The Water You Breathe

How Shower Steam and Tap Water Vapors Reach Your Lungs

When you think “breathing problems,” you probably think pollen, wildfire smoke, or car exhaust.

But there’s another air-exposure almost nobody talks about:

The water you breathe.

Any time you run a hot shower, fill a steamy bath, or open the dishwasher after a cycle, you’re not just creating warm, cozy air. You’re also releasing whatever volatile chemicals are in your tap water into a form you can inhale.

Let’s walk through how that works, and why it matters—especially for kids, elders, and anyone with sensitive lungs.

Your Lungs: A Direct Highway to the Bloodstream

Your lungs are designed to move gases into your blood quickly:

• About 300 million tiny air sacs (alveoli)

• Total surface area roughly equal to a tennis court

• Ultra-thin membrane between air and blood

That’s beautiful design when you’re inhaling oxygen.

It’s not so ideal when the air you’re breathing includes chemicals that evaporated out of your tap water.

When you breathe in shower steam or kitchen vapors:

1. Volatile chemicals from the water ride in with the steam

2. They reach the alveoli

3. They can cross into the bloodstream in seconds

4. Some can also irritate airways on contact

So even if you never swallow a drop, your body can still “drink” part of your tap water through your lungs.

What Turns From Water Into Air?

Not everything in water will evaporate. But several important groups of contaminants can:

• Chlorine

  • Often added to water to kill germs

  • Naturally wants to move from water to air (strong smell in enclosed showers or indoor pools)

• Disinfection byproducts (DBPs)

  • Form when chlorine/chloramine react with organic matter

  • Many DBPs are volatile, meaning they can enter the air easily when water is heated

• Volatile organic compounds (VOCs)

  • From industrial pollution, solvents, or fuel residues

  • By definition, these prefer to be in the air once they get energy (heat)

• Some dissolved gases

  • Depending on your local water source, other gases may be present in small amounts

If your bathroom gets cloudy with steam fast, that’s a sign you’re creating a high-exposure breathing environment during every hot shower.

Why Inhalation Exposure Can Matter More Than Drinking

Here’s a counter-intuitive point:

For certain chemicals, breathing them during a shower can deliver a similar or higher dose than drinking the same water over the day.

Why?

• You’re in a small enclosed space (bathroom)

• Hot water = more evaporation

• Lungs are extremely efficient at uptake

• You’re breathing deeply from warm, humid air

Compare that to sipping water throughout the day, which is diluted by food, broken down by digestion, and absorbed more gradually.

This doesn’t mean you should panic every time you shower. It just means air exposure is real, and it deserves a place in your family’s health decisions.

Who’s Most at Risk From Breathing Tap Water Vapors?

Groups that may need extra protection:

• Children

  • Higher breathing rate per pound of body weight

  • Smaller bodies = higher effective dose

• People with asthma or sensitive lungs

  • Airways already prone to irritation

• Elders or those with chronic lung or heart issues

  • Less reserve if something stresses their system

• Pregnant women

  • Anything inhaled can potentially affect both mom and baby

Again, we’re not diagnosing or treating anyone. We’re simply saying: if you’re working hard to protect these people from smoke, mold, or pollution… it makes sense to pay attention to what they’re breathing in the bathroom too.

Low-Cost Steps to Reduce Inhalation Exposure

Before you think about filtration, there are simple habits you can adopt:

1. Run a strong bathroom fan (or open a window)

   • Vent steam to the outside instead of letting it build up

2. Turn on the fan before you start the shower

   • Get the airflow going first

3. Close the toilet lid and bathroom door

   • Keep vapors from spreading into the rest of the home

4. Use slightly cooler water when possible

   • Less heat = less evaporation

5. Avoid lingering in the bathroom after the water is off

   • Most vapors are highest during and immediately after the shower

These steps won’t remove contaminants from the water, but they will reduce how much ends up in your lungs.

When Filtration Becomes Part of Your Air Strategy

If your goal is to seriously reduce inhalation of water-borne chemicals, the most effective approach is to remove them before they ever reach your showerhead or dishwasher.

That’s where water treatment comes in:

• Whole-home systems that target chlorine, DBPs, and VOCs

  • Treat all water used in showers, baths, and appliances

  • Reduce what can evaporate into the air in the first place

• Point-of-use options (for specific lines/appliances)

  • Step-down choice if whole-home isn’t feasible right now

At Aloha Pure Water, we don’t just ask, “What are you drinking?”
We ask:

• What are you breathing in your bathroom?

• What’s your local water chemistry like?

• Who are you trying to protect—kids, elders, someone with sensitive lungs?

From there, we help you design a system that protects against ingestion, inhalation, and absorption together, instead of treating them as separate problems.

It’s classic “problem evangelism”: understand the real problem first (you drink, breathe, and absorb water), then choose the right solution.

If you’d like to see what’s in your water and how much of it might end up in your air, we’re happy to review your local report with you—no pressure, just clarity.