Boil water several times. Why you can't boil water twice

For many, heat treatment has been and remains the only way to purify water from harmful impurities and microorganisms. Some people, trying to increase the degree of purification, bring the life-giving moisture to a boil two or even three times. We will tell you in our article why you can’t boil water twice and how it threatens your health.

Why does the body need water?

Almost everyone knows: the human body is 80% liquid. But few people know that its volume ranges from 30 to 50 liters depending on age: the older the person, the smaller its share.

Water was given the magical power to become the juice of life on Earth. Leonardo da Vinci

Most water is contained in cells: the volume of intracellular fluid is approximately 28 liters. In second place in terms of water content is free liquid - up to 10 liters, followed by blood, intestinal and gastric juices, lymph, cerebrospinal fluid, bile and saliva.

Water, constantly circulating throughout the body, takes part in all metabolic processes. With its help, toxins, dead cells, viruses and bacteria are removed through sweat and urine. We have already written “How much water do you need to drink to be healthy”, so now we will not touch on this issue, but will dwell on why you cannot boil water twice.

Why is it believed that water cannot be boiled twice?

Boiling is perhaps the only way to disinfect water available to everyone without exception. Many people use it to disinfect tap water, and almost everyone uses it when brewing coffee and tea. Sometimes we are too lazy to replace the liquid once brought to 100 °C with a new one, and then we hear from our mothers that You can't boil water twice. Let's see if this is true.

How does heat treatment affect the quality of a liquid? Any water, unless, of course, you are dealing with distilled water, in addition to hydrogen and oxygen, contains a lot of impurities, including:

calcium and magnesium salts, which settle on the walls of the kettle during boiling, but do not pose a particular threat to the human body;

heavy metals: strontium, lead, zinc, which at high temperatures can form carcinogenic compounds that cause cancer;

chlorine, which has an irritating effect on the skin and mucous membranes and provokes the appearance of cancer cells;

viruses and bacteria, both pathogenic and completely harmless.

During boiling, H2O evaporates, but heavy metal salts do not disappear, and their concentration in the liquid increases. True, scientists assure that they are still not enough to cause significant harm to the body.

In addition, during heat treatment, “light” hydrogen evaporates, but “heavy” (hydrogen isotopes) remains. Moreover, its density increases, and "living" water turns into “heavy”, saturated with deuterium. Regular consumption of such water leads to death.

Deuterium (Latin “deuterium”, from the Greek δεύτερος “second”) is heavy hydrogen, denoted by the symbols D and ²H, a stable isotope of hydrogen with an atomic mass of 2. The nucleus (deuteron) consists of one proton and one neutron. Wikipedia

However, according to research conducted by Academician I.V. Petryanov-Sokolov, to obtain 1 liter of deadly water, 2163 tons of tap water will be required. In other words, the concentration of deuterium in twice-boiled water is so low that it is not worth worrying about.

As a result, of all the consequences of double boiling, the following can be identified as harmful:

change in the taste of the liquid is not for the better;

“living” water, losing microorganisms needed by humans during heat treatment, turns into “dead”, i.e. useless;

the formation of chlorine-containing carcinogens and an increase in the concentration of heavy metals.

This is why you cannot boil water twice; however, one-time heat treatment leads to the same results.

How to get “living” water?

Not everyone has the opportunity to drink spring water or purify tap water using expensive filters. There is a simple way for them to obtain usable life-giving moisture.

Pour water into a jar and, without closing it with a lid, let it sit for 24 hours. During this time, most of the chlorine will evaporate. Then freeze it in the refrigerator (just keep in mind that when freezing, water expands, and the jar, if it is overfilled and closed, may burst), but not completely: let a puddle remain on the surface. This is “dead” water with a high content of deuterium - it turns into ice last. Drain it, after which the ice can be defrosted and drunk.

Listen to some more advice from a nutritionist who knows how to purify water at home:

Take it for yourself and tell your friends!

Water "living" and "dead"

What happens to all these substances when water boils? Bacteria and viruses definitely die at the first boil. Especially if the water is taken from a dubious source. Salts of heavy metals, unfortunately, do not disappear from water, and when boiling, their concentration can only increase due to the fact that a certain volume of water evaporates. The greater the number of boils, the higher the concentration of harmful salts. But, according to scientists, their number is still not enough to cause significant harm to the body at one time.

As for chlorine, during boiling it forms a lot of organochlorine compounds. And the longer the boiling process lasts, the more such compounds are formed. These include carcinogens and dioxins that can have a negative effect on the cells of the human body. Scientists, in the course of laboratory studies, found that such compounds appear even if the water was purified before boiling. The harmful effects of such water will not be immediately noticeable; aggressive substances accumulate in the body for a long time, which does not immediately lead to the development of serious diseases. To harm the body, you need to drink this water every day for several years.

Nitrates are converted into carcinogenic nitrosamines, which in some cases cause leukemia, non-Hodgkin's lymphoma and other types of cancer.

Arsenic can also cause oncology, heart pathologies, infertility, neurological problems and, of course, poisoning.

