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By Aquasana
Concerns about water quality have reached incredible heights in recent decades. Very few people feel comfortable drinking their tap water anymore, and, while they may see bottled water as a viable solution to this problem, such water is hardly the universal remedy it is supposed to be. Bottled water is far too expensive to fit most family budgets and it is often of no higher quality than tap water. Overwhelmingly, the best solution to rising concerns about water quality lies in water filtration. The relatively new and innovative technology of filtration has transformed the water treatment industry. Conscientious consumers can now be sensibly assured of clean, healthy drinking water as they utilize a simple, carbon block water filter.
A recent report from the Ralph Nader Environmental Group highlighted the presence of more than 2100 known contaminants in the water that emerges from our taps. The EPA lists a more conservative, yet still astounding, 87 contaminants that are likely to be in tap water. The majority of people are quite unaware of the amount of contaminants that may be in their tap water, not to mention the serious health effects related to these drinking water contaminants. For example, while many users of tap water may dislike the amount of chlorine in this water, due to the unpleasant taste it adds to drinking water, they do not recognize the poisonous nature of this chemical. Chlorine and its byproducts have been linked to several types of cancer, including bladder, colon, rectal, and breast cancers. Chlorine is also a leading cause and irritant of asthma and other respiratory conditions. Chlorine is one of the most well known and most recognizable water contaminants, yet consumers are often unaware of its truly insidious effects upon the body. If water consumers know so little about the health effects of chlorine, just imagine their knowledge about more obscure but equally dangerous contaminants like Atrazine or Chlordane!
Of course, a natural question in response to this information is, should we really be expected to research and learn about such a large number of contaminants? Can we not trust that our drinking water will arrive at our homes, post municipal treatment, clean and safe to drink? Ideally, the answers to these questions would be no and yes, respectively. A water consumer should not need to educate herself about hundreds of water contaminants, nor should she be receiving contaminated water into her home, especially after that water has gone through municipal treatment. Realistically, however, the challenges of water treatment and the sheer number of contaminants to be eradicated from drinking water pose insurmountable problems to municipal water treatment plants. They simply cannot ensure the complete removal of such extremely varied drinking water contaminants. Thus, the need and importance of home water filtration become ever more critical.
A complete listing of all the many contaminants that may be present in tap water and a discussion of the various adverse health effects of these contaminants would be far beyond the scope of this article. Still, it is important to learn and know about the materials we take into our bodies. For this purpose, this article will address a brief sampling of the contaminants that may be in your drinking water, as well as the health effects of these specific contaminants.
- Atrazine: Atrazine makes its way into drinking water as a result of pesticide runoff. Found in both groundwater and surface water sources, Atrazine can result in cardiovascular and/or reproductive system problems when ingested.
- Chlordane: Chlordane occurs in drinking water as a residue of a banned insecticide. Ingestion of chlordane can cause liver and nervous system problems and an increased risk of certain types of cancer.
- Trihalomethanes (THMs): THMs, byproducts of drinking water disinfection, slip into water once it has been chlorinated at a municipal treatment plant. THMs are carcinogenic chemicals, and they can also cause liver, kidney, and central nervous system problems.
- Lead: Lead is currently one of the largest concerns of the water treatment industry. Because it occurs in water as a result of the corrosion of pipes in a home's plumbing system, water treatment plants have no way to control for its presence. In children, lead ingestion can result in delays in physical and/or mental development. In adults, lead ingestion can cause kidney problems and/or high blood pressure.
- Fluoride: Fluoride is actually a municipal additive to drinking water, meant to promote strong teeth in children. Despite this small benefit of fluoridated water, fluoride ingestion can result in painful, crippling bone diseases, mottled teeth, and thyroid problems. Fluoride is particularly dangerous for the elderly.
The purpose of sharing this brief sample of drinking water contaminants is not to scare water consumers or to coerce such consumers into the purchase of a drinking water filter. The purpose is to illustrate the increasing importance of home water filters. Municipal water treatment facilities, despite the best efforts of their founders, are simply unable to eradicate the large number of contaminants that may be present in drinking water. Even if treatment plants could ensure complete removal of contaminants, a water consumer is still faced with the threat of municipal additives like chlorine and fluoride and post-treatment contaminants like lead. The best method of protecting yourself and your family from the dangerous health effects of drinking water contamination is the use of a home water filter. A water filter uses physical and chemical processes of contaminant removal, both physically blocking the passage of contaminants through the filter media and encouraging smaller, more elusive contaminants to bond to the filter media, thus separating them from drinking water. The purchase of a home water filter is the best insurance against these dangerous contaminants. So many significant, adverse health conditions could be quickly and easily prevented just by the practice of drinking cleaner, purer water.
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