Safe Water

An important step on your way to good health

The problems associated with tap water have been widely publicised[CR1] , but many of us have little understanding of the sources of contamination we are exposed to through our tap water, which contains measurable amounts of several contaminants found in the tap water we drink. You may think twice before drinking tap water when you discover it contains toxic chemicals, such as chlorine, fluoride, lead and aluminium.

A recent report Drinking Water Inspectorate in the UK revealed that despite widespread purification treatments, pharmaceutical drugs are finding their way into the water supply. Another report in America from the Environmental Protection Agency revealed that in just one single year, 2.4 billion pounds of cancer-causing materials were released into the environment and stated that much of these cancer-causing toxins and chemicals found their way into water and food supplies.

Most water authorities have based their approach to supplying water on the World Health Organization criteria for what is safe and they use disinfectants, such as chlorine and chlorine dioxide, to reduce the health risks from disease-causing pathogens and organisms in source water. However, problems arise when these chemicals react with one another.

Chemical compounds commonly used for disinfection can create new chemical formations, such as trihalomethanes, which are closely associated with cancer. These new chemicals can be toxic when they react with naturally.

Distilled water

This is one of the most effective ways to remove chemicals and purify water. Distillers are used in scientific research institutes and laboratories for sterilising equipment which is a good recommendation of the effectiveness and purity of this type of system. They are simple to operate, do not require installation and are basically maintenance free. The initial outlay is not expensive and consumption of electricity is minimal, which means you get pure water at the lowest possible cost.

The body of the distiller looks rather like a large electric kettle that sits conveniently on a counter top in your kitchen. It is easy to use – you fill the distiller to the water line, plug it in and press a button. As the water is boiled it kills off any bacteria and viruses present. The water is then vaporised to disperse bacteria, chemicals and other contaminants. The vapour is then condensed back into a contaminate-free liquid. This ensures about 99 per cent of your drinking water is pure. Some models shut off automatically when the water boils off, but it is best to time the distiller to finish just before the water boils off to avoid a build-up of mineral deposits in the machine. The machines are easy to clean if you rinse and wipe after use. You will be surprised at the amount of dirt that is left at the bottom of the distiller after processing.

Distillers eliminate the cost and inconvenience of buying bottled mineral water. There have been concerns that distilled water removes minerals from water – and some manufacturers often use this myth to gain an advantage over their competitors. What most people don’t realise is that human’s best absorb minerals through foods, not water – 95 per cent of the minerals we need come from plants. Plants pick up minerals from the soil and make them available to us. Distilling water is probably the cheapest and best method of cleaning water.

Reverse osmosis

Reverse osmosis is the home-drinking water system that is most commonly known for its use in converting sea water into drinking water, though they are also made for both mains and well-water sources.. It is a filtration method that removes contaminants by passing the water through multiple filters and a semi-permeable membrane. Passing through the various stages produces pure water by screening out the salts and other contaminants. The various filters remove chlorine, fluoride and other chemical contaminants, heavy metals bacteria, viruses, organic compounds and even radioactive materials, which ensures about a 95 per cent purity rate for your drinking water.

A question I am often asked is whether or not water filtered using reverse osmosis is alkaline-forming. Both distilled and reverse osmosis water produce a negative ion reaction in the system, and negative ions are alkaline-forming. Water-treatment plants throughout the world have adopted reverse osmosis as their preferred method of improving water quality.

A reverse osmosis unit sits under your kitchen sink. It connects to a separate tap on your sink and it is also possible to connect to your refrigerator’s water supply for making ice. Many people buy one- or two-stage carbon filters systems and expect these to provide clean water, but these cheap systems really only filter out large molecules from the water.