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.

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.

A recent Gallup poll shows that water pollution is the number one environmental concern of Americans. It is only natural that we would be concerned about whether it is safe to consume tap water. Too often we hear reports of various kinds of pollutants which somehow make it past the city’s water purification system.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) recommends that you ask your local officials to provide you with a copy of your town’s annual water quality report. This should give you an idea of what contaminants might be in your water. This doesn’t tell the whole story, however. It only measures the substances that they are required to regulate.

Hundreds of contaminants, including disinfectant byproducts and pharmaceuticals, are not even regulated in drinking water. For example, caffeine has been shown to be in the water supply in Seattle, where street vendors commonly dump unused coffee into the street sewers at the end of the day. Another factor is the condition and age of the pipes that deliver the water to your home. Your household water supply may be very different from the water that is tested at the processing plant.

There could be heavy metals like lead and mercury, toxic chemicals, or dangerous bacteria in the water that comes out of the tap. When the water smells funny or tastes bad it is easy to tell something could be wrong with it. Sometimes, however, the pollution is not detectable without the use of a chemistry kit.

This concern about the safety of tap water has helped to create a very profitable market in recent years for companies selling bottled water. It didn’t take long for many consumers to realize that paying for every ounce of water they drink can be a major hit on the family budget. The current economic downturn has made many consumers reconsider whether bottled water is their best option, along with the fact that water bottles contribute greatly to the pollution of the earth.

Fortunately for all of us, there is a better and much more affordable option. Installing a high-quality filter such as those from Aquasana on your kitchen faucet is not only easy to do, but much more cost effective than using store-bought water. Every time you fill a glass with water from your filtered tap, you’ll be saving money.

Another important benefit of installing a water filter on your kitchen tap is that the water you cook with will also be free of harmful contaminants. Most people who buy bottled water don’t think about what is in the water they use to boil potatoes or to steam broccoli.

Once you install a filter on your water faucet, you can cross bottled water off your grocery list for good. You can spend those dollars on other products that your family needs. In many cases, the savings you realize from not buying bottled water can more than pay for the expense of installing a kitchen faucet water filter to eliminate tap water contamination. You will feel confident that the water dispensed through your kitchen faucet is free of dangerous contaminants and safe for your family to drink.

The length and quality of your life heavily depends on how you take care of your body. Dehydration can cause a lot of harm to your body, both short-term and long-term. Fatigue and headaches are symptoms that can be felt that signal that your body is out of water. Heart attacks and osteoporosis that usually appear in the later years of your life can also be caused by lack of proper hydration.

There is no question that just as eating right leads to a long life, consuming only contamination- free water is a key strategy for a long and healthy life as well. The question for all of us lies in how we can go about making absolutely sure that the water we drink and that our families drink is pure, clean, and healthy water.
Just because the water you drink is transparent doesn’t mean that it clean. In the same manner, just because the bottled water you drink has a brand name and an attractive picture on the outside, that doesn’t automatically mean that it is clean. Pure drinking water is important and, unfortunately, it is not a given that you will be getting healthy water when you draw it from your tap.

While it is true that tap water in the U.S. is cleaner than tap water in most countries, that doesn’t mean that it is always safe to drink. Actually, the U.S. government only regulates 91 chemicals in tap water when there are actually 60,000 of them that have been found in the public water supply. The federal government regulations on bottled water only have to be met when the water crosses state lines. Studies have found significant evidence of water contamination in bottled water products which should be a source of serious concern.

It is up to you to take the necessary steps to ensure that your family only uses pure drinking water. The best way to do this is by purchasing a water filter system to filter out all possible contaminants in your water, not just the 91 the government regulates. Tap water may contain pesticides, metals, pharmaceutical chemicals, chlorination byproducts, and numerous other forms of contamination that you would not want your family to drink.

There are many types and technologies used in water filters available today, and they don’t all work the same way or produce the same type of water. Distillation and reverse osmosis were formerly viewed as the best filtration processes. In reality, these technologies were designed for industrial purposes. They strip water of the natural minerals that are beneficial and healthy to individuals.

