Water Softeners: Softer, but not Safer
In many homes you can find a water softener in the basement or utility room. Many people believe that just because they run their drinking water through the softener that it is clean and ready to drink. This is flat out wrong. Water softeners do not filter your water at all. They simple remove a few minerals that make the water taste unpleasant. They are a useful tool in the process of creating mineral free water, but they are not the standalone solution many people believe.
A water softener performs one role in the water cleaning system. It removes the majority of the calcium and magnesium from your water. This prevents the infamous “bathtub ring” from appearing in your shower, giving the impression of cleaner water. In reality, this ring is formed when the ions in the soap react with the magnesium and calcium in the bath water. There is no noticeable health benefit gained from drinking softened water.
The way a water softener works is quite simple. It runs the water through a material which contains a large number of negatively charged resins. Because in the chemical world opposite charges attract, the positively charged calcium and magnesium ions stick to this resin. These ions are then replaced with sodium ions. This is why you must constantly refill the salt container in your water softener. As the water runs through it, more and more of the salt is dissolved into the water until eventually it runs out.
Unfiltered, softened water can actually be harmful to certain people. For those who need a low- sodium diet, the increase in sodium due to their water can be surprisingly large. If you are softening extremely hard water, then the increased sodium intake can be up to 500 mg per day. This can throw off their dietary needs significantly.
Softening your hard well water can be a great way to get better-tasting water. However, you must be sure that you do not believe that the water softener is filtering the water to the point where you know it is safe to drink. A high-quality water filter such as those from Aquasana will remove more than just the excess calcium and magnesium from your drinking water, while retaining the correct amounts your body needs naturally. It will also remove the chemicals that can harm your body. Most of all, it does this without adding salt to your drinking water. Using a high-quality water filter is the best way to ensure that your drinking water is clean and healthy.
Electrodeionization: Close, but no Cigar
Electrodeionization is the process of removing as many ionizable particles from a liquid as possible. In layman’s terms, this means removing as many particles as possible from the water. The way it works is quite simple. The water is run through a membrane coursing with electricity. The electric current causes the majority of the ions in the water to attach to the membrane and the resulting water is extremely pure.
Pure water may sound like an ideal objective, but in reality it is not the goal you are looking for when filtering your drinking water. Pure water contains nothing but water. This means that it is extremely absorbent. When you drink pure water it goes through your body absorbing as many minerals and nutrients as it can. This is exactly the opposite of what you want it to do. When you drink properly filtered water it should be providing your body with nutrients and minerals. Water is one of the top sources of certain minerals. When you remove them from the water, although you are still hydrated, you will not be as healthy as those who drink properly filtered water.
In order to remove all the contaminants from water while retaining the helpful minerals and nutrients, you need to use a proper water filter. Manufacturers such as Aquasana create filters which are “smart” about what they remove from your water. They use a fine granular carbon filter which absorbs the chemicals that you do not want in your water while leaving the healthy minerals in the water. This means that the water can provide you with the nutrients and minerals rather than taking them from your body.
If, after testing your drinking water, you find there are high levels of contaminants, then filtering with electrodeionization is certainly a better solution than drinking contaminated water. When looking at it, however, electrodeionization is neither the cheapest nor the most effective method of filtering water. It removes too much from your water, forcing it to take away the very minerals that the water should be providing. A high-quality water filter such as those from Aquasana is a much better investment for your drinking water.
The Value of Healthy Drinking Water
Few people worry very much about what they drink. If most people are thirsty, they open a can of soda pop, drink it, and feel satisfied. The caffeine rush gives them an extra boost as they go about their day, and it tastes delicious! However, soda is not the ideal drink for anyone trying to stay healthy or get in shape. The best drink for your health is pure water. Why is this? It’s simple. You need water to live. Your body is 72% water!
Without water, you would quickly die from dehydration. Soda pop and energy drinks have water in them – that’s why you can quench your thirst temporarily with them – but they’re not a substitute for the real thing. Soda contains a large amount of sugar and high fructose corn syrup. Both of these are very high in calories. By adding a large amount of calories, you are increasing your chances of quickly becoming overweight. Water has no calories, and hydrates far better than any soda pop.
Sugar and caffeine are also diuretics that cause your body to excrete water and lead to dehydration. Pure, filtered water provided by Aquasana water filters is an important part of a healthy lifestyle. Water is used to carry food to your cells in order to be converted into energy. You lose water many ways: Breathing, urinating, sweating, and digestion all require and use water. If you are walking around dehydrated, you will need to eat more food in order to get enough energy to make it through your day. Though there is no magic amount of water for everyone, your body knows how to tell you when you need more water: you become thirsty. If you are thirsty, then you are probably already dehydrated to a negative extent. Because of water’s importance to your body, it is essential to have a good source of clean water to drink.
When you know your water is pure and tastes good, you will naturally drink more and be healthier as a result.
A water filter provided by Aquasana can be the perfect way to start your healthy lifestyle.
