue. However, this scenario is unlikely. Also, see answer to 1/2 above.
5) Increased risk from toxic metals - True, but not practically speaking, especially, if plastic piping and storage containers are used. As for plastic, there is always a theoretical concern even with plain old tap water as well as food storage for that matter.
6) Bacterial contamination - True, but I think in practical terms this is only a real concern in public water systems.
Finally, the report is targeted toward public water supplies and therefore there are a different set of issues in this setting - the real issue being the bacterial issue.
dawnskaybug
New member
haha thats was bigtime news till anna died 2 days later then it went bye bye
dwd5813
New member
if RODI water is simply pure H2O, then it is the same molecule that is produced every time a dehydration reaction happens in our bodies. this happens many many times a day, so i would have to say that since we are still alive, an H2O molecule is not poisonous, and could therefore be safely consumed.
on another note, one of my favorite drinks is vitamin water, which is made with RODI. i understand that this has other things added to it, but at the base it is RODI.
anyway, those are two cents from me.
on another note, one of my favorite drinks is vitamin water, which is made with RODI. i understand that this has other things added to it, but at the base it is RODI.
anyway, those are two cents from me.
tiberiusjones
Premium Member
leeching water out of you? nonsense, look at it this way from a purely scientific perspective, i f you injest a pure volume of water, the osmotic pressure will be from a lesser dissolved solid liquid towards a a more concentrated or higher dissolved solids liquid. Water will flow across a membrane to equalize the osmolity or percentage of dissolved solids across both sides of the membrane. So actually you would hydrate more not less!
Your body is 70% water with many dissolved organic solids and also minerals and trace elements. So the pure or RO water would move into your cellular membranes and body faster with less dissolved solids in it than regular tap water because of the bigger difference in osmolity and tonicity. here is a good Wikki about tonicity
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tonicity
Your body is 70% water with many dissolved organic solids and also minerals and trace elements. So the pure or RO water would move into your cellular membranes and body faster with less dissolved solids in it than regular tap water because of the bigger difference in osmolity and tonicity. here is a good Wikki about tonicity
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tonicity
Exactly...and this is why if LARGE amounts of free water are ingested (ingestion rates beyond your kidneys ability to excrtete it - think radio contest here), it results in low serum osmolarity and movement of free water into the brain resulting in brain swelling/edema, seizures, and death
daytonians
New member
Ingesting ridiculously large amount of water is bad whether the water is pure or not. Can we please drop this extreme case from a discussion that otherwise applies to every day living?
BeanAnimal
Premium Member
If you drink that much water in a day you will die. Period!
BeanAnimal
Premium Member
Thank you for your service as a U.S. Marine!
BeanAnimal
Premium Member
Good "credentials" does not make good science
The people that believe Di water to be harmful have nothing to gain from the claim. In fact, many of the reports are found on websites that market DI filters. There is a term for this... "urban legend". In some cases urban legends become full fledged cultic or religious followings... er "man made global warming" for example.
The other side of the argument loses some credibility with unqualified assurances, but that shouldn't detract from the knowledgeable people out there.
Perhaps the warning labels on DI water containers advising you not to drink it are just there to stave off our litigious nature.
I think DI water is safe to drink with food or other beverages, but I won't drink it on its' own. RO water has enough impurities in it for my comfort level. Maybe I'm too cautious. I don't submerse powerheads or heaters below the warning line either.
My concern is more from a standpoint of safe storage of ion hungry water. If DI water is only marginally dangerous to drink, we still have the issue of leached chemicals from plastic holding tanks and plumbing.
As the old lab riddle goes, "Where's the safest place to store pure water? Nowhere".
Yes water is the "universal solvent". The "DI" warning labels may be good practice and good litigation prevention but based on the wrong problem. The "problem" is that RO/DI is more prone to bacterial growth because of the lack of chlorine or other similar agents. Because the water is so ion attractive, it can easily become contaminated and fouled. Remember all the bottled water studies that just came out? Tap water is "cleaner" than bottled water for this exact reason.
