3 Reasons to Avoid Drinking Tap Water!
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We take our water delivery system for granted, yet in many areas of the world, they cannot turn on a tap and access clean water. But, our water is not as clean as you may imagine and it is only cleaned to a very basic standard.
Many people believe that tap water is safe to drink, but here are three reasons why drinking tap water should be avoided.
Reason #1: Chlorine and Chloramine
Chlorine has been in use for decades to disinfect our water supplies, and in recent years, it has been steadily replaced by chloramine. Chloramine is simply chlorine with added ammonia to boost and prolong the disinfection efficacy. These two chemicals are the source of that “swimming pool” odour and taste that you may detect in your drinking water. Aside from the unpalatable nature of these chemicals, there are more serious health issues to consider. Water that has been treated with these chemicals has been linked to a slight increase in the chances of developing certain types of cancers. At the moment, the public water disinfection properties seem to outweigh these risks, but that is of little concern to the estimated 10,700 people that develop these chlorination related cancers annually. Unfortunately, chlorination seems to be the water disinfection process for the foreseeable future, significant investment would be required to change this, and that is not forthcoming.
Reason #2: Pharmaceutical Drugs
Back in 2011, the General Accountability Office submitted a report that pharmaceutical drugs were contaminating drinking water supplies. The most common drugs are estrogen based hormones and antibiotics. But, other drugs, including painkillers, anti-psychotic medications, and other drugs, were also discovered. The potential health effects of ingesting water that contains residual quantities of pharmaceutical drugs has not been investigated. But, we do know that drug pollution from hormone based medications can cause reproductive issues in animals. A municipal water treatment facility cannot remove pharmaceutical pollutants from the drinking water supplies.
Reason #3: Bacterial Contamination
Chlorine and chloramine are effective disinfectants, but the water can be contaminated after it has left the water treatment plant. Breaks in the water line allow contaminants such as bacteria, viruses, and cysts to enter the water supply. Other causes of contamination can include flooding and failures in critical infrastructure. This is the reason why you may receive a boil notice after a pipe failure has been detected. But, minor cracks and breaks can go undetected for some time, and this leads to people drinking contaminated water. The byproducts of chlorine and chloramine are also a source of concern, and they have been linked with certain types of cancer.
What Can You Do?
Installing a water filtration system can act as a final barrier to secure your water quality. There are UV disinfection systems to kill microorganisms, reverse osmosis (RO) systems to remove contaminants, and activated carbon systems to condition the water for drinking.
An Aqua-Life representative can advise you on your options and install a system to meet your needs.