Tom L ... "Removal of organic compounds by distillation can vary depending on chemical properties of the contaminant. Certain pesticides, volatile solvents, and volatile organic compounds (VOCs), such as benzene and toluene, with boiling points close to or below that of water will vaporize along with the water as it is boiled in the distiller. Such compounds will not be completely removed unless another process is used prior to condensation."

Tom ... an excellent quotation. And for me - this just goes to prove why it has been an absolute disaster to introduce these compounds into our world (on a large scale). I'm not against sensible uses of technology. But we NEED to take great care to prevent these compounds from getting into our soil and drinking water. And to be honest, we just have not done this. The same thing can be said about pesticides. Some of these chemical compounds are absolutely lethal chemicals - that is what they are designed to do. Kill life. Yet, we happily spray them all over our gardens and croplands, and imagine that our environment will be safe. We have the illusion that if we are only ingesting pesticides in the "parts per million" then life will be fine. But how do we know that. It may be possible that some people are sensitive to these toxins, in much lower doses than parts per million.

Good post. No easy answers.

Pete