Filtering the Facts
About Drinking Water
Water, water, everywhere! But which is best to drink?
My family and I have been on a quest to find the healthiest drinking water. Here’s what we’ve learned:
The Goal
You may know that the human body is 70% water, making water consumption essential for survival and health. You have three basic choices when it comes to your drinking water: drink from the tap, buy bottled water, or filter your tap water.
Bottled water is not the best choice for daily consumptions for several reasons. First, it is a waste of plastic. Second, that plastic can leach nasty chemicals and hormone disruptors into your water. Finally, despite all the fancy advertising, the quality of bottled water may be not all it’s hyped up to be.
From the way our urban (and suburban) sinks flow, it seems as though we are blessed with a endless supply of clean water (as opposed to many in 3rd world countries who are not). In reality, our water supplies are limited (see the end of this article). Furthermore, the water that flows through our taps is heavily processed and contains loads of unhealthy contaminants including hormones from discarded medications, toxins from gasoline bio-products, chlorine from processing, fluoride as a “public health” measure, and more. So while we are very lucky to have plentiful, safe water, there are certainly ways to make it more healthy.
There are six types of contaminants you want to remove from municipal tap water:
- Chlorine and chloramines
- Volatile Organic Compounds (pesticides, herbicides, etc.)
- Heavy metals (Lead, Mercury, Aluminum, Cadmium, Chromium, Copper)
- Bacterial and viruses (Giardia and Cryptosporidium)
- General Sediment
- Fluoride (some may argue this one, but I think fluoride should be a personal choice rather than a public one)
The ideal water is both free of contaminants and mineral rich as if you were drinking from a well at the bottom of a pristine, isolated mountain. Your tap water isn’t this good, and bottled water has its problems. The solution lies in the right water filter… But how to choose?
Water Filter Options
1. Activated Carbon Water Filter (like Brita, Pur, Aquasana)
How it works: (Faucet, Pitcher, or Whole House) Granular, activated carbon or powdered block carbon absorbs impurities.
Pros: Popular for home use as it is economical, easy to install, and effective at filtering out the most deadly contaminants. Can be installed for whole house filtration, providing water for bathing that is free of chlorine and other contaminants which can also improve indoor air quality.
Cons: Does not completely remove arsenic, fluoride, and nitrates. Susceptible to mold attacks.
2. Ceramic Water Filter (like Stefani Terracotta)
How it works: (Counter top) A cartridge of a fossil substance and/or nano-silver effectively traps and neutralizes bacteria.
Pros: Removes 95% of chlorine, pesticides, iron, aluminium and lead; and 99% of cryptosporidium, guardia and sediment.
Cons: Does not remove fluoride. Often produces a slow water flow.
3. Water Distiller
How it works: Water is boiled, killing microbes, steam is collected as distilled water leaving solid contaminants behind.
Pros: Distilled water is pure H20.
Cons: Minerals are eliminated in the filtration process.
4. Reverse Osmosis Filter
How it works: (Under sink installation) Relies on technology called hyper-filtration, producing water that is essentially the same as distilled water.
Pros: RO filters remove essentially all contaminants.
Cons: Although this water is very pure, it is also devoid of essential minerals.
5. Water Ionizer (like Kangen & Jupiter)
How it works: (Under sink or counter top) A water ionizers or electrolyzed alkaline water filter separates water into an alkaline, mineral-rich water for drinking and an acidic, mineral-void water for washing and cleaning.
Pros: Many people who drink alkaline water report health benefits, while the antiseptic properties of acid water make it excellent for cleaning.
Cons: Water ionizers may still require additional pre-filtration to completely remove fluoride. The ionization is only effective for about an hour, so if you fill a bottle on the go it’s healthful properties may be gone by the time you’re gulping.
6. Magnetic Systems
How it works: Polarizes minerals in water as it is passed through a magnetic field or media.
Pros: Purported benefits similar to water ionizers.
Cons: Does not filter or ionize water.
7. Ultraviolet Water Purification Lamps (used in 3rd world hotels)
How it works: Irradiates water with UV rays that kill all living organisms.
Pros: Very effective at killing microbes.
Cons: Ineffective at particle filtration.
Still Confused? Here’s the last drop:
Ultimately , it’s up to you to decide what’s important for your family, and you can read more about water filters here. My conclusion, which is consistent with the Weston A. Price Foundation, and others, is that since fluoride can only be removed by distillation or reverse osmosis, the best option is to completely purify your water and then add minerals back into it with a supplement like Trace Minerals drops. Another option is offered by Beyond 02, which has a complete reverse osmosis filtering system followed by a re-mineralization process for the ideal water straight from your tap.
A whole house filter is a great idea, especially if anyone in your household suffers from allergies, asthma, or other respiratory conditions. But if you’re concerned about completely removing potential toxins such as fluoride and arsenic, you probably still want to follow the former recommendation for your drinking water as well.
If the costs of these filters seems impossible, don’t go on a water strike… choose the next best option in your price range. This may be a countertop Brita filter or good ole’ tap water. Though important, the perfect water is just one piece of the big picture of achieving health and well being.
A Few Words About Water as a Limited Resource
In an age where Coca Cola and Pepsi are making bank on bottled water, it’s really not a huge surprise that clean drinking water is a precious commodity. Here in Los Angeles, only 30% of our water comes from local ground water. The rest is shipped in from the Colorado River and dams and reservoirs along a 444 mile aqueduct starting in Northern California. Please remember this the next time you have a 15 minute shower or water you nice green lawn on a hot day. Be sure to share this knowledge with your children so they might still have clean water to drink when they’re in your shoes.