Rep. Edward J. Markey Battles To Improve Drinking Water For All
U.S. Rep. Edward J. Markey, D-Mass., is currently the chairman of the House Energy and Commerce Energy and Environment Subcommittee and is also the author of a bill to establish a federal ban on Bisphenol A, a chemical used in all food and beverage containers that is an endocrine disrupter. The recent hearing entitled “Endocrine-Disrupting Chemicals in Drinking Water: Risks to Human Health and the Environment” provided a lot of food for thought and identified numerous other problematic chemicals that are in our drinking water, including triclosan. Triclosan definitely deserves a lot more scrutiny than it currently gets, so what better place to look at the effect it has than here?
According to Markley, “…triclosan has been shown to interfere with the development of the brain and nervous systems of laboratory animals,” and that in itself should provoke concern over our health. It can cause disorders like infertility, obesity, cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and various other disorders and health concerns that are largely long term and incurable. Although you can live with these disorders, they will severely disrupt your good health. So how does triclosan get into the drinking water anyway, I hear you ask? Well, it is actually put into the water system by us! It comes from toothpaste, soap, and other such antibacterial products and thus goes down the drain via our own hands. Everything that goes down our drain eventually winds up in our drinking water supplies.
Although Markley has asked the FDA to look into triclosan and its effects with a view to reducing its presence in drinking water, you can help yourself in the meantime and make sure triclosan is not in your drinking water. Aquasana water filters remove triclosan completely from drinking water, so you can be sure that you are not running the risk of developing health conditions like those listed above. Filtering your water is the only solution right now because you never know what you are drinking unless you do.
What is the State of California’s Department of Health Services Water Treatment Device Certificate?
When makers of water filtration systems claim that their treatment device is capable of removing contaminants from drinking water or makes other claims that are related to health, it must get certified by the California Department of Public Health (CDPH). A certificate from the CDPH, as stated on their website, means that “the device has been tested by an independent, state-approved laboratory (1) to verify the manufacturer’s health-related performance claims, and (2) to ensure that materials within the device do not add contaminants to the treated water.”
The Water Treatment Device Certificate given to the water filtrations systems provide by Aquasana, certificate number 06-1792 for the AQ-4000 model, was officially issued on July 28, 2006. It certifies that the independent tests of the filtration system done by a laboratory approved by the State of California’s Department of Health and Services proved the claims by Aquasana that the system removes at least 54 common contaminants. The AQ-4000 drinking water system from Aquasana was tested and has received this certificate.
These contaminants include lead, cysts, MTBE, all VOCs, the four major haloacetonitriles, and trihalomethanes, just to name a few. Aquasana filtration systems were rated a Best Buy in Consumer Digest for 6 years in a row for this reason as well as its exceptional value and convenience. Aquasana simply produces the best water filtration systems available on the current market.
What kind of “natural trace minerals” are left in filtered water?
The best water filters do not take everything out of the water. Some minerals are needed by your body in order to stay healthy, and water can be a great way to get some of these healthy minerals. The best water filters are designed to take out unhealthy chemicals and leave in the necessary minerals at natural and healthy levels.
Calcium is one of these minerals. As most people know, calcium is necessary for healthy teeth and bones. A lack of calcium causes bones to become brittle and break more easily. The World Health Organization recommends that drinking water should have at least 60 milligrams per liter, as calcium-poor water also increases the risk for coronary diseases.
Iron is also a mineral naturally found in good drinking water. In small doses, iron helps your body to create hemoglobin, which allows your body to take the oxygen from your lungs and give it to your muscles, which then use that oxygen to help you move. Too much or too little iron can make you unhealthy, and a water filter is a great way to make sure that your water contains the correct amount of iron.
Some people may be surprised to realize that copper, in small amounts, is very good for your body. It helps to remove contaminants from your body, can reduce the risk of cancer, and can help to relieve pain caused by arthritis.
Finally, Aquasana water filters leave magnesium in the water. Magnesium helps to prevent overactive nerves in muscles. A lack of magnesium will lead to an increased risk for muscle soreness, spasms, cramps, and fatigue. Another function of magnesium is to aid your body in turning carbohydrates and fats into energy the body can use. Without magnesium, your body must work harder to turn your food into energy.
Distillers and reverse osmosis type water systems strip all the natural minerals from water leaving it in an acid state and very aggressive.
Understanding Organic Water Contaminants And Your Health
Did you know that all drinking water, including tap and bottled water, has some sort of water contaminant in it? Few people do, thinking that only tap water has them. Well, you have to look out for all sorts of contaminants these days.
Water contaminants are facts of life, as most people that know even the basics about water will confirm. After all, the water cycle dictates that we use the same water time and time again, and so it has to be cleaned in order to make sure that it is perfectly safe when we use it. There are two broad types of water contaminants – organic and inorganic ones, with the latter being metals and non-carbon containing chemicals. As such, these are the contaminants that most people seem to be wary of, but there are organic water contaminants that are just as bad and you need to be equally wary of those.
Before we go any further, it is worth noting that having a certain level of contaminants in water is considered legal, if not completely safe. The EPA sets the standard for 90 different contaminants in tap water. However, there are more than 2100 contaminants known to be in US water supplies, and you should still know a little about them to make sure that you are drinking water that is safe.
