Chemical and Bilogical Contaminants: There are issues of chemical contamination such as the
![[Image] of water](images/pict2.jpg)
presence
of MTBE - a gasoline additive and a serious contaminant now found to be
almost everywhere in the water supplies. There are concerns as to the potent
little cryptosporidium cyst which defies the activity of chlorine
(crypto caused 400,000 people in Milwaukee to sicken in the late 1990s - and,
several hundred died) and is present in many surface water supplies. In May of
2000 hundreds of people in Walkerton, Ontario became sickened and a number died
from the presence of E.coli in their drinking water supplies. As well,
the chlorine itself that is used to kill micro-organisms at the water
treatment facilities has been linked by studies to be a carcinogen. In
addition, its presence in the water supply - in reaction with certain organic
compounds - produces trihalomethanes, (THM) another suspected
carcinogen.Poor Taste and Appearance marks most tap drinking water at best. There are usually chlorine odors or musty, earthy tastes. The water frequently appears turbid and cloudy. Part of the difficulty is that the infrastructure (the water pipes) that is in place to deliver the water to the home or office, in most instances, has been there for years. It is aging, and gradually breaking down. Lead in old joints, asbestos, rust, dirt particles and other contaminants simply reduce the water quality further.
Bottled water? Bottled water is used by many as an alternative to tap water and, while the quality of some bottled water is good, some bottled water is little better than ordinary tap water. In a four-year test of 103 brands of bottled water a report released in late 1999 stated that "a third of the tested brands contained bacteria or other chemicals exceeding the industry's own guidelines or the most stringent state purity standards." One of the authors of the report said that "Just because water comes from a bottle doesn't mean it's any cleaner or safer than what comes from the tap."
To balance the above, the study found that most bottled water was of "good" quality. Thus, 3.4 billion gallons of bottle water annually are consumed in this country -- many consumers refuse to drink the tap water and settle for the next best choice -- bottled water. And yet, as the studies now show, the bottled water industry is essentially unregulated, leading back to initial questions -- i.e., how "good" actually is the water from the tap or the bottled water supply, and, how "safe" is "safe"? As well, bottled water average costs are $1.00/gallon - considerably higher than the average 20-cents/gallon for good filtered water. Are there any viable alternatives?
uncertainties
surrounding both tap and bottled water is to use your own POU (Point-Of-Use) DWS
(Drinking Water System). While whole-house systems are available, the simplest
method of ensuring truly good-quality drinking water is to take the water that
is coming into your house or office and purify it through a high-quality DWS.
While there are different types of DWS for home and office use, and a
considerable array of manufacturers presenting products proclaiming results of
first quality water, the knowledgeable consumer can find help in sorting through
these claims.
in
about forty-five minutes. It can be done by a handy homeowner; or, a plumber
will be happy to install it. Normally, a smaller, secondary faucet dedicated to
the DWS use is located on top of the sink and, with a quality system, safe,
crystal clear, delightful tasting water is instantly available for drinking
(fill a jug up and take it on the job, on the airline, or to the picnic or to
the beach!), for ice cubes, for coffee and tea, cooking, etc. As well, such a
system can be easily connected to a refrigerator ice cube maker or water
chiller, or an expresso or coffee maker.