Sun Tap Water Systems
Drinking Water Concerns?
Concerned about your drinking water? Join the crowd. According to a survey by the Water Quality Association, 75% of Americans are wary of their household water supply and 50% express concerns about possible health contaminants in their water.
More than 50 million water treatment devices are in use, and the bottled
water has become a booming $3.5 billion business.
Is it time for you to invest in a water filter? If so, which one? Scores
of companies claim to have the latest and greatest answer to your water
needs. Should you buy an under-the-sink reverse-osmosis filter or will a
simple spout-mounted filter do? What are your other options?
A Brief Overview
Most water treatment products are still sold for aesthetic reasons--to improve the odor or taste of water, especially to remove chlorine taste," says Carlyn Meyer, Director of Public Affairs at the Water Quality Institute.
But the ranks of people concerned about the unhealthy pollutants that
bypass traditional treatment are growing. "There have been a lot of
scares regarding nitrates in wells, pesticide runoff, cryptosporidium and
the like." Meyer adds. "Buying water treatment products is an insurance
policy against possible risks or, if people have had their water
tested--which we always recommend--real risks."
Incidents of contracting immediate illnesses from bacterial contaminants
are rare. But the possibility that tiny amounts of chemical pollutants
may accumulate in our bodies and cause chronic illness later is a
serious concern.
According to the EPA, "There is genuine concern in the scientific
community that prolonged exposure to certain elements, even at levels as
low as a few parts per billion or trillion, may be increasing the
incidence of cancer and heart disease."
Though municipal water suppliers chlorinate and filter water to rid it
of disease-causing impurities, during the past few decades, a witches
brew of chemicals from industry and agriculture has seeped into ground
water supplies that ultimately find their way to our taps. Through
advanced testing, minute traces of more than 2000 toxins can be found in
drinking water.
With this risk in mind, Congress enacted the Clean Water Drinking Act in
1974, limiting the maximum contaminant levels (MCLs) allowable in
drinking water. These standards govern all water utilities that serve at
least 25 people or 15 service connections.
Most large metropolitan water utilities adhere strictly to these standards and test regularly--even hourly-- with reliable equipment. But not all. For example, the EPA recently filed a court order in Boston to force water utilities to update their facilities, following years of violations. Smaller utilities are even more likely to breach regulations. If you're served by a well, you may have no protection at all.
Water Problems
Aesthetic problems come from otherwise harmless contaminants that affect
the color, odor and taste of water. Such substances are chlorine,
sulfur, iron and manganese. These problems are usually easy to deal
with, using a conventional activated carbon filter (see below).
But if your water contains dangerous levels of other pollutants, you'll
need to choose a water treatment technology that is appropriate for
eliminating the toxins, also discussed below. For the sake of
discussion, it's easiest to group toxic pollutants into four categories:
organic chemicals, inorganic chemicals, radio nuclides and micro
biological organisms.
Organic chemicals include solvents, pesticides, synthetics, resins and
other manmade chemicals; many are known as volatile organic chemicals
(VOCs). Organic chemicals on the EPA's list are often linked with cancer
and/or nervous system, liver and kidney disorders.
A particularly nasty organic compound, trihalomethanes (THMs), can be created after water has left a treatment plant when chlorine reacts with leaves and other decaying animal and plant matter. Chloroform, a suspected carcinogen, is one of the resulting substances.
Inorganic chemicals include nitrates and nitrites, asbestos, fluoride and metals such as arsenic, mercury and--the most notorious--lead. Many of these occur as natural mineral deposits.
Some, such as copper and lead, leach into water as it travels through pipes; treatment by your water utility doesn't remove them. Nitrates and nitrites are produced by industry or farming. Inorganic chemicals are associated with a variety of health problems. Lead is known to cause brain damage and is particularly toxic to infants and pregnant women. Pre-1930 plumbing in some areas utilized lead pipes, and solder used to join copper piping in homes before 1986 has a lead content of about 50 percent.
Radon gas, the most common radionuclide, occurs naturally in a number of
regions, including Western mountain states and parts of the Northeast.
The EPA estimates that up to 17 million people may have water with
excessive levels of radon, which can enter the air through showers and
steam.
Microbiological contaminants, including protozoa, bacteria and viruses,
are normally killed by chlorination and treatment. Cysts, such as
cryptosporidium and giardia, are more resistant to municipal treatment.
Normally, bacterial pollution problems occur only when water treatment breaks down, or if a home's water supply is tainted by waste. Cyst problems tend to occur during times of heavy storm runoff.