Frequently Asked Questions 问与答

Metals with density every cc. above 4.5g (or 5g for some)are known as heavy metals, which include copper, nickel, lead, zinc, cobalt, cadmium, bismuth and mercury etc; otherwise, they are known as light metals, such as sodium, potassium, magnesium, calcium and aluminum etc.

2.            What are the adverse effects of heavy metals and their compounds? 

Lead poisoning has adverse effects especially on children and pregnant women. These effects include learning disabilities, bodily disorders and mental behavioral problems. As the human body is unable to discharge the lead by natural means, it would continue to accumulate. The main effects of the toxicity of lead and its other compounds are: inhibiting the growth of red blood cells causing anemia; damaging the brain and vertebral; and kidney failure.If the level of lead in the blood is above normal, children may suffer from decreased intelligence, and their IQ level may drop.

Arsenic; its toxicity may be instantly fatal. It may bring about nephropathy and high blood pressure. It can destroy internal organs such as kidney, intestines and stomach and blood corpuscle, skeleton, nervous system, immunity system and genital system. Long term contact with arsenic and cadmium may separately cause dermatitis, liver cancer and carcinoma of prostate.

Mercury can cause skin diseases, stomatitis, teeth ablation, internal hemorrhage, and even damages to the liver and kidney. Any form of mercury may be converted into virulent “methyl mercury (CH3Hg+)”. The methyl mercury is excreted slowly in the human body and is a cumulative toxicant. It mainly encroaches upon cerebrum and cerebellum cortex, easily causes a person to suffer from nervous disorder disease.

Copper Verdigris and other copper salts are poisonous. Exposure to high levels of copper can cause stomach and intestinal distress, liver and kidney damage and complications of Wilson’s disease in genetically predisposed people.

Chrome, a chemical element, may cause lung cancer.

Cadmium accumulates in the body, it would result in serious stomach ache, abdominal pain, lumbago, headache, which subsequently leads to aching in the joints, distortion of the skeleton and contraction of one’s bones, kidney failure and liver damage. These are the obvious effects of cadmium poisoning.

 3.            What is ‘ Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons ‘ (PAHS)?

Chlorine is used to sterilise water in most countries. Although it can eliminate communicable diseases such as cholera or typhus, it actually can create new problems. Besides the bad taste, it would also react with the chemical substances in the water to produce ‘ Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons ‘ (PAHS).

The main sources of these materials are usually tar or asphalt which are used to prevent corrosion inside the water pipe. They are suspected to have strong carcinogenic toxicity. European Union formulates the safe standard that every Litre of drinking water should not contain more than 200 ug of PAHS.

4.            How is chlorine related with pesticide and herbicide? 

Chlorine is usually used to produce pesticide and herbicide.

A report from Spain stated that 40,000 people died of pesticide poisoning, every year globally. The global output of agricultural chemicals is strikingly huge and used for wide purposes. Their production has increased from 65 million tons in 1970 to 400 million tons in 1993. It is known that 8,000 kinds of agricultural chemicals are poisonous, of which 200 are carcinogenic. The plant crops may look nice on the exterior but are actually poisonous inside. There is no reason for people not to pay any attention to the hazards of agricultural chemicals, and be wary of their pollution effects; thus, washing of vegetables using clean water from a water purifier to eliminate any residual pesticide has become an urgent need.

5.             Why warm, but not boiled water, is good for making tea? 

To brew tea, one may use the SingLongsint water dispenser. Its temperature is set at between 85° to95°. The water will not be boiled to 100° which will become “dead”. Besides retaining the fragrance of the tea or coffee, it also maintains the quality of the water. However, this is not suitable for making soybean milk. The non-boiled soybean milk and hyacinth bean will both cause poisoning.

6.            Why is it necessary to use purified water for shower/bath? 

“There are two ways in which the human body absorbs harmful chemical substances, namely through the skin and the nose. In 1984, the “American Public health Periodical” once published that human skin can absorb up to 63% of chemical substances in the water when showering for 15 minutes.”

Using polluted water to shower would cause the absorption rate of chemical substances to increase sharply. Heavy metals dissolve more easily in boiled water than cool water. Therefore, using purified water for bathing is a health consideration and not a luxury. This is especially important for babies and infants.

After a day of work, it is best to soak oneself in the bathtub to sooth the tired body; or at least soak the feet in warm water. Using natural essential oil helps to enhance the overall wellness. Using water purified by SingLongsint which is free from chlorine, bacteria and heavy metals, both adults and children can enjoy their baths without worries. This is also a strong consideration for businesses in the health-care industry to adopt this practice.

7.            Why is there nitrate salt in drinking water? 

The nitrate in the drinking water is produced by nitrate fertilizer.

The nitrate would interact with other chemical substances in the body and then form into nitrite, and produce carcinogen such as nitrosamine in the digestive tract.

8.            Is there any problem boiling tap water? 

Water (tap water) would also produce Trihalomethanes when boiled.

9.            Is there any problem cooking rice using tap water? 

It is not suitable to use chlorine water for cooking as it may cause massive loss of vitamin B1 in the rice.

10.        Why is it that “blood acidity is the cause of illness”?

A Japanese medical research doctor concludes that one who has acidic blood is more likely to suffer from illness and having an acidic physique can cause one to contract chronic illnesses with higher probability. This is because acid is corrosive, as evidenced when the skin gets into contact with sulfuric acid or hydrochloric acid.

A research by the medical department of Tokyo University tested the saliva of 600 cancer patients. It found that 90% of them are acidic, among which 85% displayed strong acidity with pH value below 5.8.

Acid is harmful to the body. At acidic pH of 6, crabs will die; at about pH 3-4, salmon and other types of fish are not able to survive.