Sodium fluoride negatively affects the cardiovascular system, and in large doses can lead to sudden changes in blood pressure and dental fluorosis.

Beneficial substances such as calcium and magnesium when boiled, they turn into an insoluble form and are not absorbed by the body, and even become dangerous: they damage the kidneys, contribute to the formation of stones in them, and also provoke arthrosis and arthritis.

Repeatedly boiling water for children is especially not recommended, since its high sodium fluoride content can seriously harm their mental and neurological development. Another fact in favor of the inadmissibility of repeated boiling is the formation of deuterium - heavy hydrogen - in water. Ordinary water turns into “dead” water, the constant use of which is harmful to the body. However, scientists are of the opinion that the concentration of deuterium in water, even after several heat treatments, is negligible. According to the research of academician I.V. Petryanov-Sokolov, to obtain one liter of water with a lethal concentration of deuterium, you will have to boil more than two tons of liquid from the tap. By the way, water boiled several times changes its taste not for the better, so tea or coffee made from it will not be what it should be!

To boil or not to boil?

A single boiling does not cause significant harm to the body. But it is better to refuse repeated use, since organochlorine compounds are definitely released, even in small quantities, and this is fraught with danger for the body later. It is much easier to acquire a new habit: before each tea party, fill the kettle with fresh water, allowing it to “breathe” a little first to ventilate chlorine and other harmful substances. Do not bring the water to 100C, fortunately more and more smart kettles are appearing on the market. And be sure to descale your kettle! And if possible, it is better to use natural artesian water without harmful substances.

What kind of water should you pour into the kettle?

We will not consider filtered water now, since many articles have been written on this topic, including on our website.

Artesian natural water of low mineralization is recommended for boiling. Such water does not undergo repeated purification, which is used at city water treatment stations, does not contain chlorine and other harmful impurities and does not leave scale in kettles. When purchasing, you should pay attention to the label: total mineralization 100-200 mg/l, calcium up to 60 mg, magnesium up to 30 mg, hardness no more than 7 mEq/l. It is also not important to have “highest” category water on the label, since this does not indicate the quality of the water, but only means that it is most likely water purified by reverse osmosis and condensed in its salt composition. Simply put, soluble powdered salts of calcium, magnesium, bicarbonate, sulfate, etc. were added to the same tap water purified to H2O. It is difficult to talk about the benefits of such “artificial” water; no one can come up with better water for us than nature itself.

Water also plays an important role for humans. The daily need of the human body for water is 2-3 liters. People do not satisfy all their water needs by drinking water in its pure form. Some people like to drink juices or soda, others like to drink cocoa.

To prepare hot drinks - coffee, cocoa, etc., water must be boiled. As a rule, one boil is more than is needed at a certain moment to satisfy the need. What remains is boiled water, which is boiled again next time. There is a popular “horror story” that if boiled water is boiled again, the water becomes “heavy” - harmful to the body. But that's not true. The harm of repeatedly boiled water to humans is nothing more than a myth.

The Karavan publication cites the opinion of medical observer Tatyana Ressina, who notes that there are many misconceptions around boiled water that are fundamentally wrong.

Myth one

If you boil water several times (more than once), the water becomes “heavy” - harmful to the body.

Myth two

As soon as the water boils, you need to stop the boiling process, since prolonged boiling of water also makes it “heavy” and harmful to the body.

Myth three

If you add raw water to boiled water and boil it, it will still be harmful to health.

According to the distributors of these myths, if the boiled water has not been used in full, then during the next boiling process, the water must be completely renewed - pour out the boiled water and pour raw water into the kettle.

All these are myths; there is no evidence that repeatedly boiling water or boiling water for too long, as well as adding raw water to boiled water before re-boiling, are harmful to the human body, notes Tatyana Ressina. According to her, perhaps the first disseminators of these myths accidentally stumbled upon information about heavy water and began to spread fears, and these fears, picked up by popular rumor, intensified many times over.

It is almost impossible to make heavy water from “ordinary” water by boiling at home.

During the boiling process, “ordinary” water can become heavy water, but everything is not so simple and it is almost impossible to achieve this at home. If we talk about repeatedly boiling water in a kettle, then you need to spend more than a dozen years repeatedly boiling it for the water to become heavy. For obvious reasons, this will be impossible to do, if only because by that time the water will have long since evaporated from so much boiling. Therefore, there is nothing to fear - you can safely boil already boiled water and drink it calmly.

What is the danger

The danger in the process of boiling or re-boiling may lie elsewhere. If you decide to re-boil the water, then pay attention to how much time has passed since the last boiling process. If quite a long time has passed, then it is better to drain the water and fill the kettle with fresh water. The fact is that in stagnant water various microorganisms develop faster, and more dust and other debris enters.

Water

As experts from the Medical and Health News department of the Stock Exchange Leader note, water plays a very important role in human life. Our body consists of up to 3/4 water, and the loss of more than ten percent of this fluid can be fatal. A person can live much longer without eating food than without drinking water.

