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What's in Shower Water?+−
- 1. We May Absorb More Chlorine Through Showering than Through Drinking Water
- 2. Shower Water Releases Chemicals into the Air in the Home
- 3. Chemicals in Shower Water may Cause Harm to the Skin Microbiome & Irritate Skin
- 4. Chemicals Present in Shower Water are Linked to Cancer & other Health Problems
- 5. Chloramines May be Even more Harmful than Chlorine
- Shower Filters: Bottom Line
Most of us know the importance of drinking enough water and filtering it to avoid harmful chemicals or contaminants, but did you know that shower water can be just as harmful (if not more so) than drinking water?
Here’s why:
What’s in Shower Water?
Unfiltered shower water can contain an array of chemicals like chlorine (which we try to avoid whenever possible) as well as bacteria and fungus from the shower head.
The skin is much more than just a covering for the body. It is the largest organ and is responsible for important functions like vitamin d creation and synthesis. It also has the ability to absorb much of what it comes in contact with and we are learning that it has its own unique and important microbiome!
This is why topical magnesium oil works so well and why sunlight is so important.
It is also why a shower filter is so vital:
Chlorine is effective at killing pathogens in the water, but the properties that make it able to do this may affect the skin microbiome and the delicate balance of bacteria on the skin.
These are some of the biggest risks associated with the chemicals in shower water (and the reasons I use a shower filter):
1. We May Absorb More Chlorine Through Showering than Through Drinking Water
It may seem counterintuitive, but showering in chlorinated water can lead to more chlorine absorption than drinking chlorinated water. This is because we typically shower at warm temperatures, which makes absorption easier and because this water is coming in contact with such a large area of the body. In fact, research shows that the chlorine in shower (or bath) water can easily enter the bloodstream as it has a low molecular weight and can easily pass into the body.
Chlorine can also interact with other matter in the water to form harmful byproducts like trihalomethanes (THMs). One of these trihalomethanes is chloroform, which I’m familiar with from my childhood days of reading Nancy Drew mysteries, as it was often used by criminals to cause victims to pass out. Thankfully, it isn’t found in high enough amounts in shower water to cause that severe of a problem, but it certainly isn’t good to come into contact with regularly.
Warm air and water also open lungs, making inhalation of these chemicals easier as well. In fact, a study found a higher than normal concentration of chloroform in the lungs of study participants after a warm shower.
Chemicals absorbed through the skin can enter the blood stream quickly and have a tremendous impact on the body. This is great when it comes to things like topical magnesium that we want to enter the body quickly and in large enough amounts, but not so good when it comes to harmful disinfectant byproducts. This study even showed a greater lifetime risk of cancer and other problems from bathing or showering in chlorinated water than from drinking it.
2. Shower Water Releases Chemicals into the Air in the Home
There are some obvious offenders of indoor air-pollution:
Scented candles release harmful fragrances and paraffin into the air and are a major source of indoor air pollution. Air fresheners and cleaning chemicals are also major offenders, but many of us don’t realize that shower water is also high-up on this list!
The heat of shower water can cause chemicals to vaporize and be released into the air at higher amounts than they are even present in the water itself. The EPA found significant and detectable levels of THMs and other byproducts in indoor air as a result of bath and shower water.
3. Chemicals in Shower Water may Cause Harm to the Skin Microbiome & Irritate Skin
As I already mentioned, the microbiome isn’t limited to the gut. While the importance of beneficial bacteria in the gut is becoming much more well known, there are lesser known “biomes” on the body, including the mouth and skin.
Logically, showering in a disinfecting agent like chlorine that is chemically tested to reduce bacteria in the water may have a tremendous impact on the skin biome. Many of the effects to the beneficial bacteria are not visible and many people don’t seem to have any noticeable affects, though some experience dry skin, eczema or irritation.
4. Chemicals Present in Shower Water are Linked to Cancer & other Health Problems
As a follow up to the first point, some of the chemicals present in the water supply have been linked to various types of cancers. These chemicals can be problematic enough when consumed in water but are even more harmful when inhaled or absorbed through skin. Chris Kresser explains:
Research conducted on the health effects of chlorinated drinking water have demonstrated a variety of toxicity issues. Several studies have found that communities using chlorinated or chloraminated drinking water have an increased risk of bladder, kidney, and rectal cancers. (4, 5, 6) THMs from chemically treated water have been associated with a variety of poor birth outcomes, such as spontaneous abortion, birth defects, and low birth weight. (7) Chlorine and chloramine vapors are associated with greater risk of asthma, and may damage the mucosal lining of the respiratory tract. (8) Free radicals in chlorinated water have been linked to liver malfunction, weakening of the immune system and pre-arteriosclerotic changes in arteries. (9)
and Food Renegade points out a more specific link between chlorine and breast cancer:
Breast cancer, which now effects one in every eight women in North America, has recently been linked to the accumulation of chlorine compounds in the breast tissue. A study carried out in Hartford Connecticut, the first of it’s kind in North America, found that, “women with breast cancer have 50% to 60% higher levels of organochlorines (chlorination byproducts) in their breast tissue than women without breast cancer.”
