To some “Water, Water, Everywhere! ” is really a comic story but to others in other parts of the world, it isn’t amusing. Despite its abundance in the world, water has been one of the scarcest commodities at quantity and in quality. In spite of advances in technology, drought and water borne diseases are common place globally. Drinking water supplies face all sorts of contamination sources and for that reason causing confusion among consumers about their water quality. Similarly we are result in believe that normal water is well treated and safe to drink, alternatively we could see news reports about few inefficient water treatment plants, or operators who make an effort to manipulate water testing results. Water advisories are common–advising consumers to flush their water before they drink when certain contamination is discovered.
One kind of relief is that EPA indicated in “Water on Tap” report that the “actual events of drinking water contamination are rare, and an average of do not occur at levels prone to pose health issues. ” However the report says further that “there are growing variety of activities that may contaminate our drinking water. ” Drinking water supply (surface and groundwater) can come in contact with such contaminants from combined sewer overflows, sanitary overflows, stormwater runoffs, concentrated animal feeding operations, failed septic tank discharges, and a host of the others. These contaminants vary from fertilizer, pesticides, pharmaceutical drugs, toxic wastes, oil, adionuclides, and metals. (USEPA, 2003)
Contamination from the source
Drinking water supply may also be confronted with harmful contaminants from the comfort of the foundation. Disease-causing bacteria could possibly get into municipal drinking water, well water, or contaminated ice. In line with the 2002 CDC report, from 1985 to 2000, 251 outbreaks and 462, 169 cases of waterborne illness linked to contaminated normal water were reported. Some of these cases were associated with surface hydrant sources which have been contaminated by sewage. Some normal water contaminations have been connected to Sanitary Sewer Overflows (SSO) and raw sewage discharges into water distribution lines. 49 percent of water water-borne disease outbreak was linked to Giardia.
EPA identified 59 CSO outfalls in seven states having outfalls within one mile of normal water intake. Even though the Report to Congress did not find any relationship between a CSO discharges from these outfalls and the transport of contaminants to the vicinity of drinking water intake, it says a more complex modeling is necessary to perform a better study. (USEPA, 2004)
Contaminants from your home plumbing systems
Water can be contaminated by lead in home plumbing systems. Lead contamination can cause a number of health issues. Based on EPA, “in babies and children, exposure to lead in drinking water above the action degree of 0. 015 mg/l may result in delays in physical and mental evelopment. ” While it is rare that lead can contaminate water from the supply, lead can leach to drinking water from corroded pipes in homes which have lead pipes, joints, and solder.
How to obtain fresh tasting and healthy water
The good thing is that advancement in water treatment technology has managed to get possible to get rid of these water contaminants from our normal water. Although, technology has not caught up with the pharmaceutical water contamination, most water treatment devices can remove drugs that contain volatile organic chemicals (VOCs). In line with the NSF International, although many of the NSF certified water treatment devices are created specifically to eliminate pharmaceuticals at this time “many of the products might help provide additional protection against myriad of other contaminants. ” Consumers have a wide range of water treatment devices to select from and it’s not necessary to buy bottled water–which can cost you plenty of cash annually, to have healthy water. In reality, studies show that some water in bottles contains some level of bacteria. This is because plain tap water and water in bottles are not regulated by the same standards and the same agencies.
An NRDC study showed that one third of 103 brands of water in bottles tested contained some levels of contamination including traces of arsenic and E. coli. (NRDC, 999). Also, home filtration can enhance the taste or appearance of plain tap water at a minimal cost. In accordance with an FDA Consumer magazine article “water purified with your products and services an average of costs less than buying water in bottles. Based on Brita, its high-end faucet filter system provides water for 18 cents a gallon, a substantial saving from $1 or more an average of charged for an 8- to 12-ounce bottle of water. ” (FDA, 2002)
Before you buy a water treatment device
Experts recommend that you ought to uncover what types of contaminants come in your water before you decide on which water treatment device to get. Home water testing kits cost between $9. 00 for single parameter to about $99, or even more, if you want to test for multiple parameters. All sorts of things the expense of testing your water is less as you {don’t} need it or be pressured to purchase a specific water filter wish salesman says {it’s} good.
A typical water filter device is designed to treat more than one contaminants. Most water treatment devices are certified by National Sanitation Foundation (NSF) International. NSF (never to be confused with National Science Foundation) can be an independent 3rd party organization that has tested and certified a large number of water treatment devices such as motor home water filters, softeners, and purifiers to confirm treatment claims. After you have confirmed what’s in your water and have researched 2 or 3 water filters, you should confirm claims of treatment by these water filter manufacturers, then, make selection for the best water filter or purifier. If the procedure device you find is not certified, call the manufacturer to discover why. Beware that a treatment device may be tested although not necessarily certified by NSF.
What choices are you experiencing?
Again, the selection of a filter device is determined by what your test confirms. For many, employing a water filter might not be a problem but also for individuals with compromised immune systems, it could be essential. Different options are commercially available. You could obtain a point-of-entry (POE) water treatment device if you wish to treat all the water coming to your dwelling. A POE or perhaps a entire home water filter is installed at the water main where water enters the home that may require an experience plumber to install. A point-of-use (POU) device is installed at the points where water is going to be dispensed throughout the house. These kind of devices come as undersink or under counter, countertop, carafe, showerhead, and refrigerator water filters.
A POE (whole house water filter) can be fitted with activated carbon and reverse osmosis filters for the reason that order. Some come as multiple-stage units fitted with multiple number of activated carbon filter to protect the reverse osmosis filter. Multi-Pure ($629), Apec ($385-$469), Aquasana ($799) are some of the few POE filters which can be NSF-certified.
Water softeners are perfect for homes with hard water. You may want to check with your town is water softeners are allowed because of elevated chlorides discharge from softeners. Most wastewater treatment facilities are not designed to remove excess chlorides leading to excessive violations of their permits. Consequently, water softeners are now being banned by some local overnments. Prices vary for all forms of water softeners.
For POU water treatment devices, countertop or tabletop water filters can be found in various shapes and models. A tabletop water filter is fantastic for homeowners who do not wish to tamper with plumbing, and for a tenant whose lease does not allow him/her to modify the plumbing system.
Undersink water filters require some plumbing work. This is ideal for water treatment at a single location inside your home. Prices is determined by the models and type of filters in the device.
In summary, before you choose an appropriate water treatment device, review your CCR report or have your water tested. Consider the long term cost and health benefits and most important of most is always to see the small print. Research NSF-certified water treatment devices.