Water For Health

Posts Tagged ‘Chemicals’

u purchase a whole house water filter, be sure that you are buying the right system for your family’s needs. A whole house water filter can cost less than a thousand dollars or more than ten times that price.

The difference in cost is sometimes dependent upon the contaminants that the filter removes, but in other cases it is not related to quality. There are a number of whole house water filters on the market that are designed to primarily remove chlorine and its by-products. The price range is still several thousand dollars and the less expensive models actually do the best job.

There are many reasons why someone would need a whole house water filter. You might be allergic to chemicals commonly found in water, such as chlorine. You might not want to have to buy different systems for all of your faucets and showerheads, because that may become expensive and time consuming.

The first thing that you should do is look at your water supply. If you are serviced by a public facility in the United States, your annual quality report will tell you about some of the chemicals that are present at the source. Other possible contaminants are not regulated, although the EPA is considering adding 600 different toxins to their current list of 90.

Research groups report at least two thousand different contaminants that are present in public supplies. Can whole house water filters remove all of these toxins? You have to check with the manufacturer to be certain. Check for certified performance data and other seals of approval.

A whole house water filter should have a UL listing on it. That displays a review by Underwriter’s Laboratory. They are commonly found on electric appliances, but even whole house water filters that require no electricity should have the rating. That rating will tell you what contaminants are removed.

The most expensive whole house water filter is the reverse osmosis type. Single stage reverse osmosis filters can do very little to remove the chemical contaminants. So, if you choose to go with reverse osmosis, you want a dual or multi-stage system that includes activated carbon granules.

Capacity is another thing that you should take a look at. Some systems, such as reverse osmosis whole house water filters, have a maximum output rate. Usually, it is around 15 gallons a day. For a family of four, that may not be sufficient for showering, drinking and bathing.

Imagine laundry day. If you have a whole house water filter with a maximum output, you will likely run out of clean water before you are done. The process of refilling the tank on RO whole house water filters is time consuming, so it could be hours or even days before you have a new supply.

Most people do not need to get a reverse osmosis filter. You can get a whole house water system with no maximum daily output. You could clean 400 gallons, if you wanted. You just have to shop for the correct product.

Whole house water filters can be a boon to the quality of what you drink. They can even improve your house’s air quality. But, as always, learn as much as you can to find out what you need to do to protect your family’s health.

There are many reasons why a person would need a whole house water filter. You might be allergic to chlorine. You might not want to have to buy different systems for all of your faucets and showerheads, because that can get expensive and time consuming.

The first thing that you should do is look at your source. If you are serviced by a public facility in the United States, your annual quality report will tell you about some of the things that are present at the source. Other possible contaminants are not regulated, although the Environmental Protection Agency is considering adding 600 different toxins to their current list of 90.

Research groups report at least 2000 different toxins that are present in public supplies. Can whole house water filters remove all of these contaminants? You have to check with the manufacturer to be sure. Check for certified performance data and other certifications and seals of approval.

A whole house water filter should have a UL listing. That’s a review by Underwriter’s Laboratory. They are commonly found on electric appliances, but even whole house water filters that require no electricity should have the rating. That rating will tell you what contaminants are removed. That will tell you what contaminants are removed and to what degree.

Now, the most expensive whole house water filter is the reverse osmosis type. Single stage reverse osmosis can do very little to remove the chemical contaminants. So, if you choose to go with RO, you want a dual or multi-stage system that includes activated carbon granules.

Capacity is another thing that you should look at. Some systems, such as reverse osmosis whole house water filters, have a maximum output per day. Usually, it is around 15 gallons. For a family of four, that may not be sufficient for showering, drinking, bathing, flushing the toilet and the other things that you do around the house.

Think about laundry day, for instance. If you have a whole house water filter with a maximum output, you may run out of clean water before you are done. The process of refilling the tank on RO whole house water filters is time consuming, so it could be hours or even days before you have a new supply.

Most people do not need the expense of RO. You can get a whole house water filter with no maximum daily output. You could clean 500 gallons, if you wanted. You just have to shop for the right product.

Whole house water filters can be a boon to the quality of what you drink and bathe in. They can even improve the quality of your indoor air. But, always learn about your source and find out what you need to do to protect your family’s health.

A water filtration system is any system that filters or purifies water. Why would you need something to do that? The answer is in the fact that our water is very dirty and has chemicals that are not fit for drinking. It is a fact that we can get sick after drinking our so-called drinking water.

