Digital Social Hour – Episode Summary

Podcast: Digital Social Hour
Host: Sean Kelly
Guest: Nelson McIlveen, founder of Century H2O
Episode: DSH #1691 – “Dark Water” Is Spreading Across the U.S.
Date: December 19, 2025
Topic: Examining the unseen dangers in public water, the rise of “dark water” in the U.S., and how innovative filtration could protect health in a changing industrial landscape.

Episode Overview

This episode dives deep into the growing crisis of “dark water” – polluted municipal water now affecting large parts of the U.S., particularly in the Southwest. Sean Kelly speaks with Nelson McIlveen from Century H2O, who brings firsthand expertise on water contamination, health implications, and new technology to combat these issues. The conversation is frank, wide-ranging, and laced with real-world stories, making the complex topic of water safety personal and urgent.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. What Is “Dark Water” and Why Is It Spreading? (00:00–08:47)

• Definition: “Dark water” refers to increasingly contaminated municipal supplies, laden with chemicals, pharmaceuticals, feces, and other toxins not fully removed by public treatment.
• Industrial Connection: Rapid factory growth in the Southwest (producing car batteries, semiconductors, etc.) demands large amounts of ultra-pure water. Factories take the cleanest water, leaving “dark water” for residents (00:06–06:32).
  • “They need a special water, clean water. So they get the water. What do you get? You get the dark water.” – Nelson (00:06)
• Shorter Filtration Cycles: Water is cycled and returned to homes before natural processes (like aquifer filtration) can remove contaminants. “Instead of water sitting in the ground for 10 years, it’s in there for a year.” – Nelson (06:25)

2. Water Treatment Myths and Dangers (00:39–03:56)

• Misinformation: Most people trust fridge filters or standard carbon filtration, but “what people tell you about water is not true…everything you know about water is not true.” – Nelson (00:46)
• Contaminant Recycling: Wastewater is insufficiently scrubbed, so “you get water, it has so [much] feces in it. It has grandma's pills in it, it has estrogen in it, it has everything in it that you don't want in your body.” – Nelson (01:35)
• Limited Filtration: Standard filters are designed to make water “smell good and taste sweet – nothing else. All the poison's still in the water.” – Nelson (02:55)

3. Century H2O’s Filtration Technology (02:55–05:56; 15:03–16:29; 26:49–30:06)

• Advanced Carbon: Their proprietary filter uses a carbon density of 2,800 grains (vs. 600–800 standard), with magnesium infusion to remove pharmaceutical residues, plastics (PFAS/PFOS), heavy metals, fluoride, even vaccines from water.
  • “We created a carbon at 2,800 grains of density with magnesium infused…we clean all vaccines out of the water, all plastic out of the water, PFOS and all PFAS out of the water.” – Nelson (03:13)
• Mineral Restoration: Adds back natural minerals for taste, alkalinity, and health.
• Oxygen Enrichment: Their filter “creates oxygen…all that oxygen goes into your gut, men, shrinks your prostate, women, it hydrates them.” – Nelson (04:11)
• Demonstrations/Testing: Live pH and sediment tests show their filter “turns disgusting, brown, sulfur-smelling water clear and healthy instantly” (20:55–21:00).

4. Health Implications of Contaminated Water (01:35–13:40; 16:47–24:40; 37:20–42:32)

• Absorbing Contaminants: “You take more water in through your body skin than you do through your mouth. You're a sponge, right?” – Nelson (17:08)
• Children at Risk: Babies absorb even more relative to size, and conditions like eczema and blue baby syndrome are on the rise (15:18, 37:42, 41:40).
• Link to Immunity: “If you're drinking water that has feces in it, how long is your immune system going to last? Now what, what are we seeing? We're seeing a shift on younger people getting sick, are we not?” – Nelson (24:18–24:35)
• Chronic Disease Connection: Nelson shares his own story of overcoming prostate growth using oxygenated water, credits their filter for major health improvements in users, including pets (25:07–27:09, 21:33–21:42).

5. Community Interventions & Real-World Crises (09:28–15:02; 31:54–32:53)

• Flint, Michigan: “We put product into Flint…we were able to fix it…Flint's not an issue.” – Nelson (09:33–10:00)
• East Palestine, Ohio Train Disaster: Century H2O deployed $300K in filters, eliminated vinyl chloride from drinking water, documented by EPA testing.
  • “Go on our website, you can see them. Zero vinyl chloride left in water. Wow. And that water was bad. I mean, that water was so bad that people's innards were burning. They had flames coming out of the faucets.” – Nelson (12:11–13:40)
• International Crisis Response: Sent filters to Jamaica during a cholera outbreak (“They were actually burning bodies”) at PM's request, saving lives with portable filters (31:54–32:53).

