Water Clarifier

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July 26th, 2008 admin Leave a comment Go to comments

Water Clarifier

Is Tap Water Good For You?

Is tap water good for you? Hmmm...that's a good question. Are tap water purifiers necessary in homes that are serviced by public suppliers? That's another good question. Below, you will see the answers and the reasons for them.

Is tap water good for you to drink when it has been chlorinated?

On the one hand, chlorination kills bacteria that cause a wide range of waterborne illnesses. On the other, chlorine is bad for the digestive system and chlorination causes the release of other chemicals that increase your risk of cancer.

So, tap water purifiers are necessary in homes where facilities use chlorine, but any publicly treated supply will contain disinfection byproducts, because every public treatment facility must disinfect.

Tap water purifiers must contain special filtering media to remove those disinfection byproducts. Simple granular carbon filters will trap chlorine on the surface of the granules, but other resins are needed to trap chlorination and other disinfection byproducts.

Numerous research studies conducted over the last few years and published in respected journals have shown that the cancer-risk is a real threat. Exposure to those chemicals (primarily THMs) doubles the individual's risk of bladder cancer and increases the risk of colorectal cancer by at least 40%. That brings up another question.

Is tap water good for you to bathe or shower in? It is not. Research studies have shown that THM exposure occurs in the shower, because the chemicals can be absorbed through the skin and they become airborne, along with the steam, so we inhale them.

There are only a couple of effective tap water purifiers for shower heads. Most of them reduce the chlorine content by about 50%, but do nothing to reduce THMs.

The purification methods that are available for home use include reverse osmosis, granular carbon filters, carbon/resin blocks, sub micron filtration, ion exchange and distillation. Distillation and reverse osmosis reduce mineral content, but have no effect on chemical contaminants.

Granular carbon, as I mentioned above, reduces chlorine, but carbon/resin blocks trap chlorine, THMs and other cancer causing chemicals, such as benzene, alachlor, Atrazine and TCE. Sub micron filtration removes cysts and ion exchange removes lead. All of these steps may be combined in a single unit that is still affordable.

Is tap water good for you drink and shower in, if you have the right purification method in your home? Yes. It is good for you and much better for the environment than buying case after case of bottled.

Tap water purifiers are also a more economical solution, since buying bottled, solely for drinking purposes, will cost a family of four over a thousand dollars per year. Besides, you cannot use bottled for showering and if you want your food, coffee and even your kool-aid to taste better, you need to filter that water, too.

There are a number of other questions that I could add to further clarify; is tap water good for you, but at least you have an idea of what's really in your glass.

About the Author

Derek Reeve runs an informational website that provides details of the best water purifiers. If you're serious about improving the quality of water you use visit water purification systems for home to find the most effective, efficient and affordable products available.