A number of months in the past, I watched the documentary The Satan We Know about the dangerous results of PFOA and PFOS on our well being. These chemical substances have been first launched in the U.S. by way of Teflon they usually now present up in all the things from carpets to rain jackets to dental floss.” . I tossed my nonstick pans the subsequent day, however for me, one in all the most eye-opening elements of the movie was once they found that the substance is present in 6 million individuals’s water methods. The truth that dangerous chemical substances (and never simply Teflon – thousands and thousands of People are uncovered to ingesting water containing chemical substances from pesticides and fertilizers) may very well be getting into my household’s blood stream simply by turning on the faucet actually hit me, and I used to be mobilized to do one thing about it.
And so started my lengthy, exhaustive, and generally irritating search to discover out what sort of water filtration system can be proper for our household.
I say irritating, as a result of I beforehand knew nothing about water purification, so my course of concerned a full schooling in all the differing types on the market at a variety of sizes, effectivity, and worth factors. I requested so lots of my buddies how they filtered their water at dwelling, and nonetheless got here up comparatively empty; that is an space that confuses the overwhelming majority of individuals. Even those that (like me) spend lots of time studying and studying about wholesome meals, for some motive, the well being of our ingesting water hasn’t gotten practically as a lot consideration.
prime picture: sakara
picture: kate zimmerman turpin
I’ve realized a lot about the completely different strategies of at-home water filtration, and quite than sending you by yourself exhaustive search, thought it is likely to be useful to break down the differing types (and my suggestions) right here. And should you’re inquisitive about what system I put in at our home, I’m taking a multi-pronged method… scroll on to discover out.
Step 1: Try the EWG’s Faucet Water Database to discover out which contaminants could also be in your ingesting water.
Step 2: Discover the filter that’s best for you. A couple of elements to contemplate are:
- Value: filters fluctuate significantly in worth relying on the know-how they use
- Set up: filters might be countertop, mounted on faucet, mounted below sink, or mounted at the plumbing supply for an entire dwelling system.
- Which contaminants you want eliminated: While you enter your zip code into the EWG database, you’ll get a desk displaying which water filter sorts – activated carbon, reverse osmosis, and ion change – can cut back ranges of contaminants particular to your water.
These are a few of the commonest choices:
Most simple: Countertop pitcher filters
It is a easy possibility that works for individuals who don’t devour an enormous quantity of water each day. Simply refill the pitcher and preserve it cool in the fridge. Most of those are activated carbon filters, which chemically bond with and take away contaminants as water flows by way of the filter. Some are licensed solely to take away chlorine and enhance style and odor. Others take away contaminants corresponding to asbestos, lead, mercury and unstable natural compounds, or VOCs. Nevertheless, activated carbon doesn’t take away frequent pollution corresponding to arsenic, fluoride, hexavalent chromium, nitrate and perchlorate.
I began with this selection (I had this one, which is fairly sufficient to placed on the desk) however determined that I wished one thing that may extra successfully take away the number of contaminants that may very well be in our ingesting water. It was additionally tremendous gradual, and I felt like each night time at supper time we have been all ready for the water to filter by way of earlier than we may pour.
I even have a number of buddies who purchased a Berkey for his or her counter tops and like them; you simply have to be okay with the great amount of countertop actual property they take up.
For Ingesting Water: Reverse Osmosis System
That is the best possibility for eradicating a excessive proportion of poisons together with fluoride, hexavalent chromium, arsenic, nitrates/nitrites, copper, radium, and extra. The filters work by pushing water by way of the reverse osmosis membrane utilizing stress. The contaminants stay on one facet of the movie whereas contemporary water is pushed to the different facet. It’s one in all the few filters that may rid water of water-soluble contaminants like fluoride and chromium +6. If a house has a water softener, an RO system will even take away the salt from ingesting water.
We put in the reverse osmosis system from Aquasana in the cupboard below our kitchen sink, and I’ve been actually pleased with the high quality of our ingesting water. This one additionally remineralizes the water to put again the wholesome minerals misplaced in the reverse osmosis course of like calcium, magnesium, and potassium.
Solely factor to be aware is that the RO methods use a ton of water, in order that they shouldn’t be used for different water wants like bogs, showers, dishwashers, and so forth.
Entire Home Filtration Techniques
In case your precedence is clear water for each space of the home (bathing, laundry, cooking, home equipment) and also you’re prepared to drop some money to get it, an entire home filtration system is probably going the one for you. I’m pulling the set off on the OptimH2O Entire Home Filter from Aquasana and having it put in with our renovation this spring/summer season, and as well as to the well being advantages of getting clear water at each faucet, I’m notably enthusiastic about the results that having purified water in your bathe has on pores and skin and hair.
This filter makes use of a multi-pronged method with a sediment pre-filter that captures rust, sediment, and silt down to 1 micron and a carbon block that removes contaminants corresponding to lead, cysts, PFOA/PFOS, and extra. There are additionally choices with this method to add on a salt-free water conditioner to forestall scale build-up and a UV filter for an additional layer of safety. General, it’s independently examined and licensed to NSF requirements to take away greater than 99% of lead and cysts, 98% of PFOA/PFOS, and tackles chlorine, chloramines and extra. Sure, it’s the dearer possibility out of the bunch, however for me, this looks like an vital funding for our household’s future well being for years to come.