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Dissolved gases: Gases such as hydrogen, produced by the When water falls from the sky in what is essentially a electrolysis process of water ionisers, will raise pH, while distillation process, it often tests as acidic with a pH reading carbon dioxide, usually found dissolved in rain water, will lower below 7.0. Why? Water needs minerals to maintain balance, pH by 1.0 or 2.0 pH units. Ina laboratory setting, water is and if it has none it then takes carbon dioxide (CO) from the air. usually degassed before pH is measured. Why? The CO: then reacts to form carbonic acid (H2COs). This Mineral content: By far the most important determining is a totally harmless, weakly buffered acid but it is the reason factor in water pH is the mineral content. Usually the more why rain water reads pH 5.5 or 6.0. minerals present in water, the higher the pH reading. However, Again, the water is not really acidic in the true sense of the this is not a hard-and-fast rule; it depends on the types of word. The pH meter is simply reading carbonic acid and these minerals and gases present. A chemist will always measure pH pH readings can be easily moved towards neutral by bubbling with reference to "alkalinity as CaCOs" (the chemical name for oxygen through the water for a few minutes. Because water is calcium carbonate or limestone). This measure is the correct weakly buffered, a low pH reading does not mean that the water way to determine pH because it takes is actually acidic or harmful to health, into account the most important . just the same as a high pH reading factor of all: the presence of minerals There was atime when does not mean that water can alkalise in water. . the body. Trying to measure water alkalinity many leading health experts Another way to remove minerals without factoring " remperature, recommended absolutely and produce low pH readings is to use issolved gases and total minera . istillation or reverse-osmosis content is like reading the headline of pure water as the healthiest systems. The important fact to note is a newspaper without reading the text. water. However, opinions that, apart from rain water, The result is often misleading. h ith the ti demineralised water is not found in Before we move on to the role of Cc ange wit t e times and nature. minerals in water, I want to take a with new knowledge. Aside from some environmental quick look at low-pH water. impurities, the low pH of rain water is not harmful and it does not affect Low-pH water body pH in any way. However, we do Apart from in volcanic sulphur springs, it is only possible for need to take a closer look at the health effects of water that water to have a naturally low pH if it is devoid of minerals. contains no minerals. many leading health experts recommended absolutely pure water as the healthiest er "water. However, opinions change with the times and with new knowledge. Low-pH water ee Apart from in volcanic sulphur springs, it is only possible for water to have a naturally low pH if it is devoid of minerals. Rain water has no minerals. In nature, rain falls to the ground, collecting minerals on its journey down through the earth to the water table. When water is ready, it bubbles up through natural fissures in the earth, collecting more minerals on its way, and reappears on the surface as spring water. Capturing rain water interrupts the natural hydrological cycle. No minerals = dead water? There was a time when many leading health experts recommended absolutely pure water as the healthiest water. However, opinions change with the times and with new knowledge. As one doctor puts it: "One of (by far) the most brilliant men of the recent era, Dr Hans Nieper (MD and PhD) was against the long-term ingestion of distilled water due to the fact that there were no minerals on board to give it a 'charge' as opposed to being pure H20 (which doesn't occur in nature). "There does exist research (from more than one source) suggesting that even the intake of minerals from food doesn't make up for high-volume intake of totally mineral- free water..." (Emphasis added.) (Source: Dr Allan Spreen, MD, Health Sciences Institute, USA, http://www.hsialert.com; see http://tinyurl.com/6ozfpg) = Recently, the World Health Organization (WHO) formed an investigative committee to look at the need for calcium and magnesium to be present in drinking water. Here is an abridged quotation: "The World Health Organization has formed the International Symposium on Health Aspects of Calcium and Magnesium in Drinking Water. The symposium of about 200 medical researchers [is] evaluating studies suggesting possible links between insufficient magnesium consumption and a greater human susceptibility to heart attack, hypertension and even type 2 diabetes since many people in regions with mineral-rich or hard drinking water seem to have a lower incidence of heart attack or high blood pressure..." (Source: Water Technology News, April 2006) "It's our latest. Waterised water: pure-grade water specially concentrated with an injection of extra water." 20 + NEXUS JUNE — JULY 2008 There was a time when www.nexusmagazine.com