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The market is flooded today with Drinking Water Purification Systems which
are offered by more than 500 companies selling water treatment products
throughout the nation.
Without understanding the intricate problems and solution available, it can
be frustrating and confusing as to which system to use.
On the whole, most units improve only the water's taste
and odor (aesthetics), and while this is better than nothing, these systems
do not protect us from the other health hazards which can be
present in our drinking water.
The rare company that offers a unit that does reduce
contaminants, may only reduce a fraction of the many water contaminants, and
may also only reduce only a small percentage of those contaminants..
In recent years, industry standards have been
established, and widely accepted, which make it much easier for the consumer
to evaluate the many different systems available.
When buying a drinking water filter system, check to see their
certifications and registration. At the very least your unit should be
certified by NSF International, the industry authority.
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In an effort to improve the taste and quality of their drinking water, it is
predicted that within the next ten years, 43% of the American homes will use
some form of drinking water purification.
The below comparison is designed to help you to understand which system best
suits your lifestyle, health and preference needs.
In an attempt to improve the quality of their drinking
water, most consumers first choice is bottled water.
However, these consumers are quickly discovering that bottled water can be
expensive, inconvenient, and unhealthful.
It has been revealed in the news, radio and
press that......
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Both bottled water and tap water have to meet the same
standards.
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At this time bottled water companies are not required
to test for Cryptosporidium, even though bottled water sources often are
just as prone to Crypto contamination as any other drinking water source.
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Infrequent testing for contaminants and sporadic
inspection of processing plans must be solved before bottled water can be
assumed to be sanitary as even regular U.S. tap water.
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25% of the bottled waters sold come from filtered
municipal water that is then treated. In other words, it is reprocessed
tap water.
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Consumers spend an average of $200.00 to $400.00 per
year for what could be nothing more than reprocessed tap water.
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Bottled water can become contaminated if stored for
long periods of time.
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Same as above except that you also have to provide the
clean bottles, and haul them to and from the store.
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Expensive in the long run.
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Limited supply.
The main drawbacks to this type of filter are cost,
effectiveness and inconvenience.
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While some of these filters are effective against lead
and/or chlorine, these "pour through" types of filters are mainly taste
and odor filters.
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The internal filter is usually of a mixed media or made
of granular carbon.
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Limited in their ability to reduce the other
contaminants which are of a health concern, such as cysts, asbestos,
mercury, THMS, VOCs, etc..
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Your water supply is limited since the carafe can only
hold approximately 2-3 quarts, making this type of filter somewhat
inconvenient.
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It is usually recommended that water that is filtered
by this method usually must be kept refrigerated.
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The initial investment is generally quite inexpensive.
Each filter last an average of 35 gallons, and cost between $7.00 to
$10.00. That can add up to an annual cost of $150.00 to $200.00.
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Most people do not change their filters often enough.
This makes the filters not only ineffective, but there is also a potential
danger of bacteria, mold and or fungus growth that can be transferred into
the water.
(Bacteriostatic)
In this type of filter the water flows through a bed of
powdered or granulated charcoal.
The goal is to trap the particulate matter, absorbs some chlorine, and
removes offensive tastes and odors.
The drawbacks are.....
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There is such a limited contact time with the water,
they are referred to as taste and odor filters.
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It is possible for the water to channel around the
carbon granules, thus avoid any benefits of filtration.
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Can promote the growth of bacteria.
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Because the water can channel around the carbon
granules, these filters are not effective in reducing contaminants of
health concern (cysts, VOCs, trihalomethanes, endocrine disrupters,
mercury, lead, or asbestos).
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These filters have generally the same drawbacks as the
regular charcoal filters.
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Even if the granules are impregnated with silver
nitrate the granular beds may become breeding grounds for bacterial
growth.
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Silver Nitrate is considered to be a poison, and water
sits in the silver nitrate impregnated granules.
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These filters must be registered with the EPA as
containing a poisonous substance because silver, ingested in certain
doses, can be poisonous to the human body.
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In August of 1989 the Federal Trade Commission Report
stated, "Studies on the effectiveness of Bacteriostatic Filters have shown
unpromising results as to their ability to control bacteria."
