Exclusive: Lack of Magnesium in Israel’s Drinking Water Poses Major Threat to Public Health
With five desalination plants and two more under construction, Israel no longer faces droughts. However, a Shomrim investigation, aired on Channel 13's flagship Shabbat Edition reveals, that the lack of magnesium in the country's drinking water, as a result of the process, has raised the risk of heart disease, diabetes, and even dementia. Watch now.
With five desalination plants and two more under construction, Israel no longer faces droughts. However, a Shomrim investigation, aired on Channel 13's flagship Shabbat Edition reveals, that the lack of magnesium in the country's drinking water, as a result of the process, has raised the risk of heart disease, diabetes, and even dementia. Watch now.
With five desalination plants and two more under construction, Israel no longer faces droughts. However, a Shomrim investigation, aired on Channel 13's flagship Shabbat Edition reveals, that the lack of magnesium in the country's drinking water, as a result of the process, has raised the risk of heart disease, diabetes, and even dementia. Watch now.
The magnesium levels in Israeli drinking water are dangerously low, posing a serious threat to public health, according to a comprehensive, first-of-its-kind study by the Health Ministry. The findings, revealed in an exclusive Shomrim investigation, highlight that the desalination process, which removes salts and other minerals, is the primary cause of this deficiency in tap water. For over a decade, the Health Ministry has warned about this issue and urged the government to reintroduce magnesium into the water supply, but no action has been taken. The study's results suggest that this could be Israel's most severe public health crisis in the past decade.
“I was shocked by the findings,” says Prof. Michael Schechter, the director of the Clinical Research Unit at Sheba Medical Center’s Heart Center. “Major Israeli cities with large populations are getting water with such a low level of magnesium that it can lead to health problems. The risk of type 2 diabetes, obesity, and heart disease have increased and recent studies suggest that there is also an increased risk of developing dementia.”
While the World Health Organization recommends a minimum concentration of 25 to 50 milligrams of magnesium per liter of water to avoid all of the above health hazards, in most large Israeli cities – including Jerusalem, Tel Aviv and Be’er Sheva, the concentration level of this vital nutrient is below 10mg/L.
“Drinking water with low levels of minerals in general, and especially of magnesium, could have very severe health implications,” according to the officials from the Health Ministry’s National Environmental Health Unit who conducted the study. “The results of the study show low levels of magnesium in Israel’s major cities and highlight the importance of adding magnesium to desalinated water to prevent heart disease.”
The study – which was published on the Health Ministry’s website last week – found that the average concentration of magnesium in Israel’s drinking water is 18 mg/L. For the sake of comparison, before Israel’s desalination revolution, the average concentration of magnesium was around 30 mg/L.
Prof. Itamar Grotto, the former deputy director general of the Health Ministry, also raises the alarm over the study’s findings. “An average deficiency of 10 milligrams – multiplied across the whole population – will have massive implications for public health.” Grotto points the finger of blame at the government, which he accuses of dragging its feet and stonewalling the introduction of magnesium into desalinated water – something that was supposed to happen by 2018.
Responses:
The Health Ministry said in response: “The Health Ministry initiated a pilot scheme to examine the effects of adding magnesium to desalinated water. Once the theoretical stage of the pilot had been completed, the coronavirus pandemic erupted, forcing us to prioritize our resources, and now the entire healthcare system is dealing with Operational Swords of Iron. The pilot is currently in the practical planning stage. As a result of the findings of the study, the Ministry is engaged in activities to promote public awareness of the need for a diet rich in magnesium, with special emphasis on certain high-risk groups.”
The Israel Water and Sewage Authority said in response: “Adding magnesium to desalinated water, the annual cost of which is estimated at 400 million shekels, would increase the water tariff for consumers by 4 percent, when in practice 99 percent of drinking water in Israel is used for showering, toilets, gardening, laundry and washing dishes – and less than 1 percent is consumed as drinking water and enters the human body. If the Health Ministry decides that there is public health justification for such a move, it will have to find a dedicated budget source to fund it.”
