Water For Health

Posts Tagged ‘Quality Drinking Water’

There are over 400 drinking water filter manufacturers. Most water filters manufactured today reduce chlorine and improve the aesthetic value meaning the appearance, taste, and smell of drinking water. Only a few companies produce drinking water filters that will reduce a wide range of contaminants.

Please note, I said reduce. The simple truth is no water filter removes all of anything.

Many make false claims of producing PURE water. I have yet to find such an animal.

These false claims make it hard for even the most savvy consumer to choose a drinking water filtration system.

My goal in writing this article is to educate my fellow consumers so they can make a wise choice when purchasing a water filter.

Water filters are like everything else, quality costs money. Quality drinking water filtration systems usually cost a few hundred dollars to purchase, but save money in the long run because they produce drinking water for a fraction of the cost as compared to cheap filters. Cheap filters do little or nothing as far as purifying drinking water. One thing they are good for is costing the consumer a lot of money in purchasing replacement filters.

One of the main things to look for when shopping for a water filter is the filter life capacity and replacement filter cost. If the filter will not last at least 6 months, why buy it? The replacement filter cost for a cheap system will easily pay for a quality system that will actually improve your water by reducing not only chlorine, taste, and odor, but also various contaminants of health concern.

Performance is another important thing to look for in a water filter. Which contaminants can the filter reduce? The label on the product package should state exactly which contaminants it is capable of reducing based on standards set by NSF International.

So how do you know if the claims made on the label are correct? If the filter is not certified by the National Sanitation Foundation, put it back on the shelf. Quality water filter manufacturers put their filters through rigorous testing by NSF and are proud to advertise their certification.

NSF International tests and certifies drinking water treatment devices to the standard appropriate for the technology of the product. For filtration devices, NSF may certify the product to improve the aesthetics of the water to Standard 42, the health effects of the water to Standard 53 or both. In addition, NSF has developed an additional testing standard for Reverse Osmosis units, Standard 58.

Only if a product is NSF Certified can the consumer be certain that the product meets strict standards for design and performance. Many products claim they are Tested To NSF Standards, however, these products have not passed the rigorous NSF testing and certification process. The labeling on the package should strictly state NSF Certified to Standard 42, Standard 53 or both.

Consumers can go to the following NSF International website: www.nsf.org/Certified/DWTU/, locate the certification for any certified drinking water purification system, and then compare the certification of one product to another.

Any water purification system that is NSF Certified to Standard 42 and 53, will not only improve the aesthetic value of the water, but will reduce specific contaminants. The NSF Certification will specify each contaminant the water filter has been tested and proven to reduce and to what degree.

Most companies that sell quality water purification systems offer under sink filtration systems which save counter space. Sure is a lot nicer than having a monster sitting on your kitchen counter that you have to manually fill on a daily basis. Under sink systems have their own faucet which will mount on your sink and are more convenient than the faucet mount type water filters.

For more information regarding drinking water or water filters please see the following sites:

www.supremedrinkingwatersolutions.com

www.cdc.gov/ncidod/dpd/healthywater/

www.nrdc.org/water/drinking/brief.asp

www.epa.gov/safewater/

Let’s face it. We’re all concerned about getting good quality drinking water. And because the myth that bottled water is safer than tap water has been debunked, consumers are turning to a water filtration system to insure the safety of their drinking water. But is it really worth it?

 

In order to answer this question, we need to understand why we need a water filtration system in the first place.

 

To begin with, we know that water is the basis of life. All living things need water to survive. And we humans are no different…except for the fact that we require a certain level of quality and purity of water to maintain our well-being.

 

Nature, in its infinite wisdom, provides water for humans in the form of lakes, rivers and streams. These sources of water contain essential minerals such as potassium, magnesium and calcium, necessary for the body to work well and stay healthy.

 

With the development of modern, industrialized societies, we have experienced a dramatic and damaging increase in environmental pollution. The air we breathe, the food we eat and the water we drink have all been contaminated with toxic chemicals.

 

Early on, local municipalities addressed the need to provide clean water to their residents by using the conventional water filtration that adds chlorine and other chemicals to help filter what we drink from the tap.

 

Chlorine has been the chemical of choice because it’s been found to be effective at removing impurities. And it’s cheap and readily available. But chlorine has also been shown to have some serious drawbacks.

 

Along with removing contaminants, it also removes Vitamin E and other indispensable fatty acids. It also strips the oils from your skin, leaving it dry and susceptible to premature aging.

 

Furthermore, there are some microorganisms, such as cryptosporidium and giardia, which chlorine is unable to kill.

 

Even more alarming is the fact that chlorine interacts with the metal pipes in most home plumbing systems, causing heavy metals to seep into the water transported by the pipes.

 

Because of this, there is concern on the part of the EPA and other governmental bodies about high levels of lead and copper in drinking water. These agencies have conducted research into the potential adverse health effects of these heavy metals on infants, children and pregnant women.

 

Chlorine has also been linked to asthma and other respiratory conditions.

 

Not surprisingly, some concerned consumers have turned to drinking water that’s been treated with the popular water filtration method of reverse osmosis. While this system provides a clean, pleasant-tasting water, it unfortunately strips out the essential minerals I referred to earlier. This water has little, if any, of the intended health benefits of drinking water.

 

So now that you know all this, I think the answer to the question, “is a water filtration system really worth it?” is quite apparent. The answer is a resounding “yes!”

 

Having the ability to easily and conveniently filter out chlorine and other chemical and biological contaminants from your drinking water is the best way to insure that all-important quality and purity that nature intended water to have.

 

And when you consider the extreme affordability, convenience and quality that water filtration systems provide, you can see how they are a practical and healthy alternative to tap and/or bottled water.

 

It should be pointed out that no water purification method is 100% reliable and certain. That being said, however, some systems are better than others.

 

If you’re not sure which system is best for the needs of you and your family, just look for one that uses a multi-stage filtration. This will help protect against chlorine, lead and VOCs (volatile organic chemicals).

 

Just do your research. Becoming an educated consumer will go a long way toward providing for the health and well-being of your family. Especially when you find the best product you can get.

 

Water filtration system comparisons will be well worth your time. You will find, like I did, that there are plenty of mediocre products, some really good ones, and a small handful that blow the rest out of the water. (Sorry…I couldn’t resist.)