When you are looking for organic contaminants, the first thing to take note of is the turbidity of the water. This is how cloudy it looks to you. The cloudier the water, the more likely you are to have organic contaminants in it and this is definitely not a good thing. For example, microorganisms like bacteria, viruses, and protozoa are all waterborne and can cause serious illnesses even today. Gone are the days of cholera outbreaks in First World countries but illnesses like e. coli, gastrointestinal illnesses, and severe headaches can still all be caused by drinking water with organic contaminants in it. Nausea, vomiting, cramps, diarrhea, and other such symptoms are all common side effects and this is why disinfectants are added to water.
Organic water contaminants may also come in the form of chemicals. Vinyl chloride, PCB, and benzene are all examples of this type of contaminant and can cause even more harm than microorganisms can. For example, consuming water containing organic contaminants can increase the risk of immunodeficiency diseases, cancer, organ failure, nervous system damage, and even reproductive problems. They come from various sources, such as pesticides and fertilizers that have run off agricultural land when it rains, and others are byproducts of organic matter coming in contact with the chlorine that is added to disinfect water.
All of the above should have provided you with food for thought because the fact remains that you never know what you are drinking with your water. This also applies to bottled water. However, it matters much less what is in your water if you choose to filter your water before you drink it. Why allow your family to drink water that could make them ill when you have the filtration products like Aquasana at your disposal? Installing an Aquasana filtration system will definitely help you to reduce or even eliminate contaminants and make sure that you do not have to worry about potential side effects ever again.
Can the AQ-7000 be relied upon to filter a range Of water contaminants at the same time?
The Aquasana AQ-7000 inline filter is one of the most technologically advanced and yet convenient methods of filtering water in icemakers, refrigerators, water fountains, water coolers, and RVs. As such, it can be relied upon to filter a range of water contaminants out of your water before it hits the sides of any glass. It works as an integral cog in your water system to remove lead, chlorine, turbidity, cysts, VOCs, and THMs, as well as a range of other contaminants. Provided that the constant water pressure is 0.375 gallons per minute (gpm) or above in your home, then you can thoroughly rely on it. Extensive tests have proven that it is good for filtering 300 gallons of water, meaning that it will work effectively in your home for about 6 months. If that is not enough for you, then that fact that it has been certified as meeting NSF/ANSI standard 53 may convince you of the AQ-7000’s reliability. This is the standard to which all water filters are measured, because it guarantees that they remove a certain level of contaminants. As such, you can have excellent peace of mind.
Toronto Schools Back Filtered Water
The filtered water bug has well and truly bitten the Toronto school system recently, with the announcement that two schools are going to be providing their students with a vending machine that provides filtered water in recycled bottles for a small fee. This is the first movement of its kind in Canada and is not only fantastic for the environment but is also fantastic for the health of the children that attend the schools and potentially children elsewhere too if it proves to be successful.
Fern Avenue and Parkdale Cl Public Schools have both agreed to take part in a pilot scheme to sell filtered water to students in a bid to improve environmental awareness and cut their collective carbon footprints. The water will be taken from municipal water stores and so is effectively tap water, but it will be filtered before it is sold to the children, meaning that the water is perfectly safe for them to drink, having none of the disadvantages of either bottled water or indeed tap water. All contaminants will have been filtered out of it before the children drink it.
Some parents have complained because the idea of paying for public water obviously does not sit well with them. If it was tap water then this would be understandable, but the fact it is filtered makes all the difference. Take Aquasana filters as an example of why it makes such a difference. The filters remove all traces of harmful substances that may be in the water but leave all of the elements that are essential to health in there. Bottled water does not even do that! As such, filtered water is better for their children and, at less than half the price of bottled water, well worth every penny.
The Clean Water Act Is Not Good Enough, According To the EPA
The United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has severe concerns with the state of the nation’s water if a New York Times report is to be believed. A Circle Of Blue article states that the report has declared that it is all the fault of the Clean Water Act and the provisions it makes against polluting, or rather, the lack of provisions!
The Clean Water Act has long governed the state of the water supply that goes to American homes, or at least most individuals that are aware of the act believe that this is what it does, but there is a major problem with that right now. That problem is that the Clean Water Act is nowhere near transparent about the waterways it protects and the Supreme Court has never clarified this information. As such, according to Circle Of Blue, “thousands of known polluters have contaminated waterways by spilling oil, carcinogens, and dangerous bacteria” and there is little that we can do about it.
The Clean Water Act was passed in 1972 without giving clear information about what does and what does not meet federal regulation requirements. This means that around 117 million Americans may have drinking water provided to their homes that does not come under the jurisdiction of the Clean Water Act. Just imagine what people may have dumped in the water in that case and exactly what might be in it as a result. It definitely does not provide any comfort. The best thing, or worst thing depending on how you look at it, is that you have no way of knowing which category you fall into.
This is why having a water filter at home, like the highly reliable models Aquasana offers, is so important. These filters remove most common water contaminants so you can rest assured the water that you drink is completely clean and safe for your family.