Of course, correlation does not equal causation, but in this case, the evidence is strong enough to at least warrant caution and further study. At the very least, I find it worth taking precautions against easy-to-eliminate sources of chlorine exposure by using things like drinking water filters and shower filters.
5. Chloramines May be Even more Harmful than Chlorine
Another chemical often used in the water supply is chloramine, a mixture of chlorine and ammonia. As you may imagine, it has its risks as well and may be even more irritating to the skin and lungs that just chlorine.
Unfortunately, many filters that remove chlorine do not easily remove chloramines, so it is important to research options and address both chemicals when considering shower filters.
As I explained in this post, certain types of Vitamin C can remove chloramines and can be added to a bath to remove chlorine and chloramines in the water, though this is certainly more difficult to add to a shower.
Types of Shower Filters
There are various types of shower filters that are effective against chlorine and chloramines and I’ve personally tried several over the years. Filters may use charcoal/carbon, Vitamin C or KDF (kinetic degradation fluxion). There are pros and cons to each type of filter, including (from least effective to most effective):
- Carbon filters: Simple carbon filters like the popular Sprite filters are effective at removing chlorine (though not as effective against chloramines) and with a caveat: They don’t work very well at warm temperatures. In fact, they become less effective the warmer the water gets, making them more effective for drinking water filtration (usually filtered cool) and less effective for shower filters. They are a budget friendly option that can be helpful, especially for those who don’t take really hot showers.
- KDF filters: Another relatively budget friendly option, a KDF filter is very effective at removing chlorine, but not as effective at removing chloramines. These may be a good option in places where chloramines are not used in the water supply.
- Vitamin C Filters: My favorite option for removing both chlorine and chloramines. Vitamin C creates a chemical reaction that completely changes chlorine and chloramines, rendering them harmless. These types of filters remove both chlorine and chloramines almost completely and can also benefit the skin. In fact, many people report skin and hair improvements after using these filters. I’ve tried this vitamin C filter with great results.
Unfortunately, I’ve never found a shower filter that completely removes chlorine and chloramines (though some, like the Vitamin C filters, remove 90+%). The only filter I’ve found that seems to completely remove chloramines, chlorine (as well as most fluoride and other contaminants in shower water is a completely whole house filter (like this one).
How to Filter Bath Water
For a long time, I filled my children’s bath from the shower head so that the water would run through the filter to remove the chlorine before finding a better way. There is a bath dechlorinator that removes chlorine (and some of the chloramine) in bath water in just a couple of minutes. This is the one I’ve used.
Shower Filters: Bottom Line
Filtering shower water is one simple and relatively inexpensive step that can make a big difference in reducing chlorine and other chemical exposure in the home. Some people (like me) seem to be much more sensitive to chlorine and notice the effects more readily, but these chemicals affect all of us on a cellular level.
Using a simple shower filter or bath dechlorinator is an easy way to remove chlorine and other harmful chemicals in bath and shower water.
Do you use a shower filter? If so, can you tell a difference in your health?
Katie, I want you to watch the documentary called Cowspiracy. Given yesterday was Earth Day, I watched it and was blown away by what I saw. I think someone very influential like yourself would highly benefit from its contents.
Thanks,
Keagan
With regards to chlorine in pools, my son is allergic to chlorine. He would get red eyes and congestion and sometimes hives when he went in a pool with chlorine. He only swims in salt water pools.
Can you cite sources for skin absorption? I love your blog and am a longtime reader, but I am also a biologist. I can’t get past the fact that our skin is actually a protective barrier against outside substances. The top layer or stratum corneum is actually a thick layer of dead cells, not to mention that it would take a lot for a substance to not only penetrate the layers of skin, but penetrate far enough to be absorbed by the body into the bloodstream. Our skin is just not an absorbent organ; it functions actually quite the opposite!
The skin does absorb…..hence the use of transdermal patches for pain relief, HRT, nicotine etc etc etc…..
Katie, you are so smart and knowledgeable about many things. My wife and I so often benefit from your blog and we are grateful to you.
