Drinking Water Contaminants and Solutions

Let's discuss a few of the more common contaminants in our nation's drinking water, their symptoms and indications and how to remove them.

Drinking water contaminants can cause physical illness or at least affect the taste, odor and color of your water. Health concerns associated with contaminated drinking water include decreased energy, sleeplessness, mood swings and even hormonal imbalances. While our government produces and enforces regulations to ensure drinking water safety, tap water continues to expose Americans to unpleasant and risky health threatening contaminants. Even though these contaminants are dangerous and should not be taken lightly, they are easy and inexpensive to remove with simple water filtration/treatment devices. So how do you identify which contaminants you have in your water?

LEAD Some of the evidence of lead in your drinking water includes rusty color, rusty leaks and rust-stained dishes. According to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), lead is a major health concern in up to 15 percent of American homes. Lead in your water can result in physical symptoms of fatigue, impaired concentration and mood swings. Prolonged exposure/consumption can also weaken bones and trigger high blood pressure. But what can you do about it?

Easy. Any of the faucet or pitcher style filters with activated carbon in them can remove or greatly reduce lead contamination for around $30 to $55 plus $20 per filter. The faucet style filters simply screw on to the outlet of your kitchen sink faucet. The pitcher style filters simply sit on your counter top and filter the water that you pour into it. You can even store the pitcher style filter in your refrigerator for cold drinking water. An even better, more economical solution is the addition of a canister style filter to your kitchen sink supply line or refrigerator/freezer line. Simply install a 10" canister style filter in your kitchen sink's supply line and have filtered water for pennies compared to the faucet or pitcher style filters. And the replacement filters sell for as little at $7 per cartrige plus they are rated for much more volume than the faucet or pitcher style filters.

If you really wanted to eliminate all of the lead in your drinking and cooking water, a reverse osmosis system is the most effective method.

COPPER can cause metallic tasting water and produce bluish-green stains on porcelain or drains. It is similar to lead in its physical symptoms which include fatigue, sleeplessness and hormonal imbalances. Copper also can cause gastro-intestinal problems when consumed. Copper is a popular piping material in most homes and it is also used by water treatment municipalities to kill algae. How can you get rid of it?

Reverse osmosis is the best way to remove copper from your drinking and cooking water. There are reverse osmosis systems for under $169.00 on this web site.

MICROORGANISMS can be found in cloudy water that does not clear after sitting for a few minutes. Tannins and organic matter or bacterial iron in your water can feed bacteria and microorganisms. This can lead to upset stomach, mouth irritation, sore throat, nausea and low-grade fever. Boiling your water will kill the microorganisms but it will also concentrate the chemicals and contaminants in your water as well.

The best ways to remove bacteria from your water is through either reverse osmosis, ultra-violet filtration or, if your water contains tannins, anion exchange softener media. Chlorination and bacterial iron removal systems also work very well at destroying microorganisms and the material they feed off of.