Aluminum and/or Magnesium in Water Heaters

[Guest guest]

Dr. has more than once warned of aluminum exposure - of

having aluminum in the body. And there are other sources and

other websites that discuss the health risks of aluminum. One

only has to do a simple web search on the terms " aluminum " and

" Alzheimer's disease " to see that there are some studies that

link aluminum exposure with developing this dreaded disease -

among other health problems.

However, I could not find mentioned in any of Dr. 's

materials of the danger (if any) of using an aluminum

" SACRIFICIAL ANODE " in water heaters. In fact, after several

exhaustive web searches, I have yet to find any mention

anywhere on the 'net on this subject - and this puzzles me.

Surely, hasn't someone somewhere done a test to determine

whether this practice is either entirely safe or if it can be

hazardous?

Here's why I'm concerned:

It seems all modern water heaters are sealed on the inside with

a thin layer of ceramic (or " glass " ) to prevent corrosion.

Still, over time this layer can develop cracks and the water

can seep around it. To prevent corrosion, modern water heaters

rely on something called a " Sacrificial Anode " or simply an

" Anode, " which is a long metal rod that is threaded inside the

tank from the top. In order to prevent corrosion, this anode

must be made of a " soft metal " that is more chemically reactive

and corrodes in water faster than the steel of the tank. Over

several years (about 3 to 11 years), this metal rod becomes

almost completely corroded. The pure metal is converted into a

white, powdery metal compound.

Many water heaters, especially older units, use aluminum as the

sacrificial anode rod. Modern water heaters are more likely to

use magnesium as the anode material because it's supposed be

both cheaper and generally provides better corrosion

protection. However, this is not always the case. Some who have

a magnesium anode and use well water have encountered an issue

with water that has a sulphur odor. (This is from having a

naturally high sulphur content in the well water, which reacts

with the magnesium to form a smelly gas.) To fix this problem,

they are often told to switch to an aluminum anode.

However, it can get confusing as many other water heaters have

had their original anode replaced with an " R-Tech " brand anode.

These are claimed to be " designed to prolong the life span of

your tank type water heater. " I said it can be confusing

because these are actually a combination of aluminum and

magnesium in the same anode. Finally, I found a couple mentions

of using other metals as the anode, including zinc and copper.

Do know that zinc can be quite toxic, even more so than

aluminum. And I remember Dr. warning to remove all the

copper from your plumbing.

As for magnesium anodes... I'm not certain what chemical

compounds it can form when used in a water heater. (Perhaps it

would react in some way with the chlorine in chlorinated

water??) I would imagine that it primarily forms magnesium

oxide, but that's just an educated guess on my part. I do know

that magnesium (in certain forms) is a vitial mineral that your

body needs. It has also been shown in some studies to be very

powerful in cancer prevention. Quite a few of Dr. 's

programs, remedies, and cleanses call for magnesium oxide.

I've seen a badly corroded aluminum sacrificial anode and it's

not a pretty thing. But then I started wondering: Where does

all that aluminum end up?

A lot of it remains in the form of the aforementioned metal

compound, still sticking to the remains of the anode and the

iron rod at the core. Some of it has coated the exposed metal

on inside of the tank and some of it has broken off in flakes

and now resides at the bottom of the tank. But what about the

rest?

The whole idea behind the sacrificial anode is that it's

supposed to get dissolved and oxidized - sacrificed in place of

the steel tank and the rest rest of the hot water heater. It

goes into solution. And if boiling hot water in an aluminum pan

can be dangerous to your health, shouldn't the aluminum anode

in your water heater being constantly dissolved in hot water be

just as much of a danger?

I'm sure some people put hot tap water in their tea kettle just

so it heats to boiling a bit faster. For the same reason, I'm

sure it's done for cooking purposes, too. True, I don't often

drink the hot water out of the tap. But it can be ingested

without realising it, even when trying to avoid this. Even when

turning the faucet to the cold side, some of the water

originating in the water heater remains in the pipes and comes

out later. And then there's taking hot baths and hot showers...