I must say that on this, however, I imagine there’s an alarmist view about the shower water.
Case in point, the kids at the pool all summer long. The concentration of chlorine in the water is much higher there. By comparison, the shower seems fairly innocuous, wouldn’t you agree?
Thanks,
Tom
Definitely. Compared to a pool, shower amounts are typically much lower, but personally, we avoid chlorinated pools as well (and use a pool that has UV and hydrogen peroxide filtration.
I read on the Berkey filter site that some of the chlorine turns into a gas when taking a hot shower, and so breathing that in is what is bad about chlorine in shower water.
I’ve recently moved to a new city and we are renting, waiting for our former house to sell, and the water here smells strongly of chlorine! I’ve noticed my hair deteriorating and showing all the signs it did back when I was swimming in pools, and slowly became aware of the connection. So yes: it’s much less important than a pool, but it’s a problem nonetheless. I’m spending so much on products to repair my hair that the filters will be cost efficient – not to mention the actual damage I’m not noticing. Just because there are bigger problems out there doesn’t make the smaller ones unimportant – we can’t feed the world, for example, but we can feed the hungry people on our doorstep.
We won’t put in a house filter since it’s a rental, but I’m going now to order filters for the showers and bathtubs and thank you, Wellness Mama, for the blogpost and information.
While I’m commenting, I will note that ellipses do not indicate hostility and can’t believe someone actually took the time to chastise you for an imagined and incorrect assumption! I’ll rest on my Masters in English and assert I’m an authority on this one. 🙂
For those that use a shower filter or whole house filter, what do you do to combat the inevitable growth of mold and mildew? After installing a whole house filtration system, it didn’t take long to notice mold and mildew formation in the toilets and shower stall. As it is, we clean once a week but that hasn’t been enough to stay in front of the growth. Any secret remedies out there or is this just a small downside to having clean, filtered water throughout the home?
I haven’t noticed this in our house…
Your comments ending with three dots give an air of hostility. It’s not really necessary.
I’m sorry you don’t approve of the way I answer comments on MY blog…
I wasn’t going to comment but I really felt I needed to. Anyone who has the time to read into something so insignificant, may have a wee bit of an anger issue. Some people just get angry over everything and anything. It’s silly! With all that is going on in today’s world, let’s be grateful for having someone like our “Wellness Mama” taking the time to help us. I punctuate like this all the time, simply meaning I’m moving on, or sometimes, connecting to something else. Thank you, Katie, for all you do. I think you’re awesome! Now I must move on to having dinner….?
I didn’t sense hostility AT ALL ! SOMEBODY just needs a hug ????
I got the same impression, Justine. Glad it wasn’t just me.
Actually some people add “…” because they’re moving on to something else. It’s the perception on the other end. Calling a comment “hostile” is almost hostile in itself. Okay, somewhat harsh. WellnessMama works very hard and although I don’t personally know her, I need to come to her defense. Why would she waste her time being hostile to her readers? Sometimes we need to give the other person the benefit of the doubt instead of assuming the worse. Things written online tend to give the wrong impression than what the author intended. However, we should all take responsibility for our on misperceptions… (the “….” was intended to mean that I’m going on to something else early this morning, as in “gotta go now…” Smiles!) Have a beautiful day, everyone!
There in lies the problem with communication. It relies in the receiver understanding the intent from the sender. Communication is 93% non verbal. With the written word we miss so much that we insert our own perception. I never considered ellipses a hostile gesture. More like there might be more to say …
I am sure there must be many of you with issues that result in your being totally anal….I hope you relax a bit….
An ellipsis doesn’t imply hostility at all. Its a way of identifying that the topic continues without resolution. Try not to be so hypercritical in your interpretations. Use your brain. Is there anything else here that is hostile? No, then give benefit of a doubt that there was no hostility implied. Your comment is the only one that’s rude here…
Justine, I am afraid that you are mistaken. I have spent way too much of my life learning grammar and punctuation and “…” does not imply an “air of hostility. In the past, I have taken two college level classes on business communications and the professors were very clear on what was rude and what wasn’t. Ellipses were never mentioned. They are commonly used in quotations to show that the quotation is incomplete.
I took many writing classes in college because, frankly, I am not very good at it. I needed to improve my skills. Two of my eight intensive writing classes were Writing for Business and Industry and Writing Grant Proposals. I also took a business writing class for Spanish/International business (writing business letters in Spanish). This was years ago but I spent many hours dealing with improving my punctuation and grammar. (Unfortunately, while my grammar and punctuation improved, I am still a crap speller.)
