Do you want to kick your habit with the bottle? (I am speaking of bottled water, in this case.)
Frankly, it's the smart thing to do economically. Considering the bigger picture, it's the right thing to do ecologically. In other words, it's a healthy choice for both your wallet and our planet. With that in mind, here is some simple advice to reduce unwanted substances in the water you drink and enhance its taste. Start with just a few basic steps:
1. Flush your pipes, and use the cold tap for both cooking and drinking. Heavy metals such as mercury and lead can build up in the water from your house's plumbing. Increased exposure to these heavy metals can have serious health consequences, especially for the development of the nervous system in babies and young children. Adults also may experience potentially adverse effects from heavy metals with the onset of hypertension and kidney problems when exposed for extended periods of time to levels exceeding EPA limits.
If you haven't used your drinking water supply for six hours or more, run cold water from the faucet until it is at its coldest point. The longer time it has been allowed to remain in your pipes at home, the more lead it may have accumulated. Whenever anyone in your household is consuming the water, including for use in baby formula, turn on only the cold tap. The hot water line is likely to contain greater levels of lead. Here's an environmentally friendly idea to add: use the water you flush out on your houseplants! It's a great way to reduce and reuse.
2. Get informed. Learn about the contaminants that may be in your tap water. Since 1999, municipal water works must publish a yearly report detailing the content of their drinking water to consumers. Officially called "Consumer Confidence Reports," community water suppliers serving over ten thousand people must deliver these reports directly to bill-paying customers. Renters can locate the reports on the internet or in the newspaper, among other public outlets. You can also specifically order the report from your local water provider-for instance, if you live in a community where less than ten thousand people are receiving "city water."
If you have "well water" or drinking water from some private source (surface water, spring, lake or reservoir) you are entirely responsible for the safety of your own drinking water at home. Equip yourself and other household members with the vital information that comes from a home test kit submitted for laboratory analysis. Then be sure to treat the water with a filtration system as needed, as well as to practice regular maintenance of the well, pump and pipes.
3. Assess your situation. Local groundwater conditions, the age of your house and the health concerns of each individual are all unique. Do not simply make the assumption that water is safe to drink just because it tastes fine and looks more or less clear. The truth is: most contaminants have no taste, odor or color. You will have greater security knowing that your water is safe by a careful examination of any public reports for your area. Then follow up with additional data from independent laboratories testing the water samples you submit. A combination of a home test kit and a water quality report should cover the basics: what levels of contaminants have been detected, and whether the levels detected violate any drinking water standards. Once you know what harmful substances you need to reduce, you will be better prepared to act.
4. Determine the best solution. Obviously, the highest priority consideration for selecting a water filtration system is that the purification method effectively reduces the contaminants of greatest concern in your unique situation. When comparing filters, be sure to examine the manufacturer's certified contaminant reduction listing, so that any treatment option you are evaluating will significantly reduce the specific pollutants about which you are concerned.
As a helpful starting point, consider the following criteria in this order:
the highest performance (your filter consistently reduces the specific contaminants of concern)
at the lowest price (start-up cost, plus regular replacement cartridge costs)
with the least upkeep (minimal "wear and tear")
for the longest lifespan.
5. Taste the filtered water difference. The filter you choose will largely depend on how much time and expense you are willing to invest in cleaner tap water. Here are a few general guidelines:
In the short term, your least expensive option at the outset will be point-of-use applications, such as a faucet mount filter, water pitcher filter or refrigerator cartridge. If you are primarily concerned about chlorine taste and odor issues, these would be an excellent starting point. Some of the more advanced models at your faucet or in your fridge will offer additional contaminant removal as well, but your cost per gallon when you figure in replacement filters is much higher than more advanced systems that may initially cost more to install.
If you are willing to invest more upfront, other point-of-use systems might offer you greater value in the long run. You could consider a two-stage under-sink system with ten-inch standard carbon filters to reduce not only particulates and chlorine taste/odor, but other contaminants as well. Ideally, however, you will reduce virtually all total dissolved solids most effectively with a reverse osmosis (RO) system in typically three to five stages. After an RO system's sediment and carbon pre-filters, an additional RO membrane purifies water through the tiny pores of a thin film to further reduce nearly all other substances from the water.
Point of entry (or whole house) water filter systems can also serve as a larger pre-filter of sorts at the very location where the water source first enters your home's plumbing. Twenty-inch or ten-inch "big blue" housings (nicknamed for the industry standard sizes) can be especially helpful for pulling the dirt and chlorine out-not only before you drink the water, but before you bathe in it or wash your clothes in it. You could then further filter the water at the point of use (under your sink or in your fridge, for instance) to reduce chemical impurities even more.
In conclusion: Run the tap to flush out lead. Then get information, make an assessment and consider your options. The more you know before you make your final filter purchase, the better your results will be.
