As you probably know, it is vitally important to drink plenty of fluids throughout the day to stay hydrated. Water is important for many processes, including transporting nutrients throughout the body, excreting waste, and focusing the mind. A common concern among my clients and students is whether tap water is safe to drink, and if not, whether bottled water or filtered water is better.
As we continue to invest in sustainability, health and wellbeing, it has become more crucial than ever to think about the origins of our water consumption. So, tap water versus bottled water; what should we drink?
Should you be worried about tap water?
You’ll be reassured to know that UK water standards are among the highest in the world. Strict regulations ensure minimal contamination by bacteria, minerals and chemicals. All public water supplies in the UK are tested regularly and the results are available to anyone on request. The latest figures on the quality of drinking water are available here.
Should I be worried about chlorine, birth control?residue or fluoride?
Although more than 2.5 million women take birth control pills in the UK and ethynyl estradiol is detectable in river water, routine filtration and disinfection via water treatment plants would be effective to eliminate this residue from our drinking water.
Chlorine is of potential concern because it is added to our water to kill bacteria and microbes, keeping waterborne infections at bay. Concerns have been raised about this practice because when chlorine reacts with organic matter, trihalomethanes (THMs) are produced. THMs have been linked to many health problems (although not conclusively) and as a result, regulations regarding maximum levels of THMs have now been set. It is clear that the potential risk posed by chlorine in our water is significantly lower than the risk from drinking untreated water. However, I personally prefer to filter tap water to remove chlorine and its byproducts before drinking it.
Water authorities are adding fluoride to municipal water supplies because studies suggest that adding it in areas with low levels of fluoride in water can reduce the prevalence of tooth decay in the population. local. This practice is controversial because excessive exposure to fluoride has been linked to a number of health problems, including dental fluorosis, skeletal fluorosis, thyroid problems, and neurological problems. However, this is unlikely to happen with normal, daily water intake. It is generally thought that as long as water contains less than 1.5 mg/l fluoride (the upper limit regulated in the UK), it does not pose a risk to human health.
And lead?
If your home or office was built before 1970, you may have underground lead pipes connecting your water supply to the network. Small traces of lead can be “washed” through the inside of these pipes and end up in your drinking water. Exposure to lead should be minimized and the WHO has set a maximum limit of 10 micrograms/l of lead in drinking water, as levels above this value are considered harmful, particularly to children and pregnant women. If you are concerned that your home may have lead pipes, you can ask your water company to test your tap water. This leaflet provides more information.
The truth about bottled water:
7.7 billion single-use plastic water bottles are consumed each year in the UK, having a devastating effect on our landscape. You may be surprised to learn that even if the label of your bottled water depicts a peaceful mountain stream, about 25% of bottled water comes from… the tap. Of course, some companies filter or radiate tap water with ultraviolet light before selling it to you at several thousand times the price of municipal tap water. (Examples include Aquafina, Dasani and many other brands.)
Plastic isn’t just bad for the planet, it’s also not good for you. Bottled water often contains plasticizers (additives used to give flexibility and handling properties to plastic bottles) and other chemicals, which can interfere with the functioning of your endocrine system, Eric Goldstein, the co-director of the Natural Resources Defense Council reminds us that “No one should think that bottled water is better regulated, better protected, or safer than tap water because bottled water samples may contain phthalates, mold, microbes, benzene, trihalomethanes and even arsenic.
The main thing?
So, essentially, it’s tap water that we should be drinking. Tap water in the UK is safe and we should take advantage of this, not least to support wider campaigns for sustainability. However, there are still a number of unanswered questions regarding specific treatment processes. So I advise you to invest in a good water filter to protect you and your family. No filter will remove all contaminants, but here are the most common types of filters and the main contaminants they are designed to trap:
Carbon filters:
Smaller filters are very affordable and typically use activated carbon granules. Larger, more expensive units use solid carbon. The latter will probably be more effective.
What they DO NOT remove: Carbon filters do not remove heavy metals, herbicides, pesticides, fluorides or endocrine disruptors.
What they remove: Lead, PCBs, chlorine byproducts (chloramines and trihalomethanes), certain pests, radon, pesticides and herbicides, the gasoline additive MTBE, the dry cleaning solvent trichlorethylene, certain volatile organic compounds, certain concentrations of bacteria (such that Cryptosporidium And Giardia) and a small number of pharmaceutical products.
Reverse osmosis:
The systems push water through a semi-permeable membrane which acts as an extremely fine filter. They are often used in conjunction with carbon filters which need to be replaced regularly. They can be expensive and waste 4 to 9 gallons (15 to 34 liters) of water for every gallon (3.8 liters) filtered. This is increasingly unacceptable in a world where water is becoming scarce. Additionally, reverse osmosis filters can also remove beneficial minerals from water as well as less desirable elements.
What they don’t delete: Endocrine disrupting chemicals
What they remove: Chemical carbon filters may be missing, including perchlorate, sulfates, fluoride, industrial chemicals, heavy metals (including lead), chlorine byproducts, chlorides (which give water a salty taste) and pharmaceutical products.
Distillers:
Water distillation is the process of boiling water into vapor and then condensing it back into liquid in a separate container. Impurities present in the original water that does not boil below or near the boiling point of the water remain in the original container. Distillers have very poor efficiency, being slow, wasteful and consuming a lot of electrical energy.
What they remove: Heavy metals (including lead), particulate matter, total dissolved solids, microbes, fluoride, lead and mercury.
My personal recommendations:
If you are considering purchasing a water filter for your home or office, I can highly recommend the following.
Berkey Purification Elements
Black Blum Ergonomic Natural Charcoal Pitcher
Reverse osmosis water filter purification