Mail Tribune Article - Oregon may raise level of metals allowed in water

From: Keith Nelson

Sent: Tue Sep 07 17:27:19 2010

To: waterqualitystandards

Subject: Mail Tribune Article - Oregon may raise level of metals allowed in water

Importance: Normal

To Whom it May Concern:

I am writing this with deep concern regarding the state's decision as per the your web site article found here stating that the DEQ is considering allowing more iron to be in the water.

I ask that your department re-consider your decision on allowing the iron to be increased. Your failure to prevent this may end up having catastrophic events in the lives of many patients with Hereditary Hemochromatosis - a genetic disorder which causes the human body to absorb too much iron in their bodies. Left untreated - this can and will end up in the overload of iron in the body's organs and shutdown ultimately ending in death.

A few basic facts about Hemochromatosis:

* About 3 of every 1,000 people in the US have hemochromatosis, especially those of English, French, Swedish, or Portuguese descent. Men are much more likely to have symptoms than women. Before menopause women are protected somewhat from the disease because they lose quite a bit of iron during menstruation and childbirth.
* Your heart muscle can become damaged, leading to heart problems, including heart failure.
* The pancreas, which produces insulin, becomes damaged. The pancreas may make less insulin than your body needs. When you have too little insulin, the level of sugar in your blood rises and you may become diabetic.
* The buildup of iron can severely damage or destroy organs
* Hemochromatosis is also called "Iron Overload Disease"

As a Hemochromatosis patient and founder of the Iron Overload Support Forums Online, I am always keenly aware of the iron content and levels in the foods we eat and the drinks we consume including water. Oregon's water has been considered cleaner than many other municipal water sources across the nation and worldwide. With this knowledge in hand, I have carefully examined the reports of the mineral levels in the water sources here in Medford. While they are satisfactory at the moment in concern to Hemochromatosis dietary requirements, I still opt to drink filtered water which has been purified by Reverse Osmosis and other methods to strip the particulate found in water. This has helped me in part maintain a healthier blood iron level.

I have background training in water purification and feel fortunate to be aware of what kinds of particulate can be found in the water systems of today's municipalities. With this fact in mind, I consider myself fortunate enough to be wise to the potential dangers of what may be harmless to the general population, but highly dangerous to Hemochromatosis Patients such as myself. While I have this luxury, not everyone does and may fall victim to the kinds of particulates in their water supplies as well as their food choices they make.

I strongly urge you to contact your local Hemotologists as well as the CDC for consultation concerning the potential hazards of raising the iron levels in the water supply before you commit to the changes you have proposed.

Sincerely,

Keith Nelson

Webmaster/Founder

Iron Overload Support Forums Online

http://www.ironoverloadsupport.com