Landmark study links household water to degenerative diseases - is your area affected?
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It is the first time scientists have looked at the link between neurodevelopmental disorders and the level of minerals in water. Drinking tap water could be putting millions of people living in the UK at a greater risk of dementia, new research has found.
Scientists claim to have fresh evidence that shows the “harmful effect of soft water on neurodevelopmental disorders”, including dementia and multiple sclerosis. Furthermore, it found those most vulnerable to the potential harmful effects of soft water were people living in urban areas and aged over 65.
Soft water contains lower levels of calcium and magnesium. Scotland, west Wales, Cornwall and northern England are areas that get soft water - but some people living in hard-water areas install water softeners. The research, supported by National Natural Science Foundation of China, tested almost 400,000 people aged between 37 and 73.
“There’s still a much bigger risk of dementia from other risk factors such as smoking, high cholesterol and high blood pressure and most people shouldn’t be too worried about the effect that tap water might have. If it has any effect, it’ll be very small.”.
The study is said to be the first to look at the link between water and neurodevelopmental disorders. It defined soft to moderately hard water as between zero and 120mg calcium carbonate per liter of water, finding it to increase risk of vascular dementia compared to those with hard water supply.
