What's In Your Tap Water?

Municipal tap water is delivered to residences and businesses without the public's knowledge of the potential risks of consumption. Water's essential nature creates a public dependence on our suppliers to be diligent about safety and quality of this vital nutrient. Yet the supply that is available to the public is not without hazard. As a requirement under the federal Safe Water Drinking Act, 22 million tap water quality tests that were run, provided some rather unsettling analysis. It was found that water suppliers across the U.S. detected 260 contaminants in water served to the public. Of these 260 contaminants, only 119 are regulated with a specific set of safety standards. Of the 141 unregulated contaminants utilities detected in water supplies between 1998 and 2003, 52 are linked to cancer, 41 to reproductive toxicity, 36 to developmental toxicity, and 16 to immune system damage, according to chemical listings in seven standard government and industry toxicity references. These contaminants have been connected to a number of sources such as agricultural and industrial run-off as well as urban development and even water treatment.

So what is the answer to this potential threat? Filtering your water is one of the healthiest things you can do for yourself and your loved ones. And filtering is not just limited to your drinking water. Do you know that when you shower, chlorine and other chemicals become vaporized and can easily be absorbed by the skin or inhaled? Both areas are of great concern for general health as they can lead to a high degree of chemical absorption by the body. Drinking water filters and shower filters range in price and differ in the types and quantities of contaminants that they remove. Of greater expense, but well worth the price are whole house filters. To start understanding more about filters and compare pricing and performance, visit http://www.waterfiltercomparisons.com/. This list is not comprehensive, but will be a good launch point for you to educate yourself on this important issue of water safety and start noticing the differences that healthy water can make.