Because of the stripping of those chemicals from the water, the pH balance drops and the water become acidic. This causes our bodies to release minerals from the organs to balance the water. In the end, our bodies are robbed of minerals when our water has essential minerals filtered from them. Remember the saying, too much of a good thing can be bad? Well, that definitely applies to water filtration using reverse osmosis or distillation technologies in a home installation.

So when you purchase a water filter, choose one that uses “selective filtration,” which is able to differentiate between beneficial minerals and harmful water contaminants. To be absolutely sure that you only have the best water filter system available, purchase your water filter from Aquasana, the country’s leading water filter provider. Aquasana has been in the water purification industry for many years. They have tested their filters to give you only the best. Remember that to live a long and healthy life, you deserve the best.

The quality of your pet’s drinking water may not be something you have considered before. For most pet owners, the main concern is making sure the animals always have access to plenty of fresh water. This is especially true during the hotter months of the year. While cats are typically healthy creatures that tend to their own needs most of the time, various health problems can result in costly vet bills.

Is it possible that your pet’s drinking water is contributing to their health problems? Constipation is a common problem that affects may cats. It can be tough to stand by and watch when you know that they are suffering and you can’t do much for them. If there are contaminants in their drinking water, though, this could be contributing to such chronic health problems.

If your pet’s drinking water is contaminated, it can prevent the digestive system from being able to perform like it should. When this is the case, your cat may not be getting the vital nutrients that she needs for good health. Even if you are feeding your animal great foods for their vitamins and nutrients, the body may not be able to digest those good foods and benefit from them as intended.

To help offset such health problems for your cat, you need to follow some guidelines. First, your pet’s drinking water should be filtered. Don’t give your cat what comes out of the tap if your home’s drinking water is not protected by a home water filtration system like those sold by Aquasana.

There is typically too much chlorine found in tap water, and it doesn’t agree well with the digestive system of a domestic cat. Don’t give them bottled water either, as it can have just as many contaminants as tap water. Some pet owners think they are doing an exceptional job of caring for their cat when they give it bottled water. They just don’t realize that their pet’s drinking water from such a resource isn’t necessarily as high quality as they have been told by the well-produced marketing that bottled water manufacturers put out.

Your cat is an important part of your family and she is a companion that you want to have around for many years. You want to give your cat every chance of a long life that is both happy and healthy. You don’t want to see your cat struggle due to health issues. You also don’t want to have huge vet bills to cover so that you can properly care for your cat. The quality of your pet’s drinking water is more important than you realize.

It is important to explore the possibly that your pet’s drinking water may not be good for her. Your responsibility as a pet owner is to ensure their wellbeing in every way that you can. What we are discovering is that it may not be enough to make sure they have access to fresh drinking water. The quality of your pet’s drinking water is important for their health and their quality of life.

A great solution to finding healthy drinking water for your pet is to make sure the tap water in your home is healthy, safe, and tastes good to everyone who consumes it. By installing a reliable water filter system from a good water filter manufacturer like Aquasana, your family, your guests, and your pets will all drink water that is healthy and good for them. Putting in a water filter for your tap water is an affordable and necessary step to make sure your pet and every family member she loves can drink all the healthy water they need and want.

You are probably familiar with chlorine as a substance used as a water disinfectant. It is one of the most common water disinfectants used by local municipal water treatment systems because it is cheap and fairly effective. However, this widely used chemical is reported to cause serious health problems, especially in pregnant women.

The chemical byproducts that come from chlorinated water can be too much for pregnant women to bear. While chlorine fights bacteria in water, it can form chloroform or other similar compounds if it is used on water with organic elements such as farm and yard debris. Compounds like chloroform are the culprits of illnesses caused by contaminated drinking water. A pregnant woman should not be exposed to high concentrations of such compounds.

These compounds can cause really bad effects for an expecting mother and her unborn child. Drinking water with chlorine byproducts in it can cause birth defects, miscarriage, neural tube defects, and reduced fetal growth. Obviously, you wouldn’t want this for anyone. The fact that pregnant women are required to drink more water than an average person puts them at a greater risk of contracting illnesses from chlorinated water. Also, their lowered immune system while pregnant causes them to be more susceptible to such severe harm, not just for themselves but also for the developing child.

Because natural bodies of water and other water reservoirs are contaminated with algae, animal waste, sewage, and sediment, the government has ordered water plants to use chlorine as a cleansing agent, thus putting expectant mothers and their unborn children at risk.

