By now, we all know how important water is for us. Staying hydrated is linked to every part of our health and wellbeing. This being said, sometimes water can be doing us more harm than good.
It turns out that there can be a lot more than two parts hydrogen and one part oxygen in our water. Microplastics, heavy metals, pesticides, and volatile organic compounds can be floating around in what we drink, cook with, and let seep into our skin. These contaminants have severe, long-term health implications and should be taken seriously.
The following will explore six of the many reasons you might want to consider filtering your water before you drink it. It’s important to note that this list is not exhaustive. There are countless other contaminants that could be harming you and your loved ones not included below.
Taste, Smell, And Colour
Let’s get the most straightforward reason out of the way. Water (especially city water) can have a foul taste, smell, or color due to a variety of contaminants within it. Flavour, scent, and discoloration are the three most common indicators of toxic elements in your water. Beyond this, many people prefer the taste of filtered water and find that it produces more palatable meals when cooked with.
Chlorine
Most cities in America have highly developed water systems designed to bring water to the large population that lives there. The most common way municipalities clean their water (to kill bacteria and viruses, and other nasty things in the water) is by using chlorine. The FDA allows a small percentage of chlorine in the water. Despite older studies about this being safe, newer studies from big research facilities like Johns Hopkins University have been finding that chlorine in water, while an effective disinfectant, drastically increases your risk of cancer. Most water filters are designed to take the chlorine out of the water.
Microplastics
While the study of microplastics in water is relatively new, the results have been shocking. Microplastics are scattered throughout our world, and they have serious negative impacts on our endocrine systems. The endocrine system keeps our hormones balanced, affecting our mood, reproductive health, energy levels, sleep, cancer risk, immune function, and nervous system function.
Physical Contaminants
Things like rust, heavy metals, sand, dust, and silt can get in our water. Experts at https://waterfiltersadvisor.com/ cite these types of contaminants as the most commonly found in water. In particular, if you live in an old building with older pipes, this is a big concern. Older plumbing can be flaking off into your water. If this is the case, in addition to filtering the water, you might want to have a plumber come and take a look at the piping in your home. Lead is an especially poisonous material that pipes were made out of back in the day.
Fluoride
Fluoride is one of the big question marks when it comes to water. Many townships with older water systems add fluoride to the water to protect people’s teeth. It turns out, however, that fluoride in drinking water doesn’t sit on your teeth long enough to offer any help. Beyond this, studies are finding that a buildup of fluoride in your system results in an increased risk for Alzheimer’s disease and several types of cancer. If you find yourself skeptical of this research because this debate has been going on for so long, ask yourself why water systems developed in recent years are skipping this step.
Waterborne Pathogens and Microorganisms
Bacteria like salmonella, legionella, E. coli, yersinia, and pseudomonas can get into water systems fairly easily and these can result in life-threatening infections. Enteroviruses, hepatitis A and E, noroviruses, and rotavirus are a few examples of the viruses that can get into our water and make us sick. Beyond this, parasites like Schistosoma, giardia, cryptosporidium, toxoplasma gondii, and cyclospora have been found in water. If any of these things sound like old-school medieval problems you don’t need to worry about it. Think again. California is currently experiencing an outbreak of typhus. Typhus lives in water.
The above six reasons to filter your water are only the beginning. The more you learn about water systems and how your water affects your health, the more reasons you’ll find to filter. New studies are coming out every day about the importance of clean water in our homes and our environment (that’s right, all of these contaminants, especially microplastics, are drastically altering the planet’s hormonal makeup).
If you suspect your water of being unsafe or toxic for any reason, stop drinking it and get your water tested. If your water was found to have a serious contaminant, make sure to visit a doctor even if you don’t feel unwell. Some of these contaminants take time for the damage they’re doing to present themselves as symptoms. A doctor can also help you make changes that can mitigate the long-term effects of bad water.
WRITTEN BY
Clara Rose