Water Filtration

What System is Best for You?

Mar 4, 2009 Sarah Dobec

We are told to drink 8 to 10 glasses of water a day, then we read that our water is unsafe and full of contaminants. Here are some tips that will help clarify the issue.

It is common knowledge that drinking water everyday is an essential part of optimal health. Water is involved in practically every system and function in our body. But what kind of water is best? Can you trust your municipal tap water? How does reverse osmosis compare to water delivered to your house from a spring? For a simple molecule it can get quite complicated.

What is in your Municipal Tap Water?

The easiest and cheapest water you can consume comes from your kitchen tap. It is regulated and treated by your local municipality. Reports on your tap water can be obtained from your local municipality. The issues with tap water vary from place to place. The concern in most areas of North America are the levels of chlorine and its derivatives, fluoride, bacteria, viruses, heavy metals, pesticides and trihalomethanes (THM), to name a few.

Maximum Allowable Contamination Levels are set by different monitoring agencies for a variety of toxins and local tap water is tested regularly to ensure these levels are not exceeded. The question is “what is a safe level of any toxin?”

Taking Water Safety into our own Hands

Clearly we are becoming uncertain of the safety of our water because we are investing in water purification systems for our homes, work and even boats. Here is a list of some, but not all, the water filtration systems available. It is not an easy task researching and understanding the pros and cons of the numerous options. You need to consider your budget, how permanent a system you want and what it is you are most concerned about removing from your water.

Bottled Water

Bottled Water can come from ground water sources or from municipal water supply. The source must be labeled as well as any additional treatment. One concern with bottled water is material that the bottle is made of. Plastic bottles can leech toxins especially if they have been stored for an extended period of time or in direct sunlight. If you drink bottled water, choose brands bottled in glass.

Spring Water

Spring Water is sourced from a variety of springs around the globe. Water is naturally filtered slowly through the layers of earth and this produces pure and mineralized water. The issue in our day and age is the pollution sources near the spring such as agricultural runoff and industry. Many spring water companies will further filter their water to remove any toxins. Make sure to research your spring water source carefully.

Filter Ratings

Water filters are often rated in microns. In other words, how small are the pores in the system? Microorganisms are measured in microns, some can be as small as 0.3 microns so a system with a rating of 0.1 will filter these organisms.

Carbon Filters

Carbon filters come in 2 forms; granulated carbon and solid carbon block.

Granulated carbon is loose and good at trapping larger molecules, organisms and sediment. There is concern that germs could thrive in the space between the granules. Alone this is not the best system for removing toxins from our water.

Carbon block is more solid and dense and therefore less likely to harbor organisms. The density can also mean that the filter will clog quickly. A pre-filter is helpful to prolong the life of this filter which is often a cloth or textile membrane wrapped around the filter to collect larger molecules. This system can remove chlorine, volatile organic compounds, some microorganisms and sediment.

Reverse Osmosis

Reverse osmosis filtration involves forcing water through a membrane with holes only big enough to pass water molecules. The micron rating is .009 and therefore removes a majority of the contaminants we find in our tap water. Saying that, RO systems also remove the good stuff in our water leaving the water void of minerals. Water can be re-mineralized with mineral drops. RO systems also produce a lot of waste water because only 10-25% of the water actually makes it through the membrane. The rest is sent back down the drain.

Distilled Water

Distillation is the process of boiling water, the steam is collected and when cooled down it becomes liquid again. It relies on the theory that solid materials heavier than water will not convert to steam and will be separated from the water molecules. The result is similar to reverse osmosis water, even the minerals and salts are removed. This is a product that could benefit from re-mineralization.

It is unfortunate that our water sources are considered unreliable. The days of sipping water direct from the local spring or from the middle of the lake on a canoe trip are over. The role of our municipalities is to filter these water sources and remove the components that could threaten our health. The issue is whether all these contaminants are being removed and what else is being added to the water.

When researching a water filtration system:

Know what it is in your local water that you want filtered
Ask about the micron rating to ensure bacteria and viruses will be removed
Ask about the warranty and if there is a trial period on the system
Ask lots of questions!

The copyright of the article Water Filtration in Nutrition is owned by Sarah Dobec. Permission to republish Water Filtration in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.

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