Israel's transformation into a world power with the supply and consumption of desalinated water has a health price, Hadashot 2 reported tonight, Wednesday.
According to the report, a new large-scale study of some 180,000 Israelis found that in areas where desalinated water is consumed, there is a significant increase in heart disease. Today, most of the public in Israel is drinking desalinated water.
The researchers examined 178,000 members of Clalit Health Services in two groups. One group included two areas in the country that have received desalinated water for 6 years. The second group included an area that receives only natural water. The study found that in the areas with desalinated water there was a 6 to 10 percent increase in heart disease compared to the area that received natural water.
As early as 2011, the World Health Organization (WHO) issued a warning that the desalination process removes essential minerals, such as magnesium. The organization recommended adding magnesium artificially.
Two years ago, the prime minister ordered the minister of health to expedite a pilot program to introduce magnesium into one of the desalination plants, but nothing has been done since then.