6. Problems with Bottled and Standard Filter Water (02:55–04:06; 39:01–42:39)

• Microplastics, PFAS, and More: “Microplastics are getting in breast milk…we take out microplastics with this carbon…PFOs are plastic. We scrub them.” – Nelson (39:52–40:01)
• Bottled Water Degrades: Alkalinity from bottled water dissipates after 7 days; tap and bottled often contaminated (19:46–20:00).
• Cheap Filters Don't Work: “Brita’s getting sued…Because it doesn’t work. Filters are made for one thing only. Smell and taste.” – (38:00–38:04)

7. User Experience & Results (16:10–18:54; 22:07–24:40; 45:58–47:42)

• Whole-House Benefits: “When you get set up with us…the house system…you can drink water from every faucet…your skin will get soft, your hair will get soft. Women love it. This is like the holy grail for them.” – Nelson (16:30–16:39)
• Physical Results: Users and their pets reportedly enjoy better hydration, less frequent nighttime urination, clearer skin, reduced eczema, and more energy.
• Personal Transformation Stories: Testimonies from people reversing conditions like psoriasis with just one week of filtered water (37:17–37:42).

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• "Everything you know about water is not true. Wow. That's how bad it is."
  — Nelson (00:46)

• “Factories...they need a special water...So they get the water. What do you get? You get the dark water.”
  — Nelson (06:05)

• “Instead of water sitting in the ground for 10 years, it's in there for a year...So now they're not getting all the stuff out of it. And that's where we're at.”
  — Nelson (06:25–06:32)

• “This water here will taste just like old school water. And you will get addicted to it.”
  — Nelson (07:16)

• "We clean all vaccines out of the water, all plastic out of the water, PFOS and all PFAS out of the water…"
  — Nelson (03:13)

• “If you're drinking water that has feces in it, how long is your immune system going to last?”
  — Nelson (24:18)

• “People’s innards were burning... flames coming out of the faucets.”
  — Nelson describing East Palestine, OH, chemical disaster (13:40)

• “You take more water in through your body skin than you do through your mouth. You're a sponge, right?”
  — Nelson (17:08)

• “Once you go a week on this, just a week, I'd love you to sit down and evaluate who you were and what you are now.”
  — Nelson (36:44)

Timestamps for Important Segments

• 00:00–02:55: Intro to dark water, water myths, and contamination mechanisms
• 02:55–05:50: Why fridge filters and basic carbon are ineffective; details on Century H2O’s proprietary technology
• 07:36–08:20: Why industrial expansion is shifting water quality threats in the U.S.
• 09:28–10:00: Flint, Michigan crisis resolution
• 12:10–14:12: East Palestine, OH chemical disaster response and water testing outcomes
• 15:18–15:34: Pesticides, blue baby syndrome, nitrites, uranium, and custom well solutions
• 16:10–17:13: Full house systems and skin absorption concerns
• 17:44–18:29: Health and household appliance benefits
• 20:00–21:00: Demonstrations of pH and impurity removal (Utah Lake example)
• 31:54–32:53: Emergency international use (cholera in Jamaica)
• 37:03–37:42: Psoriasis success story
• 39:52–41:24: Microplastics, breast milk, and filtration history/innovation
• 45:21–47:15: Nelson’s lifestyle, health outcomes, and diet philosophy

Additional Highlights

Audience Questions & Life Hacks

• Parasite Removal: Century H2O’s straw filter will soon allow users to safely drink even mud – removing parasites and bacteria without chlorine or ammonia (29:57–30:32).
• Advice for Parents: “For a sake of a small little product here, don’t be stupid. Take care of your family. Take care of these kids. You have them give me a call.” – Nelson (41:28)
• Conservative Appeal: Product is especially popular among “conservative Christian women” concerned about household health (35:26–35:53).

Memorable Moments

• Nelson’s self-experiment reversing prostate growth with filtered, oxygenated water (25:07–27:09)
• Banter about bad filters, bottled water “being a scam,” and mainstream media distrust
• Host’s commitment to document his own water filter experience live on Instagram (49:57)

Conclusion

This episode delivers a candid, sometimes alarming look at America’s hidden water crisis and the high-stakes consequences for households across the country. Nelson McIlveen blends technical knowledge, urgent health warnings, and relatable stories to reveal flaws in both public belief and utility water systems, positioning advanced home filtration as a practical necessity—not a luxury. Listeners, especially parents and health-conscious individuals, are left with actionable insights and a clear challenge: “Don't be stupid. Take care of your family. Take care of these kids.” (41:28)

Find more: centuryh2o.com — code DSH for listeners.