In America the quality of municipal tap water has been one of the hottest debates in the past couple of months. Public opinion is extremely sensible to health related issues, even more if those issues could affect the life of children and infants. Twenty years ago, a doctor was concerned about the quality of municipal water especially when used for young children and babies. In 1948, Doctor Herman Bundesen, director of the Chicago Health department, created Nursery, a special brand for purified water processed targeted for babies and toddlers. This special nursery water has added fluorides that are meant to provide additional nourishment to infants. Fluorides prevent tooth decay and are also known for preventing cavities and a variety of other tooth related problems. Today, after 60 years, Nursery continues to produce and provide distilled water for children all over the United States.
According to specialists, when a child is born, it can take up to three months before its immune system is fully efficient and developed. For this reason, pediatricians recommend boiling the water before mixing it with the toddler’s formula. An alternative to boiling water has been push forward by Nursery, the brand specialized in distilled water for baby formula.
When the water gets purified, the first step is water filtration to remove all the impurities possible. The second step is steam distillation that renders the water pure and already potable. Finally, beneficial minerals such as magnesium, calcium and potassium are added to Nursery water. According to the brand’s official website, these minerals are added for taste and not because they should provide any benefits to the consumer: “calcium, magnesium and potassium are added for taste. At the levels used, they do not provide any nutritional benefits” (Source: http://www.nurserywater.com/info/faq.php). It is only natural to wonder if toddlers really need a better tasting water and why the need to add extra minerals and treat the water if such additions are not truly necessary. Nursery water shouldn’t bee a fluoride supplement and the company advises parents to consult with a physician or doctor in order to figure out the perfect dose for their little ones. In order to render the final product as pure as possible, once the minerals are added the water is filtrated a second tip and the final step is ozonation that disinfects the water of even the smallest impurities possible.
While the company’s official website market Nursery water has perfectly healthy for your little ones, environmentalist action groups have decided to take full on action against the brand stating that Nursery “is misleading parents with erroneous information on its website and advertising materials touting the safety and benefits of fluoride in infant bottled water in clear violation of Federal trade commission rules” (Source: http://www.ewg.org/node/25958). According to these critiques, the company purposely misrepresents and misinterprets the point of view of various health authorities in our country. For instance while the website advocates that Nursery water is made according to recommendations by the American Academy of Pediatrics, the following organization “recommends no intentionally added fluoride at all for young infants stating that supplementary fluoride should not be provided during the first six months of life” (Source: http://www.ewg.org/node/25958). In addition, it appears that the American Dental Association (ADA) also appears to be concerned about the impact of additional doses of fluoride on children, doses that could have important consequences such as the corrosion of the enamel. Doctor William Hirzy, presents his own concerns about administrating additional quantities of fluoride to the brain of a children that isn’t even fully developed; the expert argues that it can damage the child and have a toxic effect on its body.
It is needless to say that the issues as alarmed many agitated and concerned mothers that demand to have some clarity on this serious issues. Until serious researches aren’t executed it is close to impossible to present one ultimate objective answers. While Nursery presents its water as harmless and beneficial, environmentalist and some doctors appear to be very skeptical. For now, the best you can is to talk to your trusted family doctor, or discuss the issues with a variety of specialists in order to acquire and built the most objective and authentic opinion possible on the matter.
