When we think of undrinkable water, we might picture a third world country or vacationing somewhere exotic and staying clear of the water. The main issues with these water sources are bacteria from unsanitary conditions.
But what about our “healthy” water here in America. What can we find it in? The Environmental Working Group has a page that shares the contaminates found above the national health guidelines. The total population affected from these exposures totals 258,794,019.
Contaminants include:
- Chloroform (chlorine is used to clean municipal water, and when combined with certain substances, like dead leaves, can form chloroform)
- Nitrate (from fertilizer run-off)
- Barium (from drilling and mining waste)
- Bromoform (formed when chlorine reacts with certain organic or inorganic matter)
- Dichloroacetic acid (also formed when chlorine reacts with matter in water)
- Copper (corrosion of plumbing systems)
- Lead (corrosion of plumbing systems and industrial pollution)
- Arsenic (wood preserative, pesticide run off, emission from electronics processing)
There are pages and pages of chemicals listed, and while all of these chemicals might not be in your municipal water system, you WILL have some of them. 95% of municipal water supplies contain traces of pesticides. Drugs such as antibiotics, anti-convulsants, mood stabilizers and sex hormones have been found in municipal water supplies affecting over 41 million Americans.
Want to know what is in your water? Go to the EWG website and enter your zipcode to find out. Then, you can search for a filter to fit your needs.
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,336286,00.html
