We take water for granted, and no wonder; turn on the tap, and there it is. The question lately, however, has been, is it safe?

Under the authority of the Safe Drinking Water Act, the EPA has set “safe” standards for approximately 90 contaminants. However, is any level of lead, mercury, pesticides, and other chemicals really safe? Also, this EPA list only accounts for around 7% of all pollutants that have been identified in water supplies. And we’re adding new ones each year.

Tap water is usually “cleaned” through your local municipality. Typically what they do is add chlorine to the water to kill all the bacteria. However, when it kills the bacteria it creates byproducts called trihalomethanes, such as chloroform.

Okay so tap water isn’t the safest solution. So now what do I do? 

You could buy bottled water, but that gets expensive. Also, did you know that the bottled water industry is not regulated by the FDA? Consumer Reports did a study a couple years ago and found out that of a hundred brands, all of them had six times the bacteria level as tap water. 

What about a water filter? There are so many different kinds of filters on the market today, it’s hard to know which one is the best! Look for filters that have a two part (carbon / UV) filtration process. Carbon filters work well against contaminants like VOCs and trihalomethanes, because the carbon filter bonds with any substance that has a carbon atom. UV components are a new type of filter, and UV rays will kill the bacteria and parasites that will pass through the carbon filter.

Bottom line – if you don’t filter your water, your body becomes the filter. Make sure the water you and your family drinks is as safe as possible.