Why Get a Water Filter
Unfortunately, whether you are in the first or third world, there is not a much water you can safely drink these days. Water can contain a large number of contaminants, such as dirt, minerals, chemicals, cysts, viruses or bacteria, that makes it smell and taste bad. These substances can be hazardous to both short and long term health. Water can harbor microscopic organisms that can cause serious illness, or the chemicals used to destroy such organisms which can have detrimental long term health effects. Water filters clean water so that it is safe to drink and tastes good.
Current EPA (environmental protection agency) guidelines allow “acceptable” levels of pollutants such as chlorine, lead, fluoride, arsenic, and aluminum in our water. In water tests I did in Hobart, Melbourne, London, and Palma Mallorca, I found: Chlorine, Fluoride, Arsenic, Cyanide, Nitrate, Atrazine and Halacacetic acids. Even in the swiss alps recently we found huge amounts of arsenic in the municipal drinking water.
Chlorine is added as a sanitizer. It removes the nasty bacteria such as E-coli, MRSA (golden staph) etc. While it eats up all the nasty bacteria, it also eats up all the good bacteria (a bit like antibiotics) and nutrients in your system. Chlorine is linked to asthma, eczema, psoriasis, bladder cancer, heart disease, miscarriage, and birth defects. The best way to remove it is filtering it through a carbon block filter. A quick fix is at least refrigerating your water, or at least running it through an average filter (such as a brit filter) and refrigerating it. The chill will get rid of some of the chlorine at least. The carbon block filter will remove 99.9% of chlorine, if it has small pores and is of good quality.
Fluoride is added to water to prevent cavities. It is a pretty controversial topic at the moment. It is definitely worth investigating and making up your own mind. I grew up on fluoridates water (Tasmania was, proudly, the first place in the world to get fluoridated water) and still go cavities, and we were not even allowed to eat sugar, sweets (lollies) or carbonated drinks. Basically Fluoride is toxic, it is fatal in large doses and is actually the by product of uranium environment. It is linked to osteoporosis, bone cancer, and Down syndrome. It can also be filtered out with a good carbon block filter, or reverse osmosis treatment.
Lead leeches into municipal water from distribution pipes, especially in older cities whose pluming was done before laws were passed to restrict lead in pluming. Lead poisoning causes brain damage and lesser intelligence, high blood pressure and kidney problems.
Organic arsenic occurs naturally in rocks, soil and water and plants and animals. High inorganic arsenic levels can also come from certain fertilizers and animal feeding operations. Inorganic arsenic can cause stomach lining irritation, intestinal irritation, decreased production of red and white blood cells, skin changes and lung irritation. Organic arsenic cannot cause cancer or DNA mutation, but can cause nerve injury and stomachaches.
Exposure to inorganic arsenic can cause various health effects, such as irritation of the stomach and intestines, decreased production of red and white blood cells, skin changes and lung irritation. Organic arsenic can cause neither cancer, nor DNA damage. But exposure to high doses may cause certain effects to human health, such as nerve injury and stomachaches.
Cyanide is a byproduct of treating waste with chlorine. Cyanide can cause cell death, fatigue, shortness of breath, seizures and heart disease.
Nitrate is a byproduct of animal waste and fertilizer. It can cause anencephaly in fetus or blue baby syndrome if ingested in 10ppm (the EPA states 10ppm is a safe level though). Atrazine is a pesticide which seeps into ground water. It can cause heart, lung and kidney congestion, weight loss, and adrenal damage, muscle spasm, blood pressure issues and prostate cancer. Halcacetic acids come from waste treatment process. They cause brain cancer, lukaemia, and miscarriage.
Now, don’t think bottled water keeps you safe. Bottled water companies do not even have to disclose their water analysis (which at least municipal tap water providers do). Bottled water costs 2000 times more than tap water and it is a disaster for the environment. It takes twice the amount of water to fill a bottle, and the plastic is inorganic and the plastic water bottle industry uses 86 million barrels of oil a year to manufacture the bottles.
A tank of rain water is generally safe, providing you live in an unpolluted area, and the tanks and fittings and pipes are all “food grade” materials. Many old houses, especially shacks have old lead and copper pipes and galvanized tin tanks, whose galvanization has worn out. There are also many microbes which get in the water from the drains. However I’d drink the microbes from a dead possum any day compared to drinking chlorine and fluoride. It must also be noted that our entire water table is polluted now and many inorganic chemicals are found in even the most pure rain. Also, if your tank water runs out, you are usually buying municipal water and hence, you are lured into a false sense of security and think your drinking pure rain water, that some old codger actually filled up in town from his backyard hose, which is municipal water. Test your tank water.
So the answer, it’s actually pretty simple. Filter your own clean water and carry it with you everywhere. After a year of solid research I have chosen simple carbon block filters, with small pores. The smaller the pores, the cleaner the water. I have one on each tap (Id have the whole house done, if I could only find the mains for our apartment and fit it!). I travel with one for hotels, and yachts. Plus I have a day to day one in a drink bottle that I take everywhere.
Filtered water, filtered with a good quality water filter tastes amazing, like the water we use to drink out of our rivers. Personally, since drinking this water I have noticed a 90% recovery from my injury, loss of joint and bone aches, improved knees, nil constipation, flatter stomach, nil bloating, weight loss, younger skin, no knee or hip or back pain, no dry lips, softer hair, more energy, a better outlook on life, good vibes, more stable moods, needing less sleep, improved memory, increased motivation and a love for water that I never before understood.
