If you’ve turned on the news at all in recent months, you’ve almost definitely seen reports about lead contamination in drinking water systems all across the country. Our infrastructure is aging, and water — a basic necessity for life — is becoming a commodity. It gets worse, though; for decades our tap water has been contaminated with additives and the like.
On the up side, the U.S. still has one of the safest and finest water supplies in the world. On the down side, there’s always room for improvement. Discover the deposits, additives and contaminants in tap water, why it isn’t as clean as it once was, and what you can do to make your drinking water pure.
Contaminants in Tap Water
Even with our water system as regulated and clean as it is, there are still common contaminants that get into our water. Some of these are due to aging infrastructure. Others are due to varying regulations from state to state. Some are due to the limitations of municipal treatment systems. In any case, they’re there, and they can include:
- Toxic heavy metals like lead, copper, mercury, cadmium and aluminum;
- VOCs, or volatile organic chemicals, pesticides, herbicides, pharmaceutical compounds, household cleaning products and other chemicals;
- Additives from water treatment plants like fluoride and chlorine;
- Pathogens like giardia, e-coli, coliform, cryptosporidium and other viruses and bacteria.
The Dangers of Water Contaminants
The substances found in your tap water can be some of the most dangerous there are to your body and health. Heavy metals in particular can cause poisoning and cancer, and your body has a very hard time removing them.
Untested chemicals in the water can include over 80,000 different compounds used by people every day including personal care and cleaning products, and only about 90 of the 80,000 are filtered out of our systems.
Chlorine and fluoride are in just about every single municipal water supply out there. These are used to protect our bones and teeth (fluoride) and to eliminate other contaminants (chlorine). Unfortunately, we’re getting more of these chemicals in our bodies than is healthy. Even worse, pharmaceutical compounds in water can contribute to resistance to medicine as well as antibiotic-resistant illnesses.
Tap Water and Cancer Risks
So what does all this do? Ever wonder why it seems like cancer is running rampant through our society? According to the National Cancer Institutes, chlorinated water can increase the risk of cancer by up to 90%. Mercury found in water is a known carcinogen. The cumulative effect of all the chemicals found in our water increases our cancer risk.
Protect Yourself and Your Family
Fortunately, there are solutions to these problems that can effectively protect both you and your family. While municipal filtration systems don’t catch all contaminants, home water filtration systems can eliminate vast amounts of contaminants, making your drinking water far cleaner, purer and healthier.
By installing one of these systems in your home, you can protect yourself and your family from the dangers of contaminants in tap water, and you’ll be amazed at how much better it tastes! For more information or to arrange for a system in your Southern Nevada home, contact EcoWater Systems today.