For most people, it’s a fact of life that when you turn on the tap clean water comes out. But how clean is clean? Find out what unseen elements could be lurking in the the water you drink, and learn the in-home treatment options available when your water doesn’t make the grade.
Water problems
– Some water problems are aesthetic, such as unpleasant taste or odor. Others can affect your health, such as chemical contamination.
– Common chemical contaminants include atrazine (in herbicides), arsenic, benzene (a fuel), fluoride, lead, mercury, nitrate, trichloroethylene (used in manufacturing), radium, radon and coliform bacteria.
– Sources from which these enter the water supply include landfills, deteriorating underground storage tanks, industrial waste, agricultural fertilizers and pesticides, and leaching from plumbing materials. Some contaminants also occur naturally in water and soils.
– Three of the most widely occurring contaminants are:
1. Lead, associated with learning disabilities in children and elevated blood pressure in adults, enters water primarily from corrosion of household plumbing or water service lines, or both.
2. Radon, associated with lung cancer, is a naturally occurring radioactive gas. It is generally found dissolved only in private wells or small community water systems.
3. Nitrate poses a threat of blood disease mainly in infants, but can affect adults, too. Its primary source is agricultural materials and it is most often found in private wells in rural areas.
Testing your water
– To find out what is in your water, ask for your utility’s latest laboratory test results if you use a community water system. If you use a well, check on local water problems through your public works department or local agricultural extension service.
– More specific information is available if you test your water. A home test kit can be purchased at hardware stores for about $8-$15. It will let you run a few basic water quality tests. However, these tests cannot detect most toxic contaminants.
If you suspect your water may contain health-related contaminants, have it tested professionally. Use a reputable, EPA-certified, independent laboratory, not a company that sells water treatment devices. If the tests indicate a problem serious enough to warrant buying a treatment device, have the water retested or tested at a second lab before taking costly action.
In-home water treatment devices
– There are a variety of in-home, or point-of-use, treatment devices available. If you consider buying one, consult a professional certified by the Water Quality Association and/or National Sanitation Foundation.
Activated carbon filter
– How it works
Water runs over the surface of the carbon, which absorbs, or pulls out, certain water pollutants.
– Treats
Soluble organic compounds, solid particles, offensive tastes and odors, heavy metals (such as lead), mercury, some pesticides and fungicides.
– General information: Most popular type of in-home device; the more carbon contained in a filter the better; filters using carbon block or granulated carbon are better that those using powdered carbon.
Reverse osmosis system
– How it works
Pressurized water is forced through a semipermeable membrane which rejects contaminants suspended in the water. “Clean” water passes through to a holding tank.
– Treats
Organic compounds (such as dissolved salts), ferrous iron, chloride, fluoride, nitrate, heavy metals (such as lead), unpleasant odors and tastes.
– General information
Carbon filters are incorporated into most reverse osmosis devices to remove organic chemicals; work slowly, producing only a few gallons of fresh water each day.
Distiller
– How it works
Water is heated to boiling and turns to vapor, leaving behind contaminants. The clean water vapor enters a condenser where it is cooled and returned to a liquid state, ready for use.
– Treats
Heavy metals, such as lead, unpleasant tastes and odors, nitrates, certain pesticides and fungicides, certain organic compounds, minerals like magnesium and calcium, some bacteria.
– General information
Work slowly, taking a few hours to clean the first quart of water, and use a lot of electricity; look for one that is easy to clean and fill.
Water softener
– How it works
Consists of a tank of resin beads loosely coated with sodium ions. When hard water flows in, minerals-mainly calcium and magnesium-take sodium’s place on the resin. Periodically the softener reverses its flow, taking salt out of a reservoir tank to regenerate the resin beads. The minerals are flushed down the drain.
– Treats
Minerals that cause soap deposits, iron and lead.
– General information
Requires little care other than adding salt periodically; takes up more space than most other water treatment devices.
Ultraviolet system
– How it works
Water passes through a chamber where it is exposed to ultraviolet radiation.
– Treats
Bacteria, micro-organisms
– General information
Test water after installation of a system to be sure water is adequately disinfected; other disinfecting treatments include adding chlorine to home water system.
Quick tip
If you have questions or want more information about the safety of your drinking water and available treatments, call the EPA Safe Drinking Water Hotline at 1-800-426-4791, or write for a package of consumer information from the Water Quality Association, P.O. Box 606, Lisle, Ill., 60532.
Research by Annette Ney Meade. Chicago Tribune Graphic.
Sources: Better Business Bureau; Consumer Reports 1994 Buying Guide (Consumers Union of the United States Inc., $8.95); “Drinking Water Hazards” John Cary Stewart (Envirographics, $14.95); and Water Quality Association, Lisle, Ill.
