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What is in Tap Water?
Have you ever wondered exactly what is in tap water? Is the water that is provided by your municipality truly safe and healthy to drink? Some people, believing that their tap water is unsafe, have turned to expensive bottled water, only to discover that most brands of bottled water contain the same or more contaminants as ordinary tap water, leading to a conclusion that bottled water is nothing more than high priced tap water. This leads us back to the question of what is in tap water, and is it safe to drink? There isn’t one definite answer to either question, since tap water changes greatly from place to place. Some communities have excellent quality tap water, while others may be downright awful. Another thing that many people find shocking is what health officials and water treatment facilities actually consider to be safe and drinkable water. The tap water that is sent to billions of homes is far from pure. In fact, there is a minimum allowable amount of contamination that water treatment facilities use as a guideline to determine when water is of acceptable quality. This means that contaminants such as metals, coliforms (mainly found in sewage) and various types of bacteria are allowed to be present in tap water as long as the concentration is below a certain allowable level. Anything that is present in the environment can find its way into the water table, and eventually into your tap water. In short, ordinary tap water may contain virtually anything including traces of sewage, bacteria, metals, fertilizers, pesticides, gasoline, oil, and prescription drugs. Chlorination kills most harmful bacteria but has no effect on chemical contamination, and it leaves water with an unpleasant taste. It’s not reassuring in the least to be told that it’s ok to drink sewage, lead or bacteria, even when there are supposedly only small amounts of these substances present. So how do you find out what is in your specific tap water? Short of having your water tested for various contaminants, there is no way of knowing for sure. The best way to know what is in tap water is by knowing what isn’t there, and that is by using some form of purification to make sure that any harmful substances are eliminated. There are a few ways you can do this. Probably the most inexpensive way to remove excess pollutants from your water is with a water filter pitcher. For about $20 or less, you can have this easy to use method of water purification. There are plenty of attractive designs available, and they fit right into the fridge. You’ll be amazed at the difference this simple charcoal and sand filter can make in the taste of your water, and it removes nearly all contaminants commonly found in tap water. To filter your tap water right at the source, a faucet water filter does the job nicely. Faucet filters are low maintenance units that fit on any standard kitchen faucet. Simply attach the filter to the faucet and you’ll have pure filtered water every time you turn on the tap. To read more about related subjects, please follow these links:
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