Robert Neville wrote:
"skeeter" wrote:

went to pick up some potassium for the water softener and the price
of potassium jumped 100% from $10 to $20 per bag.
is it worth the extra cost? i know it's environmentally better but
by how much?

Yep. Potassium is a major component of fertilizer and the Chinese
have been buying huge quantities in the past year or so. Has driven
the price through the roof.

Is it better? Potassium and sodium are are both naturally occuring
elements and both are so diluted as a part of the sewage treatment
process that I doubt there is any noticeable difference. Some people
think potassium is easier on septic systems. The EPA and several
university studies suggest there is no difference.

Some people buy potassium for softeners in an attemp to reduce their
overall sodium intake. In most cases, softened water contains between
40-80mg of sodium per litre. To put that in context, ask yourself how
many litres of tap water you drink a day and consider that a single
slice of white bread contains between 150-200mg of sodium and a can
of chicken noodle soup can conatin over 500mg of sodium.

http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/sodium/AN00317

Sodium aggravates hypertension - but does not CAUSE it. Six percent of the
population has hypertension and about half of those have the type that is
exacerbated by sodium. So, then, for 97% of the population, salt has NO
effect on blood pressure.

Controlled studies have been done where subjects have been given up to 25
grams of salt per day over prolonged periods. As best researchers can tell,
their bodies simply excreted that which was not necessary.

The most recent study was completed last year by the Department of Defense
and is found in a report titled: "Excess Salt as an Interrogation
Technique," Physiological Measurement Study Group, Camp Delta, Guantanamo
Bay, Cuba.