Water is Water.

I was always under the impression that water is water.  When in America, I have no problem filling up my water bottle from the bathroom tap.  Many people feel that bottled water or Brita filters help to avoid bacteria in the water and make it more "pure".  As it turns out, it may not be the bacteria that you have to worry about, but rather the lack of bacteria.  A recent study has found that pesticides in water may be contributing to the rise in food allergies.

It seems that in our generation, food allergies have become increasingly common.  There are more peanut allergies in schools and a larger gluten-free selection than ever.  I was always skeptical of this rise, thinking that people were just being too-cautious, but as it turns out, there may be an explanation for these allergies.

Dichlorophenols, a form of chlorine, are commonly used in water supplies to reduce the amount of harmful bacteria.  Unfortunately, this pesticide also kills natural bacteria as well.  People need bacteria in their digestive system, as it helps to process many dietary components.  The ingestion of these dichlorophenols in most water supply have shown to have a significant statistical relationship with food allergies.  

The report is located from ABCNews at http://abcnews.go.com/blogs/health/2012/12/03/pesticides-in-tap-water-linked-to-food-allergies/