In many parts of the country the inadequacy of drinking water leads to bottled water. So you spend a small fortune, though you know it’s only a temporary solution. If you choose filtered water again do you know how to find the right filter? Read this guide to find the right solution among the many options.
Today there are hundreds of bottles of bottled water with its advantages and disadvantages, and knowledge of filtration has progressed to make devices available for every quality of water to filter.
As a result, the consumer is confused and does not know what to choose. Consumer protection has begun to take effect in recent years. In this guide you will discover what to look for in order to consume clean, potable water. More specifically, the guide includes:
I. A brief history of the water problems we are facing today.
– what water can municipalities provide
– what the state can control and impose
II. Drinking water problems and their sources
– why point-of-use systems are more rational and efficient
– because it is your personal responsibility to ensure your own clean water
– because by 2020 more than 30 million homes will have a clean water system
– why you should protect yourself from: chlorine, chloramine, bacteria, lead, asbestos, chemical pollution, cysts
III. What are the main drinking water filtration technologies available to the consumer and what are the advantages or disadvantages of each:
– GAC granular activated carbon
– Compact Activated Carbon CTO
– Distillation
– Reverse Osmosis RO
– Resin KDF
– Ultraviolet UV radiation
– Ozone
but also the use of bottled water today
- Consumer protection when purchasing a water filtration system
– What is NSF?- Why is NSF an industry standard worldwide since 1992?- How NSF compares to consumer reportsThe hidden charges of filtered water
If the whole earth’s water, sweet and seawater were to fit into a gallon (3.79 lt), the available pure water would be equal to just one tablespoon. Only a small part of this spoon will be drinking water! In your home, only half of the 1% of your household water consumption is for drinking water – even this small amount burdens all the functions of your health!RULES OF POSSIBLE WATER
In 1972, the “Clean Water Act” in the US aimed at “point source pollution” coming from specific industries and industries. The practice has helped massively clean up rivers, lakes and streams and avoid biological death in many cases.
This has helped to solve the problem of spot infections but non-point infections still remain worldwide. Such infections come from gutters, septic tanks leakage, gasoline storage tanks leakage and agricultural soil pollution.
US governments have instructed the provinces, with the involvement of the EPA (Environmental Protection Agency), to set the minimum acceptable levels of drinking water contamination provided through local municipal systems in each province.
Municipal systems are regulated by state guidelines and monitored by local authorities. They are allowed to provide water with specified minimum levels of sediment, organic matter and non – pathological (non – pathogenic) bacteria.
Often these standards are violated, especially during periods of heavy rainfall. However, the supply does not stop (except in extreme cases). In the meantime, the authorities are obliged to inform consumers and correct the problem. Sometimes, for example with asbestos, the problem is impossible to solve due to lack of financial resources.
In case of diarrhea cases (water contamination) consumers are informed to boil water or to buy bottled water again to make it suitable for drinking (see also Magnesia Stefanovikis case).
In essence, the state cannot solve the problem overnight. The problems are so huge and complex. For example, in the 300,000 sites of toxic waste disposal, the Environmental Protection Agency deals with only 1,000 of them. Five years later a few sites have been virtually cleaned up and the contamination in the groundwater will remain for decades, even centuries…
Municipalities and water companies do their best but fail to control for a wide range of contaminants. There are also outdated distribution networks, such as lead or asbestos pipelines. An example is the EPA (Environmental Protection Agency) priority required compliance with a list of 129 toxic chemicals found in drinking water worldwide – in fact most municipalities control for less than 30 of them!
THE PROBLEMS OF POTABLE WATER
CHLORINE
Experimental use of chlorine began in 1890 to combat diseases such as cholera and typhoid. It soon gained widespread acceptance because of its low cost and immediate effectiveness in killing any dangerous germ in the water. Chlorine has allowed population centers to thrive and thrive without epidemic outbreaks.
The problem with chlorine is that it is a known poison and the safety of drinking chlorinated water in the long run (throughout our lives) is uncertain. Chlorine also reacts with water and rotting organic matter such as leaves, sediments, etc. to form a family of chemicals called trihalomethanes or THM’s, which include chemicals such as formaldehyde and formalin and are both extremely carcinogenic even in small organisms. quantities.
