Don’t buy any drinking water filter system until you have reviewed the performance data sheet for that particular product. The data sheet lists all of the contaminants that the system has been certified to remove, as well as, what percentage of that contaminant is blocked.
You would hope for at least 99% and you might think that any drinking water filter system will do the job. If that’s what you think, then you’re wrong and you could be endangering the health of your family. There are thousands of contaminants in tap water. The biggest immediate threat to your health is very tiny. They are called cysts.
Cysts are actually immature parasites that can live in water. Once swallowed, they can grow inside of your body, causing illness and in some cases death. The FDA says that even the best treatment facilities cannot guarantee the absence of cysts in public drinking water. They also say that there is no “feasible” way to check for them. But, a good in-home drinking water filter system can remove nearly 100% of them.
Treatment facilities add chlorine to the water, because it kills most cysts, bacteria and other living organisms. But, the cyst that grows into the parasite cryptosporidium is resistant to chlorine. Cryptosporidium was responsible for the deaths of over 100 people in Milwaukee. It was in the tap water.
In order for a drinking water filter system to remove cryptosporidium and other cysts, it must contain a micron filter. The product performance data sheet will provide information about cyst removal and much more, but, there’s a catch.
Depending on where the manufacturer is located, they may not be required to provide the information. You should not buy a drinking water filter system that does not include performance data along with its other literature. It’s just not safe.
Most of the other contaminants that a good drinking water filter system should remove are chemicals. In many cases, they are by-products of industrial pollution. But, two contaminants, chlorine and lead, cannot be blamed on pollution.
Chlorine, as you know, is added to the water at the treatment facility. Since, as a disinfectant, it kills bacteria and other living things, why anyone would think that it is safe for human consumption is a curiosity. Only an activated carbon drinking water filter system will remove chlorine.
Lead is a toxic metal. For many years, it was used to line, of all things, water pipes. It was also used as a soldering agent for joints and fittings. Now, because everything eventually seeps into the water, lead has been found in tap water.
Lead paint has been illegal for years. Toys made in other countries are recalled if it is learned that the company uses lead paint. There is no safe level of lead in drinking water, but it may be there. The FDA says that you should get your water tested, if you are concerned.
The other option is to buy a drinking water filter system that is certified to block lead. It’s the safest solution.