NSF WHO Collaborating Center and ILSI to Host 2006 International Hard Water and Nutrition Symposium

NSF Intl., a World Health Organization (WHO) Collaborating Center for Drinking Water Safety and Treatment, and the Intl. Life Sciences Institute (ILSI) announced a new international symposium on the health effects of consuming drinking water containing magnesium and calcium. The International Symposium on Health Aspects of Magnesium and Calcium in Drinking Water will be held April 24-26, 2006 in Baltimore, Md., and will be followed by a key meeting of WHO experts.

A 2003 committee report to WHO on nutrition and drinking water concluded that epidemiological studies on cardiovascular disease indicated there may be health benefits to those who consume drinking water containing magnesium and calcium. The primary area of focus will be the relationship between calcium and magnesium in drinking water on certain cardiovascular disease and other health conditions, such as osteoporosis. Additional topics will include the epidemiology, dietary intake, biochemistry and health effects of magnesium and calcium as well as the practical concerns, such as treatment technology and costs associated with adding magnesium and calcium to drinking water.

The symposium will feature technical papers and discussions with international experts on drinking water composition, mineralization, epidemiology, physiological mechanisms, nutrition, water treatment and public health. Speakers will include Dr. Gerald Combs, director of the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Human Nutrition Research Center, Dr. William Weglicki, professor of physiology and experimental medicine at George Washington University School of Medicine and Dr. Regu P. Regunathan, president of ReguNathan & Associates and member of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) National Drinking Water Advisory Council. Professionals from medical, public health, nutrition and dietary supplements, pharmaceutical, food and beverage and water treatment industries will be among those in attendance.

“The prevalence of natural hard and soft water supplies, bottled water of various types and the increased use of reverse osmosis and desalination technology, as well as water softeners and other technologies that have the ability to remove calcium and magnesium in drinking water, makes this a timely symposium that could affect all segments of the drinking water community,” said Stan Hazan, senior director of regulatory affairs at NSF Intl. “This symposium will convene key experts and create an interactive forum for an in-depth analysis of the potential benefits of magnesium and calcium in drinking water.”

Source: NSF