Water Filtration

People who have HIV/AIDS, are undergoing chemotherapy, take steroids, or for another reason have a weakened immune system may be more susceptible to microbial contaminants, including Cryptosporidium, in drinking water. If you or someone you know fall into one of these categories, talk to your health care provider to find out if you need to take special precautions, such as boiling your water. 

Young children are particularly susceptible to the effects of high levels of certain contaminants, including nitrate and lead.  To avoid exposure to lead, use water from the cold tap for making baby formula, drinking, and cooking, and let the water run for a minute or more if the water hasn’t been turned on for six or more hours.  If your water supplier alerts you that your water does not meet EPA’s standard for nitrates and you have children less than six months old, consult your health care provider. You may want to find an alternate source of water that contains lower levels of nitrates for your child, or at the very least, install the appropriate water filtration system for your particulatr situation. In extreme cases, a reverse osmosis water treatment system may be required which is a much better alternative to standard water filters or bottled water.

Excerpted from the EPA publication “Ground Water and Drinking Water”.

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