This type of filter uses a process whereby water is
forced through the pores of the ceramic filtration media, providing
mechanical filtration only.
This type of filter can reduce asbestos, cysts (if the pores are one micron
or smaller), and particulate matter.
Ceramic filters cannot reduce VOCs, endocrine disrupters,
trihalomethanes, mercury, or lead.
Distillation involves a process whereby the water is
heated to boiling and turns to vapor, leaving behind contaminants. The water
vapor enters a condenser where it is cooled and returned to a liquid state,
ready for use. The drawbacks can be....
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It very works slowly, taking a few hours to produce the
first quart of water, making it very inconvenient to produce enough water
for an average family's daily needs.
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It uses a lot of electricity, costing an average of
$240 per year.
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The distillation process does kill cysts (giardia,
cryptosporidium).
However, VOCs, endocrine disrupters, and trihalomethanes, because of their
volatile nature (meaning that these chemicals can be evaporated and then
recondensed into the distilled water), are not effectively reduced by
distillation.
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Distillation reduces heavy metals, but through the same
process also removes the minerals and trace minerals that are essential
for health.
Because of the demand for quality drinking water
filtration systems, more and more new types of filter media will be, or have
been, test marketed.
These media range anywhere from coconut shells to metal shavings.
Some of these media have been found to be very effective
in reducing specific types of contaminants.
However, given the reports on what is in our water it is important that your
filter be able to effectively reduce a wide range of contaminants.
This type of filter is specially engineered for a
specific contaminant reduction, and show a high performance against the
specific contaminants, but not against other contaminants.
As an example, KDF filters effectively reduce chlorine,
while ATS filters effectively reduce lead.
Ozonation "super-oxygenates" the water which can
effectively purify water given adequate contact time. Ozonation is
most often used at public water utilities and not in the home at
point-of-use or point-of-entry.
Some of the drawbacks are...
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The systems are expensive, use expensive electricity,
and require maintenance.
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The in-home ozonation system (similar to the one I
had), require filling a 5 gallon bottle, hooking up the machine, then
letting it process for an hour.
The water then needs to be stored. This was the most expensive (over
$1,000) and inconvenient form of water filtration I have ever experienced.
Reverse Osmosis is a process that uses pressure to force
the water to pass through a semi-permeable membrane that rejects
contaminants suspended in the water, then passes the water into a holding
tank.
The drawbacks are.....
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The process is slow and wastes 3 - 4 gallons for every
one gallon of drinking water produced.
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Delivers a limited supply of water, due to the holding
tank.
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While reducing reduce heavy metals, it also reduces the
healthful, naturally-occurring minerals.
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Is limited in its effectiveness to reduce VOCs,
endocrine disrupters, pesticides, or trihalomethanes.
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Depending on the unit, it may require professional
installation.
The Ultraviolet Treatment is a process in which water
passes through a chamber where it is exposed to ultraviolet radiation.
The drawbacks are...
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Very dirty water can reduce the effectiveness of this
type of treatment.
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Is effective against many bacterial contaminants but is
not effective in reducing cryptosporidium.
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Other unhealthy contaminants, such as VOCs, endocrine
disrupters, asbestos, trihalomethanes, mercury, and lead, are not affected
by ultraviolet treatment.
Also known as Ion Exchange Treatment
Water softeners use the chemical ion exchange process to
exchange anions or cations on a "resin" bed for cations or anions of the
contaminant that needs to be reduced (usually heavy metals or minerals like
lead or mercury).
Some drawbacks are.....
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Water softeners are neither filters nor purifiers, and
are used only to change the water hardness.
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Softeners put sodium into the water in exchange for
magnesium or calcium ions.
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Most softeners must be professionally installed.
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According to Hamilton and Whitney's Nutrition, "Soft
water (water with the minerals removed) appears to contribute to a higher
incidence of hypertension and heart disease in areas where it is used.
Hard water (that retains its beneficial, naturally-occurring minerals) may
oppose these conditions."
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It is recommended that water softeners be bypassed when
installing a water filter.
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Just by
sharing your excitement in your new water filter system, you can easily earn
enough to cover the cost of your initial investment as well as your yearly
filters! 