An in-home water filtration system is required, because the water company adds chlorine to the water. They do that with legitimate reasons. The water has to travel long distances before it gets to your house and if they did not add chlorine the bacteria would grow to the point where the water would be useless to everybody.

They add chlorine which essentially is bleach. It may be required but in no way is it good for your body. Thus it has to be removed, and the best way to do that is through a water filtration system designed to remove chlorine, pesticides and herbicides. Whatever is not good for us can be removed by an effective water filtration system.

Chlorine causes dry skin conditions, as well as asthma and respiratory problems. The more serious problem is that it can cause cancer. A study done by the University of Wisconsin found that there is a link between the chlorine found in our water and cancer. A good water filtration system can remove this risk.

A number of pesticides and herbicides also find their way into our drinking water. We do not have to explain why this would be bad, suffice to say that these chemicals were made with the express purpose of killing. They may not kill us but they can surely harm us. A good water filtration system can help remove these problems.

Our bodies are made up 70% of water and thus it is very important to replace it with good clean water. The right water filtration system can help us get the purified water that we need to replace the fluids we lose everyday, through exercise or just breathing.

If you ask people how they would like drinking a concoction of pesticides and herbicides with a dash of chlorine for good measure, nobody in their right mind would say yes. However a number of people are doing just that. A chemical blocking water filtration system for the home could take care of that in a jiffy.

A good water filtration system is all that is required to solve your water conditioning problems. With ion exchange, a new technology, “hard” minerals are exchanged for “softer” ones, so the water is healthier and tastes fresh, but you don’t get the build-up on your fixtures.

You’ll find that a home water filtration system comes in many shapes and sizes. You have to see which one is right for you. Whether it is a countertop unit, a below-the-sink model or a whole house unit, it all depends on your requirements.

A good in-home water filtration system will help you protect yourself and your family’s health. It is all that is required to keep your family safe from the ravages of our water supply. So buy one today and taste the difference for yourself.

Does reverse osmosis remove pharmaceuticals from water?  Why would anyone ask that?  News reporters learned recently that there are pharmaceuticals in water supply reservoirs and kitchen taps around the country.

How did they get there?  Well, it was not an act of terrorism or anything like that.  It’s really quite simple and not surprising, when you think about it.

When a medication is ingested, not all of it is absorbed by the body. The remainder is flushed from the body and excreted in urine. The waste is treated and recycles and eventually makes it way back into your home.

Since Americans are a well medicated bunch, much of the waste does carry unused prescription and non-prescription drugs.  Testing has shown pharmaceuticals in water supply tanks that were considered ready for human consumption.

Of course, the waste was treated before actually being considered for use, but while the widely accepted treatment practices do well against biological waste, they are incapable of breaking down medications and other chemical compounds.  There’s your answer to does reverse osmosis remove pharmaceuticals from water, because nearly every facility in the country includes and RO step in their complete process.

Logically, since we have pharmaceuticals in water supply approved for use by humans and it has already gone through RO, then RO does not remove them.  The EPA has known for many years that chemicals, mostly resulting from pollution, were in the drinking water.  It was only a matter of time until they found pharmaceuticals in water supply tanks, too.

Before getting overly alarmed, the actual amount of pharmaceuticals in water supply taps is pretty small. The actual dose of medication is barely perceptible. Getting up right now and grabbing a glass straight form the tap will not subject you to a mega-dose of medication. The human body is actually better equipped to handle a one-time large dose then a smaller amount over time, and that’s the problem.

Yes, the amount of pharmaceuticals in water supply containers is small and per glass, barely measurable, but it is impossible to determine what, over the course of, say, several years, the ramifications will be. What makes matters worse is the wide variety of medications that have been found. Antibiotics, anti-seizure medication, antidepressants, angina medication, pain killers and sex hormones, to name a few, have been found in different studies.

I’m sure the reason that people ask does reverse osmosis remove pharmaceuticals from water is because they have read the reports and seen RO home units hardily advertised on the internet.  We’ve already answered the question, but here’s why it doesn’t work. 

RO units can only remove contaminants that are heavier than or larger than a molecule of water.  Since the drugs are dissolved in the water, they are not larger or heavier than it.

Other filtration units, such as activated carbon and multi media blocks can remove

chemicals and drugs, just not RO.  So, you don’t have to worry about pharmaceuticals in water supply taps at your house, as long as you have the right unit.  But, if anyone asks you does reverse osmosis remove pharmaceuticals from water, tell them, “NO”. For more information see my website. – Larry L. Taylor