Water not only supports human life, it shapes almost all other processes on the planet. And this is not surprising, more than seventy percent of the Earth's surface is covered with water. Water plays a key role in the formation and -

He tries to take care of his body and maintain good health. Drinking is an integral and vital function. If a person can go without food for about five or seven days, then the lack of water will begin to negatively affect well-being within 24 hours. This article will tell you about the harm and benefits of boiled water. You can find out which liquid is best to drink and in what quantity. You will also draw conclusions about the beneficial and harmful properties of boiled water. It is worth studying in detail each factor influencing the state of drinking fluid.

Repeated boiling of water is most often done in the same container as before. The resulting deposit on the walls of the kettle or pan heats up again and reacts with the collapsing molecules of the liquid. All this is not only not beneficial, but can also be very dangerous for humans.

How to protect yourself when drinking boiled water?

If you still prefer to drink heat-treated liquid, then you need to do it correctly. Observe the following conditions:

drink water immediately after it boils, do not wait until it cools completely;
after processing, pour the contents of the kettle into a separate container (preferably glass);
never store water in the container in which you boiled it;
Wash the kettle regularly to remove scale and deposits;
do not consume the liquid 2-3 hours after boiling, but rather prepare a new portion;
Drink raw, purified liquid periodically.

Summary and conclusion

So, you now know what boiled water is (the benefits and harms of the product are described above). Having concluded, we can say that raw liquid is less dangerous than heat-treated liquid. So what kind of water should you drink? Processed or not?

It all depends on the region in which you live and the condition of the tap fluid. Find out what your boiled water is. The benefits and harms of this product can be tested in a special laboratory. Recently, cleaning filters have become very popular. They rid the liquid of harmful compounds and fill it with beneficial properties. Drink only good water and always be healthy!

But won't such a habit cause harm to the body? Some supporters of a healthy lifestyle argue that water should never be boiled again. How right are they?

First, let's tell you what impurities are contained in tap water. Firstly, there is a considerable amount of chlorine, which is used to clean it, but can have an irritating effect on the skin and mucous membranes, and in large doses can contribute to the occurrence of cancer. Secondly, these are calcium and magnesium salts, which, when boiled, settle on the inner walls of the kettle - the well-known scale. Thirdly, heavy metals such as lead, strontium and zinc, which at high temperatures form carcinogenic compounds that provoke the occurrence of cancer cells. And fourthly - viruses, bacteria and similar microflora.

Water "living" and "dead"

What happens to all these substances when water boils? Bacteria and viruses definitely die at the first boil, so this is simply necessary for water disinfection. Especially if the water is taken from a dubious source - a river or a well.

Salts of heavy metals, unfortunately, do not disappear from water, and when boiling, their concentration can only increase due to the fact that a certain volume of water evaporates. The greater the number of boils, the higher the concentration of harmful salts. But, according to scientists, their number is still not enough to cause significant harm to the body at one time.

As for chlorine, during boiling it forms a lot of organochlorine compounds. And the longer the boiling process lasts, the more such compounds appear. These include carcinogens and dioxins that can have a negative effect on the cells of the human body. Scientists, in the course of laboratory studies, have found that such compounds appear even if the water was purified with inert gases before boiling. Of course, the harmful effects of such water will not be noticeable immediately; aggressive substances can accumulate in the body for quite a long time, and then lead to the development of serious diseases. To harm the body, you need to drink this water every day for several years.

According to British woman Julie Harrison, who has extensive experience in researching the influence of lifestyle and nutrition on the occurrence of cancer, every time water is boiled, the content of nitrates, arsenic and sodium fluoride becomes higher. Nitrates are converted into carcinogenic nitrosamines, which in some cases cause leukemia, non-Hodgkin's lymphoma and other types of cancer. Arsenic can also cause cancer, heart pathologies, infertility, neurological problems and, of course, poisoning. Sodium fluoride has a negative effect on the cardiovascular system, and in large doses can lead to sudden changes in blood pressure and dental fluorosis. Substances that are harmless in small quantities, for example, calcium salts, become dangerous when boiling water repeatedly: they damage the kidneys, promote the formation of stones in them, and also provoke arthrosis and arthritis. Repeatedly boiling water for children is especially not recommended, since its high sodium fluoride content can seriously harm their mental and neurological development.

Another fact in favor of the inadmissibility of repeated boiling is the formation of deuterium in water - heavy hydrogen, the density of which also increases. Ordinary water turns into “dead” water, the constant use of which can lead to death.

However, scientists are of the opinion that the concentration of deuterium in water, even after several heat treatments, is negligible. According to the research of Academician I.V. Petryanov-Sokolov, to obtain one liter of water with a lethal concentration of deuterium, you will have to boil more than two tons of liquid from the tap.

By the way, water boiled several times changes its taste not for the better, so tea or coffee made from it will not be what it should be!

To boil or not to boil?

Boiled water is still more beneficial for the body than water straight from the tap. So boiling once is very reasonable. But it is better to refuse repeated use, since organochlorine compounds are definitely released, even in small quantities, and this is fraught with danger for the body later. It is much easier to acquire a new habit: before each tea party, fill the kettle with fresh water, allowing it to “breathe” a little first to ventilate chlorine and other harmful substances. And be sure to descale the kettle!