Filtered tap water is actually an idea whose time has come, according to many health authorities.
It's not marketing hype.
There are several reasons.
Let's start with one you might not expect.
Chlorine.
Yes, chlorine.
Chlorine is a lifesaver in one way, of course.
We put it in our water because it's an effective and cost-efficient way to kill bacteria and other microscopic organisms that used to cause a lot of illness and death.
The problem is that chlorine reacts with organic material in the water to create, among other things that are not good for us, "Trihalomethanes", or "THMs".
These compounds are nasty enough that the EPA regulates the allowable levels.
If you drink filtered tap water, you'll avoid these chlorine by-products.
Another reason you might want to have filtered tap water is that there are many other chemicals that are being found in our water.
A major study a while back found over 2100 chemicals that the study authors called "...
harmful, cancer-causing chemicals.
" And, no, I didn't take that out of context.
Water supplies all over the country were tested, and documents were reviewed.
Chemicals were found in almost all tested water supplies-many of them substances that we know can cause cancer in higher concentrations.
A third reason for filtered tap water is the drugs now appearing in our water supplies.
A recent study found nearly 100 drugs in most every city tested-including 56 in Philadelphia's water.
There's no real consensus as to whether these drugs and chemicals are harmful.
Water company and municipal water executives, along with regulators, like to tell us that the levels of these contaminants are too low to cause harm.
Of course, we were told that thalidomide and Phen-Phen and Vioxx were safe, too.
Many health officials think that long-term exposure to even low levels of toxic chemicals can cause serious health problems-especially to a developing fetus or an infant.
Not just theory, but laboratory and animal studies support this view.
Some of them even point out that the increase in the incidence of cancer from about 1 in 50 people a hundred years ago, to nearly 1 in 2 people today coincides with the time when we started putting chlorine in our water.
For me, why take the chance, when the solution is simple and economical? I installed a carbon filtration system in my home, to protect my family.
It removes about 99% of THMs and other chemicals and drugs, along with the residual chlorine itself, and most bacteria and parasites.
The system, with a lifetime warranty, was rated a "Best Buy" by Consumers Digest Magazine for six years in a row.
Now I get clean, pure water, at a cost of less than $.
10 per gallon.
It's not marketing hype.
There are several reasons.
Let's start with one you might not expect.
Chlorine.
Yes, chlorine.
Chlorine is a lifesaver in one way, of course.
We put it in our water because it's an effective and cost-efficient way to kill bacteria and other microscopic organisms that used to cause a lot of illness and death.
The problem is that chlorine reacts with organic material in the water to create, among other things that are not good for us, "Trihalomethanes", or "THMs".
These compounds are nasty enough that the EPA regulates the allowable levels.
If you drink filtered tap water, you'll avoid these chlorine by-products.
Another reason you might want to have filtered tap water is that there are many other chemicals that are being found in our water.
A major study a while back found over 2100 chemicals that the study authors called "...
harmful, cancer-causing chemicals.
" And, no, I didn't take that out of context.
Water supplies all over the country were tested, and documents were reviewed.
Chemicals were found in almost all tested water supplies-many of them substances that we know can cause cancer in higher concentrations.
A third reason for filtered tap water is the drugs now appearing in our water supplies.
A recent study found nearly 100 drugs in most every city tested-including 56 in Philadelphia's water.
There's no real consensus as to whether these drugs and chemicals are harmful.
Water company and municipal water executives, along with regulators, like to tell us that the levels of these contaminants are too low to cause harm.
Of course, we were told that thalidomide and Phen-Phen and Vioxx were safe, too.
Many health officials think that long-term exposure to even low levels of toxic chemicals can cause serious health problems-especially to a developing fetus or an infant.
Not just theory, but laboratory and animal studies support this view.
Some of them even point out that the increase in the incidence of cancer from about 1 in 50 people a hundred years ago, to nearly 1 in 2 people today coincides with the time when we started putting chlorine in our water.
For me, why take the chance, when the solution is simple and economical? I installed a carbon filtration system in my home, to protect my family.
It removes about 99% of THMs and other chemicals and drugs, along with the residual chlorine itself, and most bacteria and parasites.
The system, with a lifetime warranty, was rated a "Best Buy" by Consumers Digest Magazine for six years in a row.
Now I get clean, pure water, at a cost of less than $.
10 per gallon.