Ionized Water Harms Baby Development in Pregnant Rats Study Finds
- Authors
- Jolita Stankevič, Aistė Audickaitė, Simona Šilovė, Valdas Šimčikas, Henrikas Cesiulis, Grita Skujienė, Virginija Bukelskienė, Violeta Žalgevičienė, Janina Tutkuvienė
- Journal
- Journal of Environmental Engineering and Landscape Management
- Year
- 2020
- DOI
- 10.3846/jeelm.2020.11831
- Study Type
- Rat
- Outcome
- Negative
- Peer Reviewed
- Yes
- Country
- Lithuania
- Health Condition
- Pregnancy complications
- Body System
- Reproductive
TL;DR
Drinking ionized water, either acidic or alkaline, was found to harm the development of rat embryos compared to regular tap water.
Key Finding
Both alkaline and acidic ionized water increased fetal death rates and caused reduced fetal size and skeletal abnormalities in rat embryos compared to regular tap water.
Summary
Researchers gave pregnant rats either alkaline water, acidic water, or regular tap water produced by a home water ionizer. They found that rats drinking either type of ionized water had more dead fetuses, smaller babies, and babies with shorter bones and delayed bone development compared to the control group. The ionized waters also contained higher levels of certain chemicals than normal water.
Practical Takeaway
This rat study suggests ionized water may negatively affect fetal development, but it is an animal-only study and does not directly show what would happen in humans. The study also found that the ionized water contained chemical contaminants beyond normal levels, which may have contributed to the effects. More research in humans would be needed before drawing conclusions about safety during pregnancy.
Abstract
The aim of this study was to investigate the effects ionised water has on embryonic development using Wistar rat animal model. For that purpose, alkaline and acidic water was prepared with a domestic water ioniser. It was found that the concentrations of Cl–, SO42– ions increased in acidic water, while in alkaline water, Ca2+ concentration decreased and halogenated hydrocarbon concentrations exceeded permitted levels. The animals were given test alkaline and acidic water, as well as tap water as control. After three months, female rats were mated. On the 21st day of gestation, they were euthanized and subjected to Caesarean sections; the number of live and dead fetuses was recorded. The fetuses were examined for external or visceral malformations and skeletal abnormalities. The data showed that embryo death was higher in acidic and alkaline experimental groups in comparison to the control group. The fetuses in both test groups were significantly shorter than in the control group. Long bones of fetal hind and front limbs were shorter in the acidic group in comparison to the control group. Retardation of limb osteogenesis was expressed in the acidic group fetuses. Therefore, in our model, ionised water had a negative effect on the embryonic development.