Many people don't realise how our skin acts much like a sponge,

soaking up a considerable amount of the water and, if present,

toxins that it's exposed to.

I'd really like to see some further research done on this

subject.

And while on the subject of water quality, I thought I would

mention this article I found on .net:

http://www..net/en/cleanses_clean-ups/laundry_bleach.php

Some of this stuff I knew, but a lot of it was surprising to

me! Water softeners are bad for you?! And so are water filters

and reverse osmosis?! Yikes!

Somehow, I already knew that the natural minerals in well water

are good for us - even without being able to find much material

to confirm this.

However, with all due respect, I have to disagree with Dr.

's conclusion that rain water is the best source of

potable water. In a perfect world, perhaps. But what with all

the aluminum, barium, mycoplasma, pathogens, and other crude be

intentionally spewed into the air by U.N. planes - in the form

of CHEMTRAILS - that is just not an option for me. Yuch!

There's way too much pollution and crud in the air that can

make its way into rain water! This is generally more of a

problem for those living in or near large cities. But it is

also a significant health risk for those living way out in the

country. I know because I live on a remote rural farm and I

still notice a lot of this chemtrail air pollution!

[Guest guest]

What a thoughtful post you wrote. I have an instant

hot water heater, thus eliminating the anode, I am

guessing, but it should be a gas heater and it's not,

so my temporary plan to check out is heat cold water

per Dr. 's suggestion of running it for a min.,

or a gal. worth, thus clearing the hot water residue

in the pipes, for a few dishes or hand washable

clothing, but use it hot in dishwasher, WITH a cold

water rinse, hoping to wash chemicals off these

usually non-porous eating/drinking utensils, same for

laundry, in hopes cold water removes all of those

toxins.

Getting a gas instant hot water system with the new

filters of activated coconut seemed like the real

solution, until the fruitcake nuts of CA forced

through flouride throughout the state, so has anyone

researched the best way to deal with that not getting

through, other than eliminating it with iodine from

our bodies?!?

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[Guest guest]

i'm curious from this article i found it quite interesting.

in your research you have found all the hot water tanks and water sources that

are bad for you in someway.!!!

in what conclusion have you found ? , that is a good source of hot water tanks?

and what in your opinion is the best water source?,

if you ask me every source i've thought of in some way has been tainted or

polluted even natural springs chemicals may seep into the ground and infect the

pure springs

is there another planet near by where we can import water from??

mike

Dr@...: bsperan@...: Tue, 4 Dec 2007 08:32:06

+0000Subject: Aluminum and/or Magnesium in Water Heaters

Dr. has more than once warned of aluminum exposure - of having aluminum in

the body. And there are other sources and other websites that discuss the health

risks of aluminum. One only has to do a simple web search on the terms

" aluminum " and " Alzheimer's disease " to see that there are some studies that

link aluminum exposure with developing this dreaded disease - among other health

problems.However, I could not find mentioned in any of Dr. 's materials of

the danger (if any) of using an aluminum " SACRIFICIAL ANODE " in water heaters.

In fact, after several exhaustive web searches, I have yet to find any mention

anywhere on the 'net on this subject - and this puzzles me. Surely, hasn't

someone somewhere done a test to determine whether this practice is either

entirely safe or if it can be hazardous?Here's why I'm concerned:It seems all

modern water heaters are sealed on the inside with a thin layer of ceramic (or

" glass " ) to prevent corrosion. Still, over time this layer can develop cracks

and the water can seep around it. To prevent corrosion, modern water heaters

rely on something called a " Sacrificial Anode " or simply an " Anode, " which is a

long metal rod that is threaded inside the tank from the top. In order to

prevent corrosion, this anode must be made of a " soft metal " that is more

chemically reactive and corrodes in water faster than the steel of the tank.

