People are concerned about the quality of their tap water and as a result they are drinking bottled water. The irony is that many of the bottled waters come from municipal water systems. Rather than waste natural resources and money buying bottled water, ensure your tap water is clean and use a stainless steel water bottle to drink from when away from home.
How clean is tap water? It really depends upon where you live and where your water comes from. Most people assume that the water treatment plant cleans the water to make it as clean as possible and in most cases, these plants do. However, some of the chemicals they use and some of the pollutants your water comes into contact with after leaving the water treatment plant may cause health and environmental problems. Learning more about the water that comes out of your tap can help you determine if it is clean or not. What are some of the things that you should be concerned about in your tap water?
Chlorine.
Chlorine is used by some water treatment plants to purify the water. Chlorine does remove germs and bacteria from the water, but, unfortunately, chlorine has some health effects on humans that are not very good. Chlorine is known to be a cause of colon or rectal cancer. On the milder side, it is known to be a skin irritant and it can be a cause for eczema and other skin rashes. It has also been found to exacerbate asthma symptoms.
Chloramines.
Many water treatment plants have changed from chlorine to chloramines, believing it to be safer. Chloramines is a combination of chlorine with ammonia and works to kill bacteria and germs in the water, making it pure to drink and use. The problems come in when the water with chloramines is used in fish tanks or for dialysis patients. Water with chloramines will need to be filtered to be safe for dialysis patients and your fish.
Lead.
Lead doesn't come from the water treatment plant. It most usually comes from the pipes inside your home or office. Depending upon the age of the pipes, they may be made of lead or have lead soldering, which may leach significant amounts of lead into your water. This lead in your drinking water, may cause adverse health effects. These effects are commonly concentrated to babies, young children, and the elderly. Most commonly, the health concerns that are associated with lead are mental deficits, learning disabilities, kidney problems, and high blood pressure.
How clean is tap water? Tap water is as clean as you want to make it. The best way to ensure that you have clean tap water is to invest in a good filter for your taps or consider a whole-house water filter. By filtering your water you can protect yourself and your family from the side affects of drinking chemicals put in your water to make it healthier.
Find a filter that removes these three pollutants, plus others that might be in your water, to help keep yourself protected. There are many different options for you in water filters, including faucet-mounted, and pitcher. You are in charge of your water; make it as clean as possible. Then you can say your tap water is very clean.
