Boiling water like this may cause cancer

Water is an important substance that is indispensable for human survival. People can go without food for a day, but cannot go without water. Drinking water that you boil yourself is healthy and environmentally friendly, and this view has been accepted by more and more people. However, there is a method to boil water. If you do it wrong, it will not only bring health risks, but may also cause cancer.

Bring tap water to a boil, cover and cook for 3 to 5 minutes

As soon as the kettle whistle sounds, the housewife rushes to the stove. If she turns off the fire immediately, the harmful substances will remain in the boiling water.

According to professional research data from the Environmental Inspection Institute, the China Environmental Protection Agency shows that because tap water contains THM precursors such as humic acid, THMs will react during the boiling process and reach the highest point when the water is just boiled.

At this time, you need to open the lid of the kettle and let the water continue to boil for 3-5 minutes. The total concentration of trihalomethanes will quickly drop to less than one-tenth, making it safe drinking water.

Keep the room ventilated when boiling water

On the other hand, tap water contains chlorine, but the water has not reached the boiling point, so the chlorine will not evaporate into the air and will not cause harm to the human body.

When boiling water, as the temperature rises, trihalomethanes will evaporate into the air. Some nephrologists believe that the molecules of trihalomethanes are large, and after drinking them, the chance of being absorbed by the intestines is very low; but when the water boils, trihalomethanes will turn into gas and dissipate into the air with the water vapor, and can be easily absorbed by the lungs.

Regarding the risk of drinking or inhaling trihalomethanes, the best option is to boil water, cook soup, or cook porridge in a well-ventilated area at home. Also, be sure to turn on the range hood to keep the kitchen ventilated, and turn off the fire immediately 3-5 minutes after the water boils. Especially after a heavy rain, there will be more chlorine in the tap water, so you should pay more attention to ventilation when boiling water.

In addition, doctors also said that not only does over-boiling water pose a risk of trihalomethanes, but showering does the same. Taking a shower in a closed shower room for too long may also cause you to unknowingly inhale trihalomethanes.

It is best to drink freshly boiled water

The most ideal drinking water is fresh water. Scientific research has found that water ages very quickly. Water molecules have a chain structure. If water is not often subjected to strong impacts, that is, if water is not often in motion but in a static state, this chain structure will continue to expand and extend, becoming aged water, commonly known as "dead water".

For minors, regular drinking of this kind of water will significantly slow down cell metabolism and affect physical growth and development; for middle-aged and elderly people, it will accelerate aging; the incidence of esophageal cancer and gastric cancer is increasing in many places. According to medical research, this may be related to long-term drinking of aging water. Relevant data show that the toxic substances in aged water also increase with the increase of water storage time.

Studies have shown that deep well water that has just been extracted and is in a state of constant movement and impact contains only 0.017 mg of nitrite per liter. But if stored at room temperature for 3 days, it will rise to 0.914 mg. If water that originally does not contain nitrite is stored at room temperature for one day, it will produce 0.0004 mg of nitrite per liter of water. After 20 days, the amount will be as high as 0.73 mg. Nitrite can be converted into carcinogenic nitrosamines.

Therefore, experts say that the habit of using bottled water when needed and storing it for a long time when not needed is not good for health.

Do not boil water repeatedly

I boiled water in an electric kettle, but I didn’t drink it all after it boiled for the first time. Next time you want to make tea or coffee, just press the boil water button to heat it again. It’s very convenient and doesn’t waste water. But if this action is repeated many times, it will pose a health hazard.

Because the water is boiled again and again, the water evaporates again, and the nitrite will increase. If you drink this kind of water often, the nitrite will accumulate in the body and cause poisoning. A similar situation occurs with water that has been boiling for a long time.

In short, the seemingly simple action of boiling water every day also contains a lot of knowledge. For the sake of our health, we should try our best to boil water and drink water in the correct way, which is the best way to maintain health.