More and more research groups and environmental advocates are conducting intensive studies on the link between chlorinated water and birth defects. This has resulted in discussions about setting a new limit on chlorine byproducts in water. They have discovered that since 1995, more than 11 million people have used water with chlorine byproducts above the new proposed limit for 12 months in a row or longer. To address this problem, more money is needed for research into better forms of water filtration in municipal systems so that they could use alternative forms of filtering water that are safer than the cheaper chlorine.

This is something that will not change overnight. More research and legal action is needed before necessary changes can be made to the system to deal with the problems of contaminated drinking water. While this is going on, you must not leave your health or the health of your children in anyone else’s hands. Take the necessary steps to ensure that the water you use has no chlorine byproducts. Switch to quality water filters such as those from Aquasana to immediately to protect your family from the risk of getting sick. Aquasana water filters do not use chlorine. Instead, they use more sophisticated technology to clean your water and give you only clean, healthy and good-tasting water that has been filtered to eliminate chemicals or any additives. Even your child will thank you for it.

It’s summer time and it’s HOT! People are drinking more water and trying to stay cool. This sounds like a typical seasonal occurrence, but there are risks involved if you are drinking unfiltered tap water.

Chlorine is a poison designed to kill living organisms like bacteria and virus. This is how the municipalities keep us safe from water borne disease outbreaks. It’s a necessary evil and it’s effective, but only to a point.

Have you ever stopped to think about chlorine resistant organisms; Cysts, parasites… microscopic bugs?

Two of the most common water born parasites are Cryptosporidium and Giardia. These are small protozoan which create a hard shell around themselves, which makes them resistant to chlorine. They come from animal feces in surface water and are much more common than we realize.

These cysts are most dangerous to young children, the elderly and those with weakened immune systems. If infected by these parasites you typically suffer flu like or food poisoning symptoms. Symptoms usually last for 3 or 4 days, with some cases lasting weeks or months. The Center For Disease Control estimates that 50% of the time people are diagnosed with food poisoning or the flu, they have actually been infected with these chlorine resistant bugs found in drinking water.

Here is the real story; EPA officials estimate 850 billion gallons of storm water mixed with raw sewage pour into U.S. waters every year. An additional 3 billion to 10 billion gallons of raw sewage spills accidentally every year from systems designed to carry only sewage. These spills are caused by improper connections, clogs caused by debris, construction accidents and cracks in aging pipes.

Sewage commonly gets into drinking water supplies. Run off from fields and animal feed lots is where most water borne parasites originate. In 1993 more than 400,000 people got sick and more than 100 people died within a 4 week period after cryptosporidium contaminated drinking water in Milwaukee WI.

An easy way to remove these parasites is with a sub-micron home drinking water filter. The parasites are large enough to catch because of the shell created to keep them alive, 3-5 microns in size. A quality water filtration system with an absolute micron rating of 1 micron or less is an easy, affordable solution. Drink parasite, cyst & bug free water with Aquasana Drinking Water Filters!

A lot of people probably wonder what the differences are between Reverse Osmosis Water Purifiers and Selective Filtration Water Filters.

Reverse Osmosis Purification Systems or distillers waste a lot of water during their filtration process; for every 1 gallon of “purified” water, the system wastes about 3-5 gallons. The water passes through a semi-permeable membrane that blocks anything larger than a water molecule. In doing so, the system will remove some contaminants but more importantly, it will remove all of the naturally occurring minerals in the water. Mineral Content in the water improves the pH of the water. When you remove the Minerals from the water you are creating very acidic water. There have been many recent studies on the importance of alkaline(mineral rich) water and your health.

Please Read what the World Health Organization has to say on the subject of alkaline vs. acidic water:
World Health Organization Water Report

Our drinking water filtration systems take out a wide range of impurities and contaminants from the water while retaining the natural occurring minerals that give your water a healthy, balanced pH.

View the performance data sheet for our Aq-4000 Drinking Water Filter:
Aquasana Water Filters Performance

“Nowhere on this planet is there a naturally occurring source of de-mineralized water. This is because we, as humans, are not intended to consume this type of water. Nature knows best!”