Over several years (about 3 to 11 years), this metal rod becomes almost

completely corroded. The pure metal is converted into a white, powdery metal

compound.Many water heaters, especially older units, use aluminum as the

sacrificial anode rod. Modern water heaters are more likely to use magnesium as

the anode material because it's supposed be both cheaper and generally provides

better corrosion protection. However, this is not always the case. Some who have

a magnesium anode and use well water have encountered an issue with water that

has a sulphur odor. (This is from having a naturally high sulphur content in the

well water, which reacts with the magnesium to form a smelly gas.) To fix this

problem, they are often told to switch to an aluminum anode.However, it can get

confusing as many other water heaters have had their original anode replaced

with an " R-Tech " brand anode. These are claimed to be " designed to prolong the

life span of your tank type water heater. " I said it can be confusing because

these are actually a combination of aluminum and magnesium in the same anode.

Finally, I found a couple mentions of using other metals as the anode, including

zinc and copper. Do know that zinc can be quite toxic, even more so than

aluminum. And I remember Dr. warning to remove all the copper from your

plumbing.As for magnesium anodes... I'm not certain what chemical compounds it

can form when used in a water heater. (Perhaps it would react in some way with

the chlorine in chlorinated water??) I would imagine that it primarily forms

magnesium oxide, but that's just an educated guess on my part. I do know that

magnesium (in certain forms) is a vitial mineral that your body needs. It has

also been shown in some studies to be very powerful in cancer prevention. Quite

a few of Dr. 's programs, remedies, and cleanses call for magnesium

oxide.I've seen a badly corroded aluminum sacrificial anode and it's not a

pretty thing. But then I started wondering: Where does all that aluminum end

up?A lot of it remains in the form of the aforementioned metal compound, still

sticking to the remains of the anode and the iron rod at the core. Some of it

has coated the exposed metal on inside of the tank and some of it has broken off

in flakes and now resides at the bottom of the tank. But what about the rest?The

whole idea behind the sacrificial anode is that it's supposed to get dissolved

and oxidized - sacrificed in place of the steel tank and the rest rest of the

hot water heater. It goes into solution. And if boiling hot water in an aluminum

pan can be dangerous to your health, shouldn't the aluminum anode in your water

heater being constantly dissolved in hot water be just as much of a danger?I'm

sure some people put hot tap water in their tea kettle just so it heats to

boiling a bit faster. For the same reason, I'm sure it's done for cooking

purposes, too. True, I don't often drink the hot water out of the tap. But it

can be ingested without realising it, even when trying to avoid this. Even when

turning the faucet to the cold side, some of the water originating in the water

heater remains in the pipes and comes out later. And then there's taking hot

baths and hot showers... Many people don't realise how our skin acts much like a

sponge, soaking up a considerable amount of the water and, if present, toxins

that it's exposed to.I'd really like to see some further research done on this

subject.And while on the subject of water quality, I thought I would mention

this article I found on

.net:http://www..net/en/cleanses_clean-ups/laundry_bleach.phpSome

of this stuff I knew, but a lot of it was surprising to me! Water softeners are

bad for you?! And so are water filters and reverse osmosis?! Yikes!Somehow, I

already knew that the natural minerals in well water are good for us - even

without being able to find much material to confirm this.However, with all due

respect, I have to disagree with Dr. 's conclusion that rain water is the

best source of potable water. In a perfect world, perhaps. But what with all the

aluminum, barium, mycoplasma, pathogens, and other crude be intentionally spewed

into the air by U.N. planes - in the form of CHEMTRAILS - that is just not an

option for me. Yuch! There's way too much pollution and crud in the air that can

make its way into rain water! This is generally more of a problem for those

living in or near large cities. But it is also a significant health risk for

those living way out in the country. I know because I live on a remote rural

farm and I still notice a lot of this chemtrail air pollution!

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