A drinking water filter may seem like a small thing, but it is a very big important thing to your health and your life. Good drinking water filters remove some contaminants such as pesticides and chlorine. This leaves your water good tasting, but not necessarily safe. Not every drinking water filter does a whole and complete job. You don't need a good filter, you need a great one.
In the United States, you likely receive your water from a public water treatment facility. Facilities add chlorine to your water. Chlorine kills bacteria and algae and protects the facility's system from excessive rot.
Most drinking water filters will remove chlorine. So, if the smell and appearance of chlorine are no longer noticeable after your water has passed through your current filter, you might think it is doing everything it needs to do. Your water tastes and smells better, so your filter must be working. The problem is, chlorine is not the only contaminant your drinking water filter should address.
Let's start with living organisms. While chlorine kills most of the illness-causing microscopic creatures, some are resistant to chlorine disinfection; particularly during their spore or cyst phase. Unfortunately, you cannot see them or smell them to be aware of their presence.
When these spores or cysts are ingested, they grow and reproduce within the human body; sometimes causing severe diarrhea. That means you don’t really know they are in your water until you get sick.
Young children are particularly susceptible to this type of infection. Water for drinking or for preparing formula should always be run through a cyst-removing filter before consumption.
If you examine drinking water filter product comparisons, you will see a category noting whether or not the product can remove cysts. Many filters you'll find in department stores do not remove cysts. Sadly, government authorities say that for water treatment facilities to address the presence of cysts in the public water supplies is "unfeasible".
Then, there are the chemicals. Other than chlorine, there are 2400 different chemicals in tap water.
When you look at drinking water filter product performance sheets, you will see abbreviations for categories most chemicals fit into. VOCs and THMs are two. There are also a number of chemicals often ending in "zene". Other chemicals include pesticides, herbicides, chlorine by-products, and gasoline additives. Eventually, anything else you can think of ends up in the public water supply. Only the best drinking water filters can remove all of these contaminants.
Besides chemicals and parasites, there is yet another very dangerous toxin that has found its way into public drinking water sources around the country. The contaminant is lead; a toxic metal unsafe for consumption at any level. It is surprising how many drinking water filters do nothing to remove lead. We do not use lead paint anymore for a reason. We don't want it in our lives and we don't want our children exposed to it. But, if it's in the water, what are we supposed to do.
A great drinking water filter is the only solution. Please shop for the best. You and your family deserve it.
