title: Experimental comparison of the reproductive outcomes and early development of the offspring of rats given five common types of drinking water.
abstract: Tap water (unfiltered), filtered tap water and processed bottled water (purified water, artificial mineralized water, or natural water) are now the five most widely consumed types of drinking water in China. However, the constituents (organic chemicals and inorganic ingredients) of the five waters differ, which may cause them to have different long-term health effects on those who drink them, especially sensitive children. In order to determine which type of water among the five waters is the most beneficial regarding reproductive outcomes and the developmental behaviors of offspring, two generations of Sprague-Dawley rats were given these five waters separately, and their reproductive outcomes and the developmental behaviors of their offspring were observed and compared. The results showed that the unfiltered tap water group had the lowest values for the maternal gestation index (MGI) and offspring's learning and memory abilities (OLMA); the lowest offspring survival rate was found in the purified water group; and the highest OLMA were found in the filtered tap water group. Thus, the best reproductive and offspring early developmental outcomes were found in the group that drank filtered tap water, which had the lowest levels of pollutants and the richest minerals. Therefore, thoroughly removing toxic contaminants and retaining the beneficial minerals in drinking water may be important for both pregnant women and children, and the best way to treat water may be with granular activated carbon and ion exchange by copper zinc alloy.
authors.affiliation: Department of Environmental Hygiene, College of Preventive Medicine, Third Military Medical University, Chongqing, P. R. China.
authors.forename: Hui
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Zeng
authors.affiliation: Department of Environmental Hygiene, College of Preventive Medicine, Third Military Medical University, Chongqing, P. R. China.
authors.forename: Ji-an
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.affiliation: The Lundberg-Kienlen Lung Biology and Toxicology Laboratory, Department of Physiological Sciences, Oklahoma State University, Stillwater, Oklahoma, United States of America.
authors.forename: Lin
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.affiliation: Department of Environmental Hygiene, College of Preventive Medicine, Third Military Medical University, Chongqing, P. R. China.
authors.forename: Da-hua
authors.initials: DH
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.affiliation: Department of Environmental Hygiene, College of Preventive Medicine, Third Military Medical University, Chongqing, P. R. China.
authors.forename: Wen-juan
authors.initials: WJ
authors.lastname: Fu
authors.affiliation: Department of Environmental Hygiene, College of Preventive Medicine, Third Military Medical University, Chongqing, P. R. China.
authors.forename: Ling-qiao
authors.initials: LQ
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.affiliation: Department of Environmental Hygiene, College of Preventive Medicine, Third Military Medical University, Chongqing, P. R. China.
authors.forename: Jiao-hua
authors.initials: JH
authors.lastname: Luo
authors.affiliation: Department of Environmental Hygiene, College of Preventive Medicine, Third Military Medical University, Chongqing, P. R. China.
authors.forename: Liang
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.affiliation: Department of Environmental Hygiene, College of Preventive Medicine, Third Military Medical University, Chongqing, P. R. China.
authors.forename: Yao
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Tan
authors.affiliation: Department of Environmental Hygiene, College of Preventive Medicine, Third Military Medical University, Chongqing, P. R. China.
authors.forename: Zhi-qun
authors.initials: ZQ
authors.lastname: Qiu
authors.affiliation: Department of Environmental Hygiene, College of Preventive Medicine, Third Military Medical University, Chongqing, P. R. China.
authors.forename: Yu-jing
authors.initials: YJ
authors.lastname: Huang
authors.forename: Wei-qun
authors.initials: WQ
authors.lastname: Shu
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002681:China; D060766:Drinking Water / Q000008:administration & dosage* / Q000737:chemistry; D004958:Estradiol / Q000097:blood; D005260:Female; D005374:Filtration; D007858:Learning / Q000187:drug effects*; D008297:Male; D008568:Memory / Q000187:drug effects; D011247:Pregnancy; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D012098:Reproduction / Q000187:drug effects*; D013739:Testosterone / Q000097:blood; D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical / Q000032:analysis; D014881:Water Supply
chemical_list: D060766:Drinking Water; D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical; D013739:Testosterone; D004958:Estradiol