11.        Why water from reverse osmosis systems are not encouraged for consumption?

For industrial use, such as washing of machines, boilers and for cooling towers of commercial air conditioning systems, also in some professions such as fire fighting bureaus, the water using the reverse osmosis system in these cases can be recycled and reused which is beneficial for the environment;

Purifying water using reverse osmosis is cheaper than seawater desalination, thus saving cost; 

Reverse osmosis water is suitable for skin care use, healing of wounds and other disinfection purposes. 

But, reverse osmosis water lacks minerals and trace elements needed by the body and is not beneficial to health; it is not natural to add minerals and trace elements again.  

Mr. Lin Guangchang, an expert in water, commented that the trace elements and minerals found in quality water are not replaceable by the intake of vegetables and fruits. However, If the quantity of some minerals exceeds the intake requirement, it may cause poisoning instead.

For example, iodine is needed by human body, but if its content exceeds 0.05mg/l, it can cause poisoning. 

And, if there is excessive iron in the body, it may deposit in different organs and cells, majority of which will be in the liver, adrenal gland, thyroid gland, pancreas and stomach etc. As a result, it may lead to cases of liver cirrhosis, diabetes and skin pigmentation. Therefore, taking in iron excessively is not only non-beneficial but is in fact harmful to the body. 

Smaller sized reverse osmosis purifier requires higher hydraulic pressure to operate and has no use for the waste water, causing wastage. 

Reverse osmosis water is mildly acidic, which is not suitable for the body’s sub alkaline physique. Drinking such water for a prolong period will accelerate calcium loss, and endanger the health, which is especially bad for children, pregnant woman, patients and elders.

12.        The myth of pure water

Many people believe that the purer the water, the better. In fact, pure water is weakly acidic. Drinking it for a long period would reduce trace elements in the body and increase the calcium loss. Thus the immunity system is weakened which makes one more susceptible to fall sick.

Cola, a popular carbonated beverage which contains caffeine, is not a suitable substitute for drinking water. As it also contains sugar, protein and other flavourings and colourings, not only is it not able to replenish the water in one’s body, it will also reduce one’s appetite and affect digestion. This will lead to excessive amount of carbohydrates, increasing the blood pressure and cardiovascular burden.

Many offices in Singapore use water dispensers with large bottles of water attached on them. The water found in these bottles is usually processed using reverse osmosis method. It is pure water, and is mildly acidic It cannot provide the minerals and trace elements needed by the body, and would cause the body to turn acidic which is not beneficial for health. Moreover, after opening, the water will come into contact with air which may lead to bacteria growth.”

13.        Any Water Poisoning Cases?

CASE A：

There was a case in Kumamoto County, Japan, where the residents suffered from a weird disease. Symptoms include the inability to articulate clearly, unsteady movement, facial dementia, which later developed to deafness, blindness, general numbness, and nervous break down… … it was later discovered that there was a factory in the vicinity that discharged waste water of “methyl mercury” and polluted the farmland and environment.

Any form of mercury may be converted into virulent “methyl mercury (CH3Hg+)”. The methyl mercury is excreted slowly in the human body and is a cumulative toxicant. It mainly encroaches upon cerebrum and cerebellum cortex, easily causes a person to suffer from nervous disorder disease.

CASE B：

Chrome, a chemical element, may cause lung cancer.

Cadmium has been discovered in some household drinking water where zinc-coated water-pipe is used. Similar to lead, once cadmium accumulates in the body, it would result in serious stomach ache, abdominal pain, lumbago, headache, which subsequently leads to aching in the joints, distortion of the skeleton and contraction of one’s bones, kidney failure and liver damage. These are the obvious effects of cadmium poisoning.

CASE C：

In the coastal area of Jiayi, Tainan in Taiwan, the black-foot disease is the result of too much heavy metal content in the water, which caused huge quantity of heavy metal elements to be accumulated in the body. As these heavy metal elements are denser, they deposited in the soles and gradually extend to the calf. These heavy metal elements will destroy the natural environment for human cells so much so that many will die and fester.

CASE D：

The toxicity of fluoride is extremely intense. It not only can damage the heredity genetic of many animals and plants, but also is the cause of birth defects (especially Down’s disease) and anaphylactic response. New evidence shows that, fluoride would affect the metabolism of calcium, magnesium, manganese and vitamin C.

CASE E：

24/9/2006 Sunday edition of Singapore’s Zaobao reported that:

☆ 1/3 of people in the world today lack water in their lives in varying degrees

☆ Up to 1.1 billion people (1/6 of world population) do not have access to safe drinking water

☆ More than 3 million people globally died from diarrhoea every year, of which 1.6 million (90% are children aged 5 and below) would not have died if they could obtain clean water and proper sanitation.

CASE F：

From an article dated 18th September 2006 in the same paper, it was reported that a total of 120 people fell sick in Washington, USA, because they consumed spinach polluted by E Coli bacteria. Among those, 16 had renal failure.

14.        Any Singapore Certs?

SingLongsint Products were certified by Singapore authority.

Cert 1: Laboratory report generated from Singapore Health Science Authority testing the tap water purified by SingLongsint  1320 superior healthy water purifier shows that:

Cert 2: Another test analyzed by the Singapore General Hospital shows that even after a 6-month usage without changing of filters, water purified by the SingLongsint  1320 system still easily exceed standards set by WHO or PUB.

Cert 3: A test was conducted by a microbiology professor from the National University of Singapore, using a sample of water with high bacteria concentration of E. coli (17,500CFU/100ml).The said water was passed through the SingLongsint 1320 purifier. Results show that no bacteria were detected in the purified water: