Water Filtration

Although we get the majority of the minerals in our diet from fruits and vegetables, minerals in water do play a role in the maintenance of good health. Over the past thirty-five years, research has continued to amass in support of the health benefits of minerals in water. Studies of populations in areas with naturally occurring hard water ( high mineral content ) and naturally occurring soft water ( low mineral content ) have found fewer occurrences of cardiovascular diseases, cancer, diabetes, respiratory diseases and other health problems in the areas with hard water.

Almost all minerals in water are dissolved. That is, they liquefy and merge with the water. The standard measure of dissolved minerals in water is called TDS, which stands for total dissolved solids. Studies show that disease is statistically less prevalent in areas that have moderate to high TDS levels. However, high TDS levels don’t seem to provide any advantage over moderate levels. In fact, areas with high and moderate TDS levels show the same health improvements when compared to areas with low TDS.

What this suggests is that once an adequate minimum intake of beneficial minerals from water is achieved, ingesting higher levels doesn’t confer additional benefits in spite of claims to the contrary from some in the bottled water industry.

So, whether you drink water with lots of minerals or drink distilled water which has virtually none, remember that most of your minerals come from fruits and vegetables, so the amount of these in your diet is far more important than the levels of minerals in the water you drink.

Many times in the process of removing harmful pollutants from water, beneficial minerals are sometimes removed as well. However, needless to say, when pollutants are present, it’s more important to remove them from the water than it is to save the minerals.

Excerpted from the book “The Drinking Water book — How to Eliminate Harmful Toxins from Your Water” by Colin Ingram.

Hard water contains large amounts of dissolved calcium and, to a lesser extent, magnesium. Soft water contains relatively small amounts of calcium and magnesium. Water can be naturally hard or naturally soft. The disadvantage of hard water is that more soap or detergent is needed to get clothing, dishes, and other items clean. Also, soft water makes skin feel smoother and hair feel softer. Soft water has another advantage: It causes less scale, which is that hard, whitish stuff that forms on the inside of pipes and tends to clog up the innards of water appliances. A huge industry exists in the United States whose sole purpose is to make hard water soft. There are hundreds of water softener manufacturers and tens of thousands of water softener dealers.

Although soft water does occur naturally, most of the soft water consumed in the U.S. is created by water softeners. These simple gadgets trap calcium and magnesium in the water and replace it with salt ( sodium chloride). So when you drink softened water, you’re simply drinking water with most of its calcium and magnesium removed and with salt added.

The higher the levels of calcium and magnesium in tap water, the more salt is exchanged in a water softener. If your incoming tap water has a low level of minerals, your softened water will be low in salt. If your tap water has a high level of minerals, your softened water will have a high level of salt.

There has been much publicity over the years about the negative health effects of drinking softened water. This springs from some early research that showed a correlation between cardiovascular disease and high-salt diets. But, more recent research has shown that the amount of salt consumed by drinking softened water is insignificant when compared to overall daily salt intake. Only people who are on a severely salt-restricted diet face a health risk from the added salt in softened water.

In recent years, a substitute for salt ( sodium chloride ) has become popular in water softeners. This substitute is potassium ( potassium chloride ). When potassium is used, the calcium and magnesium in hard water are exchanged for potassium, so no sodium is added to the water. Potassium, in general, is a vital, health-promoting nutrient, but some health conditions do require that people follow potassium-related diets.

Excerpted from “The Drinking Water Book — How to Eliminate Harmful Toxins from Your Water” by Colin Ingram.  

Are you the type of reader who wants some information quickly? Okay, try these:

• If you get your drinking water from a tap, let the water run at full flow for ten seconds, then slow it down to half flow or less to fill your container. Running at full flow will flush out pollutants that have attached to (or grown on) the faucet components, and reducing the flow will make it less likely that any other pollutants will be detached as you fill your container.
• If you want water for a hot drink, draw cold water from your tap and heat it. Resist the temptation to draw hot water from the tap, as there’s a greater chance of pollutants coming from your hot water heater.
• If you use any kind of portable water filter or even one that is detachable, store the filter in your refrigerator when it’s not in use. This will greatly slow the growth of microorganisms in the filter.
• Once bottled water has been open for two days, store it in the refrigerator.
• City, town and rural water utilities are required to send all customers an annual water quality report. If you get your water from a public water supply and you have not received a report, ask them for one - it’s free. The report should alert you to any contaminants detected above federal and state permitted levels.
• If your water is from a private well, the most common health risk is from bacterial contamination. Have your water tested for the presence of bacteria at least once a year.
• Fluoridation: There are some sound arguments for and against. On balance, I recommend against it.
• Almost all water utilities disinfect water with chlorine ( sometimes together with ammonia ). This does a good job of killing almost all microorganisms in the water, but the chlorine itself poses a certain degree of health risk. Don’t drink chlorinated tap water on a regular basis.
• Is distilled water good or bad for you? The water itself is okay, but be careful of the containers you store it in.
• Is bottled water really safer than tap water from a public water supply? It depends on the type and brand of bottled water - some are and some aren’t.

All of the above as well as many more details are covered in the book “The Drinking Water Book — How to Eliminate Harmful Toxins from Your Water” by Colin Ingram.

 In February, 2008, the EPA compiled a list of the following contaminants that may be found in U.S. drinking water: 

Microbial Contaminants

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A typical home reverse osmosis treatment system is shown in the figure below. A reverse osmosis system is normally located beneath the kitchen sink since it is used to treat water for drinking and cooking purposes. RO systems consist of the pre-filter, RO membrane unit, a pressurized storage tank for the treated water, a post-filter and a separate delivery tap for the treated water supply.

A Typical Home RO System Includes: (1) particle filter, (2) reverse osmosis membrane unit, (3) pressurized treated-water storage container, (4) carbon adsorption post-filter, and (5) separate treated-water tap.

The water supply entering the RO unit should be bacteriologically safe. RO units will remove virtually all microorganisms but they are not recommended Read the rest of this entry »

A $490-million plant will clean effluent to state standards, then inject it into the groundwater basin for further filtration.

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Article brought to you by SoundWaterSolutions.com

The EPA regulates only public water systems; it does not have the authority to regulate private wells. Approximately 15 percent of Americans rely on their own private drinking water supplies, and these supplies are not subject to EPA standards. Unlike public drinking water systems serving many people, well owners do not have experts regularly checking their water’s source and its quality before it is sent to the tap. These households must take special precautions to ensure the protection and maintenance of their drinking water supplies.

The risk of having problems depends on how good your well is–how well it was built and located, and how well you maintain it. It also depends on your local environment. That includes the quality of the aquifer from which your water is drawn and the human activities going on in your area that can affect your well.

Although several sources of pollution are easy to spot by sight, taste, or smell, many serious problems however can be found only by testing your water. Learning of the possible threats in your area will help you decide the kind of tests you may need.

WHAT SHOULD I DO?

There are six basic steps you can take to help protect your private drinking water supply:

1. Identify potential problem sources.
2. Talk with local experts.
3. Have your water tested periodically.
4. Have the test results interpreted and explained clearly.
5. Set and follow a regular maintenance schedule for your well, and keep up-to-date records.
6. Immediately remedy any problems.

IMMEDIATELY REMEDY ANY PROBLEMS

If you find that your well water is contaminated, fix the problem as soon as possible. Consider connecting into a nearby community water system, if one is available, and/or install a water treatment device such as a reverse osmosis unit to remove impurities.

If you choose to keep your well and treat the water yourself, it is all too important that you also maintain your well, fix problems before they reach crisis levels, and keep up-to-date records of well installations and repairs as well as plumbing and water costs. It is up to you to protect your own well area from contamination.

Excerpted from the EPA’s “Water On Tap” publication.

The water coming out of your faucet may not be as clean as it should be. The NRDC ( National Resources Defense Council ) and other groups are working toward the day when all Americans can drink and shower in tap water without worry, but if you have immediate concerns about the water in your home, an independently certified water filter can be a good temporary fix for your kitchen faucet. Some filters aim to produce clearer, better-tasting water, while others work to remove contaminants that could affect your health. This guide will help you determine what type of filter might be right for your home.

Find Out What’s in Your Water

In many cities, healthy adults can drink tap water without cause for concern. However, pregnant women, young children, the elderly and people with compromised immune systems are particularly vulnerable to some contaminants in tap water. If you’re shopping for a water filter, first find out what pollutants might be in your water. Ask your water utility (the company that sends you your water bill) for a copy of their annual water quality report. It is recommended that you test your tap water for lead contamination, particularly if you have young kids, are pregnant, or thinking about becoming pregnant, since lead is especially dangerous and levels can vary enormously from house to house. A lead test costs about $25.00. Once you know what’s in your water, you can find a filter that’s geared toward getting rid of the specific pollutants, if any, that may be present.

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For most people, shower water filters are something of a luxury. “Who needs a filter for bath water?” they ask in unison.  The thing is, using a shower filter is important to your skin. Shower water filters not only prevent dry skin and split ends, but they also protect your body from the chlorine in tap water, which can cause an array of damages from fatigue to bladder and breast cancer.

Those are just a smidge of the benefits that shower filters have, but try it and feel it for yourself.

Some people are okay with using tap water or soda pop to quench their thirst, the downsides to those are the facts that tap water generally contains contaminants and pop contains sugar and does nothing to improve the body.  Water filters give you the opportunity to drink tap water without the junk.  Here are some other reasons:
 
•  Water filters provide better tasting and better smelling drinking water by removing chlorine and bacterial contaminants.
•  Point-of-use water filters remove lead from drinking water immediately prior to consumption, thus preventing this harmful substance from entering the body.
•  The purchase of a countertop filter results in a source of clean, healthy water that costs much less than bottled water.
•  Water filters greatly reduce the risk of rectal cancer, colon cancer, and bladder cancer by removing chlorine and chlorine byproducts from drinking water.
•  A solid block carbon water filter can selectively remove dangerous contaminants from drinking water while retaining healthy mineral deposits that balance the pH of drinking water.
•  Drinking clean, filtered water protects the body from disease and leads to overall greater health.
•  A water filter provides clean, healthy water for cooking, as well as drinking, at the convenience of tap water.
•  Water filters reduce the risk of gastrointestinal disease by more than 33 percent by removing cryptosporidium and giardia from drinking water.
•  Drinking pure water is especially important for children. Water filters provide the healthiest water for children’s developing immune systems.
•  Water filters offer the last line of defense between the body and the over 2100 known toxins that may be present in drinking water.