Water Filter Information

Because the source of our drinking water varies, the treatment it receives before coming to our tap also varies. For these reasons, we can no longer take the safety of our drinking water for granted. Threats to our drinking water are increasing due to our aging water system infrastructure and increased pollutants invading our water sources. Some of the more common natural sources of pollution include:

microorganisms; underlying rock; nitrates and nitrites. Human Activities causing pollution include: bacteria and nitrates from human and animal wastes, septic tanks and large farms; household wastes such as cleaning solvents, used motor oil, paint, paint thinner, and pharmaceuticals.

Most of us are familiar with problems caused by E. coli in the water or problems caused by lead poisoning, but not much is heard about problems from hormones or medications that make their way back into our drinking water. Hormones fed through the system can create a variety of problems.

If a water supplier determines that drinking water has been contaminated, they are required to inform their customers of any violations within 24 hours. It should be noted that in 2001, one out of every four community water systems did not conduct testing or report the results of testing which could lead to problems that are undetected.

One contaminate that concerns me the most is nitrate. Nitrate is generally found in fertilizer and puts infants at immediate risk when it exceeds the national standard levels. It has been recommended that infants, young children, nursing mothers, pregnant women and certain elderly people use extreme caution.

Families using well water as their primary water source face a considerably greater risk. Although a water filtration system can be helpful, many serious problems can only be found by testing and go unnoticed.

Using a home water filtration system can help, but you will need to do your homework. In June of 1998, CNN published an article referencing a study done by The Center for Environmental Health which used 16 different brands of water filtration systems which showed that six brands produced water that exceeded the limit for lead, with two (one made by Franke Inc. of Pennsylvania and Omni Corporation of Indiana) generated water with readings substantially higher than the limit.

The same holds true for buying water. The FDA exempts carbonated water and seltzer, and fewer than half of the states require carbonated waters to meet their own bottled water standards. The NRDC tested 103 brands of bottled water and the results can be viewed at SUMMARY OF NRDCs TEST RESULTS (http://www.nrdc.org/water/drinking/bw/appa.asp).

(c)2004 Karen Zastudil

Karen is a graduate of of Cleveland State University and is a freelance writer. Visit her website at http://www.womenatthesummit.com - A site of general interest to women. Topics include: Pregnancy, Children, Parenting, Health and wellness, Diet and Fitness, Relationships, Money, Travel and more.

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