Drinking water in its purest form is the cornerstone of good health, so understanding what is in our tap water is of the utmost importance. Cities and towns create complex water infrastructures to provide clean water. Their job is to remove all acute toxins and keep chronic toxins below a certain level, and yet the end result is that our tap water is not completely, consistently pure. It still contains toxic substances — many of which have a profound and direct effect on our health. So what are the various contaminants that may be found in our tap water?
- Pathogens: Bacteria, viruses, and parasites are the pathogens commonly found in drinking water.
- Toxic Minerals and Metals: Aluminum, arsenic, asbestos, barium, chlorine, cadmium, chromium, copper, fluoride, lead, mercury, nitrate, nitrite, selenium, and silver are known toxic inorganic substances found in our drinking water.
- Organic Chemicals: Herbicides, paints, plastics, and pharmaceutical drugs are among the many kinds of organic chemicals found in our drinking water.
- Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances (PFAS): Also referred to as “forever chemicals,” PFAS are long-lasting, man-made chemicals that break down very slowly over time. There are thousands of PFAS in consumer products and the environment. These persistent chemicals can find their way into our drinking water.
- Additives: Water treatment plants add a variety of chemical agents to disinfect water. Chlorine is the most commonly used but is not properly removed. Fluoride is another common additive.
- Radioactive Substances Radioactive minerals and radioactive gas can be present in tap water.
Chronic exposure to each of these toxins increases the risk of a variety of acute and chronic health problems over time.
What Can You Do to Get Purer Tap Water?
Here are the basic strategies for filtering tap water at your home:
- Pitcher-Style Filter/Refrigerator Filters provide minimal purification. Most of these do not remove a significant amount of tap water contaminants.
- Ion Exchange Filter is highly effective at removing dissolved salts and “softening” water.
- Distillation Filter is highly effective at removing multiple contaminants; however it also removes some beneficial minerals such as calcium and magnesium.
- Granular Carbon and Carbon Block Filters are most commonly used to filter a wide range of contaminants.
- Reverse Osmosis Filter (ROF) is the gold standard of water home filtration. It is highly effective at removing multiple contaminants, including fluoride, especially when used with other above filter types. You can install one under your kitchen sink for “point of use” at your sink for drinking water or outside your house for “point of entry” to filter all the water coming into your entire home.