Water World
By Pippa Sorley
Filed Under Green Living |
Health experts suggest that drinking at least 8 glasses of water a day will keep the doctor away. What they don’t tell you is what kind of water we should be chugging down. The choices can be a little overwhelming. Bottled or tap? Spring or mineral? Filtered? Plus, what’s in the water you cook with or bathe in? Do you need a fancy filtration system in your home to combat chlorine and other chemicals?
You don’t have to be a hydro engineer to find out what’s best for you. We have outlined some simple steps that will help you assess the quality of your drinking water, identify the most common contaminants in your area, and minimize your exposure to those contaminants that enter your home through the kitchen sink or showerhead.|
Local Water Quality Reports: What’s in Your Water?
Despite strict and comprehensive government guidelines, contaminant levels in municipal water supplies vary greatly among cities. Does your water contain contaminants that pose serious health risks? Find out more about your local water supply, how it’s treated, and what contaminants to look out for.
Contaminants
While some contaminants come from natural processes such as erosion, other contaminants are substances discharged from factories, applied to farmlands, or used by consumers in and around their homes. Here are some of the most common:
Microbial Pathogens. If you ever come back from a Mexican holiday with “Montezuma’s Revenge” you are familiar with the wrath of a poorly treated water supply. Thanks to strict standards set by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), bacteria such as Giardia lamblia, viruses, and parasites are rare in publicly treated water in the United States. Unfortunately, this means that the water gets a heavy dose of anti-microbial and anti-bacterial agents.
Chemicals and Metals.
Of all contaminants that may occur in water, people worry the most about potentially toxic chemicals and metals because some of them are not regulated under current drinking water standards. Although levels of individual chemicals are rarely high enough to cause acute problems, possible chronic health effects include cancer, central nervous system disorders, liver and kidney damage, reproductive disorders, and birth defects. Some of the most common chemicals found in drinking water include:
Others include:
- Trihalomthanes (THMs), which are formed when chlorine in treated drinking water combines with naturally occurring organic matter.
- Pesticides
- Volatile organic compounds (VOCs) such as solvents, degreasers, adhesives, gasoline, and fuel additives.
- Inorganic Compounds. These contaminants include toxic metals like arsenic, barium, chromium, lead, mercury, silver, and nitrate. As these toxins can easily cause acute poisoning, cancer, and other immediate health problems, they are usually well regulated in public water supplies.
- Radioactive Elements. This mainly applies to radon, a radioactive contaminant from the decay of uranium in soil and rocks. It is usually more of a health concern when it enters a home as a gas than when it occurs in water supplies, yet should be kept in check.
Water Filtration Systems: What’s Best For Your Home?
If you’ve identified contaminants in your water supply, can choose to install a water filtration system. In some cases, you may need to combine two different types of filters, but the end result is worth it: purified water that’s healthier for you and the planet.
Carbon Filters
Carbon absorption is the most widely employed method for home water treatment because of its ability to remove unpleasant tastes and odors, including chlorine. Carbon filters remove hazardous chemicals, chlorine and sediments, however, they DO NOT remove heavy metals, nitrites or bacteria.
Only a few carbon filter systems have been certified to remove lead, asbestos, VOCs, cysts, and coliform. Generally speaking, these systems need to be cleaned meticulously to maximize their efficiency which, depending on usage, requires routine replacement of the filter every six to twelve months.
Distillation
Distillation, the process of creating clean water by evaporation and condensation, removes most contaminants except for volatile chemicals and chlorine. Hence, most units are sold with a carbon filter to remove these remaining impurities.
Kinetic Degradation Fluxion (KDF)
These systems use a high-purity, granular copper/zinc alloy to eliminate chlorine, chloroform, and heavy metals. If lead residue is an issue for your home, KDF filters are a great option.
Reverse Osmosis
Reverse osmosis (RO) filters remove most contaminants except for volatile chemicals, odors, and tastes. For this reason, most people use reverse osmosis systems in conjunction with carbon filters. Combining them results in the most effective treatment against the broadest range of water impurities and contaminants.
The main drawback to RO systems is water waste. They use up to 9 gallons of water to produce one gallon of purified water. Due to increasing water shortages around the globe, conservation should be at the forefront of our decisions concerning water treatment. The reverse osmosis process is also slow and energy intensive: it takes about 3 to 4 hours for a RO unit to produce one gallon of purified water.
Ultraviolet Systems
By using ultraviolet (UV) light to kill microorganisms, these systems remove bacteria and other organisms, however, they may not remove giardia and cysts. It is recommended that any UV system you buy should include a 0.5-micron filter. Also, bear in mind that any distiller or UV unit will require a power source.
In order to ensure that we all have enough safe, clean water to drink, we can start by not using harmful toxins to wash our dishes, clothes and bodies with. All that water either gets absorbed into our soil, contaminating our food, or flows into the treatment plants that douse it with more harmful substances and cycle back to us in our city water supply. The control over this issue, as with many others, is in the hands of you and I. Let’s work to ensure our world can recycle clean water for our future generations.
Need some tools to help you get started? Take Action!
- If you want to learn more about greywater systems to feed your garden check out the Oasis Design website
- Here is a list of biodegradable, non-toxic soaps and cleansers that are safe to use in greywater systems
- Investigate companies who specialize in installing greywater systems in your area of the world
- If you live in the USA, the Environmental Protection Agency can inform you on your water quality: The EPA’s Safe Drinking Water Hotline: 1.800.426.4791
Education on safe water Drinking water contaminants
- Also…the World Health Organization created a report in 2000 that outlines global water resources and potential contaminants
Posted on August 27, 2008 |
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