To double check, I consulted “Warriner’s English Grammar and Composition” and “Eats, Shoots & Leaves: The Zero Tolerance Approach to Punctuation.” I might have missed something but I am confident that if this form of punctuation is rude, it would have been bashed into my head at some point.
In either case, I feel that it was a breach of etiquette to correct Katie as you did. When visiting a blog, we are guests. I wouldn’t correct my host’s or hostess’ table manners because my correction would be bigger infraction than the original offense.
My apologies if you think this is rude. I don’t mean to be. I have to finish now to leave to pick up a kid after practice….
Jackie
You probably need better ventilation in the bathroom. We have an old house with a fairly new addition. The original bathroom tends to get mold and mildew and the newer bathroom never does even though we remodeled the old bathroom around the same time the addition was done. They are used about the same amount for showers. The new one just has better ventilation, even without a window. Chlorine bleach is the most effective mold killer out there so it makes sense to me that you may see some mold once you remove the chlorine from your water if ventilation is a problem. The steam goes everywhere.
Maybe you need the fan to run longer after a shower or leave the door open if possible for a while to dry the bathroom out as much as possible now that the chlorine is removed from the water. We run the fan longer in the old bathroom after a shower and open the window when the weather is nice (faces some trees and sits high so nobody is putting on a free show). Even so, I still need to clean the ceiling (where I get the mold) every so often with bleach and repaint every few years. I know that there are alternatives to bleach but I haven’t found one that actually works well enough for the problem area.
Try using white vinegar. Its natural and non toxic and kills 99.9% of germs.
Also tea tree oil is great for disinfecting.
Also talk to the installer/plumber about this
Cheers
Alf
When in doubt, give the benefit of the doubt to someone who’s a caring person like Wellness Mama! 😉 Smiley faces and a caring well wish go a long way when communicating through the written word. We are all busy though, and sometimes we can come across in a way we don’t mean. Haven’t we all? Wellness Mama is helping a lot of people with her information, and I’m very appreciative of that!
Wellness Mama stating she doesn’t have the same mold issue should be helpful to the OP. I’m wondering if there is mold in the air, and now without the extra chlorine, the mold is growing with greater ease. Home Depot and Lowe’s have mold test kits that might help. Good luck!! 🙂
I have been using water filters in the kitchen for ages. But never thought of its necessity in a bathroom. Never imagined few minutes of unfiltered shower can cause such serious harm to the skin and health. Its time to fit shower filters at my home.
Thanks for this post! I’ve been thinking about getting a shower filter but am on a major budget. Can you recommend any for more around $30-40? For chlorine.
Two of the ones I linked to are in that price range…
The last filter is out of stock. 🙁
Hello,
I bought the VitaPure filter you mentioned by Sonaki however the sales rep recommended teflon tape to prevent leaks. Teflon…?? Any alternatives you would recommend to teflon Wellness Mama?
We use a Paragon filter. I haven’t personally tested the water but I do feel a peace of mind using it. according to the literature it removes many contaminants as well as chlorine and is designed specifically for the shower
Does the vitamin Carpenter filter remove anything other than the chlorine and byproducts? I’ve looked for years for one that doesn’t (I really like how my hair gets so clean with my hard water), but seen nothing that claims to leave the rest in it. Nothing was mentioned at your link,but before shelling out the money, I’d like to be sure
I hate chlorine and pool chemicals and completely agree with you about swimming in a pool. However, I don’t have a shower filter because my house runs on well and septic, meaning that all household water comes from a well that is 350 feet deep. We are at high altitude and the water is very pure. But you have to watch out because there are government regulations that restrict the use of even private wells. 10 years ago we needed our well pump repaired and the service company chlorinated our well because state laws require it. It took 2 years before the water ran clean again. We do have a vitamin C shower head, which we love!
There has been a trend in Europe to install “naturally filtered pools” and this is beginning to start in the USA. These two videos are interesting:
https://youtu.be/UfXJNyA-7nk
https://youtu.be/CbQs4MP4Ag8
This is a great subject……….I have not had a swim in a swimming pool since I was 14 I am very choosy what ocean water I swim in also….I just could not abide the smell of the chlorine. I do not suffer allergies I just personally could not stomach the stenciling smell! In the days that I was a teenager environmental toxins were not an issue as they are today.
So now here I am in 2016 looking for a shower filter but I am having a mathematical issue as when the water is flowing through the shower head how could it be possible that it is filtering out all the toxins. I recently learnt that when something is applied to the skin that it only takes 23 seconds for it to reach the bloodstream …….