How pure is distilled water? What is the best pure water solution? These questions are actually more difficult to answer than you might think.
First of all, you have to decide on a definition of "pure". The definition supplied by dictionary.com is: "free from anything of a different, inferior, or contaminating kind".
Using that definition and looking at how pure is distilled water, you have to say that the purity is questionable, at best. It depends on the contaminants that are present, but it would only be a pure water solution if all contaminants were removed.
Distillation devices do not remove anything that has a lower boiling point than water or is gaseous in nature. So, a number of chemicals are not removed by this "pure water solution".
Many industries use distillation because it removes minerals that could damage their equipment or cause other problems. If you use the definition, "free from anything different", you would think that purity means de-mineralized.
But, the answer to how pure is distilled water would still be "not very". It may remove minerals, but there are still many contaminants present. Those contaminants may not interfere with film production or cause rust, but they can still cause harm to individuals who use it as a pure water solution for drinking.
Research has shown that drinking distilled waters on a regular basis causes digestive problems and nutritional deficiencies. The complete biological reaction behind this is mostly unknown, but it appears that mineral free waters absorb minerals from the foods that we eat and then carries them out as waste.
You may realize that natural is better. So, you might understand that there are no naturally occurring mineral-free waters anywhere on the planet. There is always sodium and potassium. In some areas there is calcium and magnesium. In a few areas, there is manganese. It all depends on the minerals that are present in the soil.
There are always some minerals present in groundwater. Due to industrialization, there are usually many chemicals, as well. Whereas springs were once considered the best pure water solution, today it is necessary to have them tested, before drinking.
Another aspect of how pure is distilled water has to do with the distillation device that is used. When scientists look at the effectiveness of distillation devices, they are not looking for a pure water solution.
The primary applications include laboratory uses, industrial uses, uses in herbs and perfumes and food processing. The systems were originally designed to increase the alcohol content of fermented beverages. At that time, they needed no pure water solution, because unless their source was contaminated by the population, there were no contaminants in groundwater.
Today, the best pure water solution is a multi-stage device that removes chemicals, chlorine, THMs, VOCs, cysts, lead, pesticides, herbicides, traces of drugs and industrial solvents. These are the most common contaminants that we have to deal with.
Distillation could remove cysts, but that's about it. So, hopefully this answers your questions about how pure is distilled water and you know the right choice to make for drinking.
Laurel Tevolitz is a dedicated researcher of critical issues that affect health and well-being. Visit her water purification blog now at
http://www.safewaterpurifier.com to discover which water purification system she recommends after extensive research.
