According to the Drinking Water Inspectorate, approximately 60% of UK households have hard water. Filled with calcium and magnesium, it stains basins, leaves limescale in kettles and discolours laundry. With hard water flowing through pipes and out of the tap, it is important to understand the health effects of hard water.

The National Research Council (NRC) states that drinking hard water does not pose health risks. Although hard water is generally safe for drinking, the NRC recommends more studies to uncover the correlation between other health issues and hard water.

The NRC notes a 2007 study that recognises a link between hard water and eczema in young children. Eczema is a non-contagious condition, resulting in severe dryness, itching and rashes on the skin. Researchers in Nottingham studied primary school children and found that bathing in hard water exacerbated their eczema. Authors of the study are unsure if the skin irritants were the calcium and magnesium or the extra soap and shampoos needed to build lather in hard water.

Hard water certainly does not cause skin conditions, like eczema, but its effects can cause increased irritation to sensitive skin. Finding relief hasn’t been easy for those with skin conditions, but continual medical research can provide a solution to soothe the discomfort of sufferers. Although the actual reason for increased irritation of the skin is unclear, what is clear is that hard water affects sensitive skin. It is possible to address hard water in your home, and Scalewatcher’s solution could offer the help you need.

Tags: Conditions and Diseases, Drinking water, Drinking Water Inspectorate, Eczema, Hospital, UK

This entry was posted on Tuesday, September 29th, 2009 at 10:53 am and is filed under Health, Home, WATER. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.