Do Oxygen, Ozone, and Water Mix?

[Apodictic]

Oxygenation is part of the death process and is also part of the life process. But you don't want to overdose on Oxygen, do ya? We take antioxidants for our health which prevent oxidization, the "rusting" of the body. Why do we take them? Is it foolish or does it mean anything? If it means something, then what is the teaching behind it and does it apply to oxygenating water?

 

 

 

 

There is also Ozone, which would kill you if you consumed it directly I believe, many times more powerful as Chlorine as a disinfectant, but they put it in a good deal of water because it dissipates in 20 minutes - - Logic would make you think that it might leave a residue or create a byproduct that isn't healthy as well. But it's in the water and all we can find on Google is fun "I don't know" answers like we're from the 1640's still trying to figure it all out. Ozone in air filters was banned once.

 

 

 

 

How about firing UV light at water?

 

 

 

 

Maybe the end result of all this purification is just that: nothing. But what do we need in water that we're losing through purification? How do we know when we're over purifying our water? Keep in mind, the body is filled and covered with microscopic bacteria. We are symbiotic life forms and what's best for us isn't necessarily some stripped down H2O molecule. I mean, when did we start consuming directly from the Periodic Table of Elements? Maybe we need some of the microorganisms, the bacteria, the electrical charge. Maybe that's all good for us, too?

 

 

 

 

I guess the main question I'm asking is what was really lost in the process of taking water that was originally running down pure glacial streams carrying rich minerals and electrical energy and microbial bacteria that was beneficial to the body... and replacing it with completely nuked water with Ozone and UV sitting in a plastic bottle at 7eleven?

 

 

 

 

What have we lost in that process and what have we added that is not good?

 

 

 

 

There are salesman in our world of profiteers that say that the most beneficial property of water that we lost is electrical and those salesmen push ionizers. There are others that say the most important aspect of water is the purity and the salesman push water filters. Then there are others who say that it's the PH, etc. etc., and each school of "thought" has its own accompanying sales staff. How adorable our world is. If we could just get the answer, how much more adorable it would be.

 

 

 

 

And I guess the REAL, REAL question I'm asking is whether there is any non retail-sales based body of scientific knowledge? Is there any scientific knowledge not linked up to and end consumer product, because that's all I'm finding on Google. Now I'm here. Wow me. And I will love you.

 

[Greg Boyles]

What makes you think that the bottles water companies do any of this stuff to their product.

 

My wife worked for a water filter company in Australia and one of their clients was one of the bottled water companies.

 

All they do is attach a stock standard water filter to their tap and fill the bottles.

 

I think you are allowing yourself to be sucked in by the marketing nonsense from the bottled water companies.

[mississippichem]

Didn't you already have a thread on this. I'll give the same answer here. Oxygenated water is a complete marketing scam.

[Vulgaris]

Yep, I could write a very long or very short answer to this post, because this is actually a subject that puzzles me, disturbs me and annoy me.

 

This will be short, because I don't have much time.

 

Apodictic, you are very right in asking all those questions. Unfortunately, most if not all are a result of confusion created by various marketing scams. Water need to be filtered or sterilized or whatever mainly if it has been in contact with other humans first. This is the problem we see in countries which do not have proper water-supply facilities or the like, and no access to running water. Water in small puddles or slow moving streams tend to fester up, because the microbes in the water have plenty of time to multiply. If this water has been in contact with other humans, and the temperature is not too low (such as in many developing countries) the water will quickly become a source of illness. However, if you do have access to running water, which does not have waste water being dumped right into it, chances are you will be able to drink it. This is NOT to say you should do this. You will always run the risk or some random infection, unless the water comes from some mountain spring or a glacier as you suggest. But my point is, that all that hype about drinking water from a bottle, clean water, deionized water, water with added vitamins or water ozonated and x-rayed and pH adjusted (oh god don't let me get started on that) is all crap to get your money. All of it. Our body is more than capable of handling the usual small things floating around in the water. Again, unless its been infected directly! I come from Denmark, and here we can (and do) pull water up directly from beneath our feet and drink it, without cleaning it. Still, many drink bottled water. Why, I have no idea. But the manufacturers of those bottles will surely tell you that it's because cleaner is better. But that's the point. It doesn't have to be 'clean'.

 

This was a non-informative rant, but I just wanted to get that one point through.

 

And for the fun of it, if you feel like getting a real idea about what is going on in the world with respect to marketing scams like this go read "Bad science" by Ben Goldacre. You will be amused, horrified and probably think once in a while if that can really be true. But believe me. It's all about the money and not about your well being.

 

Vulg. /microbiologist

 

[JorgeLobo]

Thanks vulgaris - good points. The presumed pristine water of the "mountain spring" is a good source of giardia and in any case has significant bacterial load. Bugs can grow in even distilled water to millions of cfu/ml with no discernable effect on color, clarity or taste. The presumed "natural" benefit is pretty much enviro BS and commcercial hype.

 

Don't forget that oxygen is toxic. Evolution of photosynthesis that liberated oxygen was a highly destructive phenomenon and no doubt drove many species to extinction. Those that found protection in anaerobic environmental niches and developed catalase and superoxide dismutase, antioxidants etc. survived and evolved.

 

UV does not penetrate water well and like ozone, does not leave any means of sustained microbial control in a water utimately offering water with substantial bacterial populations. These are usually pseudmonads, of more concern to the immunocompromised than "healthy" folks, but these folks do represent 25-30% of the US population.