Truth About What’s in Your Drinking Water
Water quality for consumption is a very important consideration for every person. What chemicals, physical and biological characteristics make up the water that you consume from your tap? More and more, we hear that the quality of water is not good enough for normal consumption.
Water contamination can come from many sources. Chemicals from industrial waste, inappropriate disposal of household chemicals and pesticides, even chlorine or chloramines remain in treated water as a result of water treatment processes. Heavy metals from mining operations, industrial sources, lead solder in aging pipes, or naturally occurring mineral deposits are also potential sources of water contamination.
What about bacterial contamination? Even in today’s era of treated water systems and modern plumbing practices, we hear of fecal coliform bacteria outbreaks. These contaminations occur when water is exposed through minor breaks in supply pipes, inappropriate plumbing practices, or ground water contamination entering a private or public supply well.
While serious contamination of water systems is a rare occurrence due to monitoring of municipal water systems and modern water treatment practices, the quality of water for consumption can be improved through the use of filtration systems.
Some may consider the use of water filters to simply improve the taste of their tap water, others seek the improved health benefits of water scrubbed of organic and inorganic chemical contaminants as well as the removal of sediments and dissolved metals in their water.
Water filtration systems range from counter-top gravity drip systems to complicated reverse osmosis water processing systems installed at your sink. All systems work in a similar manner providing mechanical (pleated cloth or fiber filters that remove sediment, sand, soil, undissolved minerals, etc. from the water) or chemical filtration (activated carbon that scrubs the water of dissolved chemicals).
Which system is good enough for you? Start by contacting your local water provider (municipality or community water system) for a report on their water quality. Read the report and look for the kinds of contaminants found in your water. If you are on a private well, take samples of your water to the county or state for testing. Local water treatment companies can also provide valuable information and advice for water filtration solutions.
In most cases, the counter-top type filters that drip water through a small filter cartridge can provide a sufficient source of clean water. Tap mounted filters may be used as well and are easily installed. The taste of your water may still be a concern here.
Sediment and carbon filters, the big brother to the counter-top and tap mounted filters, may be installed on the incoming supply line to a house providing a whole house filtered water solution.
The ultimate water purification system for household use would be the under-sink reverse osmosis water filter. This system utilizes a mechanical “sediment” filter followed by an activated carbon filter to remove chemicals. The water then passes into the RO (reverse osmosis) membrane to further filter the water at a molecular level. In many higher-end RO filter systems, the water may pass through a final carbon stage to “polish” the RO water for improved taste. The resultant water can be 95 to 98% pure and from personal experience the water taste is amazing!
The human body is 90% water. The quality of the water that you put into your body can have a profound effect on the body’s health. Do yourself and your family a favor. Filter your water.