9 Common Water Contaminants
Arsenic
Arsenic is an odorless, tasteless heavy metal. It is naturally occurring in the environment and is a by-product of agricultural and industrial activities. It can be in two forms: arsenic III and arsenic V. Human exposure to arsenic can cause both short and long term health effects. Short or acute effects can occur within hours or days of exposure. Long term exposure has been linked to cancer or the bladder, lungs, skin, kidneys, nasal passages, liver and prostate.
Bacteria
Different types of organic matter can cause your water to taste bad, often fishy or earthy. Bacteria in water takes many forms and the best way to know the type of bacteria present is to have your water professionally tested. A common symptom of bacteria is water is slime build up in the toilet tank.
Chlorine
Chlorine can make water smell and taste bad and is known carcinogen. Chlorine is a powerful oxidant and is commonly used as a disinfectant in commercial and household sanitation, bleaching, and in maintaining swimming pools. The most significant application is in the disinfection of public water supplies where it’s used to manage bacteria levels in drinking water and kill other potentially harmful agents that seep into lakes, rivers, streams or ground water. Chloride, even at acceptable household levels, can contribute to dry eyes and skin irritation as well as exacerbate conditions such as eczema.
Hard Water
Hard water is created when water passed through rock formations picks up calcium and magnesium. Hard water is easy to spot: it leaves a bathtub ring made up of hardness minerals and soap. This scum collects on shower walls, clings to hair, clogs skin pores and makes house cleaning extremely difficult. Hard water deposits also clog pipes, cause water heaters to operate inefficiently, and increase the maintenance on water using appliances.
Iron
Iron water is created when ground water passes through iron-bearing rocks. Because iron accounts for 5% of the earth's crust, it can be found in just about all types of water supplies. Iron has the tendency to leave stains on sinks, tubs, toilets, clothing and linens, or it can form scale and clog plumbing and water using appliances while making water turn a rusty color as well as smell and taste bad.
Nitrates
Nitrate (NO3) is a naturally occurring form of nitrogen (N) which is very mobile in water. It is essential for plant growth and is often added to soil to improve productivity. Water moving down through soil after rainfall or irrigation carries dissolved nitrate with it to ground water. It is also common from leakage of septic tanks. In this way, nitrate enters the water supplies of many homeowners who wells or springs. Drinking water high in nitrate is potentially harmful to human and animal health.
Sulfur & Methane Gases
Dissolved gases can cause cloudiness and bad odors in water. It can also cause pipes to hammer and spitting of gas and water when a faucet is opened. Methane gas is odorless and occurs naturally in some underground water wells. Hydrogen sulfide gas smells like rotten eggs and is occasionally present in underground aquifers. Dissolved gases in water can be aggressive to piping systems and cause wear on valves, seats and washers.
Total Dissolved Solids
Total dissolved solids can cause unpleasant taste in water and cause the water to build up scale on fixtures and appliances. The higher the dissolved solid content, the more objectionable the taste and the more scale build up. Some water supplies are so high in mineral content they taste salty, almost like sea water. These supplies can corrode faucets and water heaters in very short periods of time.
Toxic Chemicals
These chemicals are more commonly referred to as Volatile Organic Contaminants (VOC). But there is nothing organically good about them. They are very dangerous man-made chemicals like TCE, PCB, THM, PCE, benzene, insecticides, pesticides, herbicides, etc. They commonly enter the drinking water from leading underground storage tanks, industrial run off, leaking landfills, toxic dumping/spills or were used in farming before they were known to be harmful. Many of these man-made toxins are known to cause cancer when humans come into contact with them. These dangerous chemicals can be ingested in your drinking water, inhaled in the shower, or absorbed through your skin when bathing.