CHLORAMINE
Chloramine is another substance currently used in larger municipalities (such as Los Angeles, USA). In networks where chlorine levels are at high ceilings but further disinfection is still required, the public service will add a chlorine / ammonia mixture. Chloramine is presented as completely safe but with the disclaimer of not using chloramine treated water in animals or in aquariums (kills fish)!
BACTERIA
If you are in a municipal system where water is chlorinated with chlorine or chloramine, you are theoretically protected from bacteria. However, if chlorination is incomplete from the municipal source at your tap, the bacteria can re-infect the water anywhere in the water supply. The piping system – even within the network of your home – can grow bacteria inside it and it happens all the time.
If you are in a source or well without chlorination, then you are vulnerable to bacterial infection. Even the purest sources cannot avoid transient infections from animals that either die or become source-borne, or from neighboring infections (such as septic tanks) traveling by an adjacent hydrocritus to infect the source. Also, tubes are a source of bacteria.
Many people periodically check the wells or springs and rely on this method to convince them that they have good water. What he does not realize is that there are some problems with the tests.
First, these tests are good when done at the time the sample is taken. Bacteria can acquire substances, if conditions are appropriate, that can potentially occur hours, days or weeks after the test has been performed and as a result remain unnoticed. Other occasional infection may be caused by animal or human factors, which the test did not identify because the sample was taken before the infection occurred.
Second, the test is expensive, it depends on what is tested. The main tests cover bacteria (such as E. coli), sediment levels and decomposed organic matter, and amounts of total dissolved solids (mineral levels such as calcium, magnesium, iron, sulfur, etc.). With every extra parameter in the test the value goes up. Lead, asbestos and certain chemicals are more difficult and more expensive to test (heavy metals).
LEAD
Lead is an accumulative toxin that persists in the tissue, especially in the tissue of the mind. It also affects a person’s individual weight. While an adult exposed to lead can remove its toxic effects for some time, this is not the case for children who develop rapid and often permanent damage to their minds.
Lead pipes and lead welds in the water supply network are the main causes of lead water contamination. The Boston Globe estimates that 98% of all homes have lead in their piping. Homes over the age of 20 and less than five years are more at risk. Also, dwellings in areas of soft (low mineral water) tend to rust more easily through lead.
ASBESTOS
Asbestos is another potential carcinogen that can either occur from water with natural asbestos (such as in areas where there is plenty of helical rock) or from asbestos. Thousands of miles of these pipes have been installed throughout America in the 1950s and have not yet been replaced. The same goes for Greek aqueducts.
Asbestos is so small that it is impossible to remove it in refineries (central treatment plants). It is prohibitively expensive to construct such an asbestos removal unit and would express the central water treatment plant within 5 years of its operation.
CHEMICAL INFECTION
The chemicals are for the most part odorless, colorless and tasteless, and therefore undetectable. Chlorine is the most dominant chemical component in our water. Some of the most dangerous chemicals only appear as traces (parts in billions) but are highly toxic even at these levels.
Sources of contamination are usually industrial or commercial such as leaking underground storage tanks for gasoline or industrial solvents such as TCE (trichloroethane). These leaking toxins end up in groundwater or the municipal water supply network through cracks in the central pipes. The largest family of these toxic are VOC’s including various plastics and gasoline / diesel products.
Next up is the parasitic group such as dioxin (2-4 D) and lindane (gasoline hexachloride) used as a defoliator in modern recording operation and found in many wild and rural areas. Along with the parasites there is a parasitic group such as DDT (dichloro-diphenyltrichloroethane) and other toxicants used for insecticides and control.
Also, the THM’s (trihalomethanes) mentioned above are a major source of contamination due to the amount of chlorination at national level. It is a separate class of chemicals from chlorine itself.
Cysts
The latter category includes tiny worms, parasites and protozoa. The biggest offenders are yards and cryptosporidium which mainly cause diarrhea, dehydration, intestinal disorders, and even death in people with weakened immune systems. Water experts estimate that more than 63% of the water problem in the US today is the result of yogurt and cryptosporidium.
The yard is 7-14 µm in size and the cryptosporidium 3-5 µm in size. When the environment becomes inhospitable (such as the presence of chlorine and the absence of water), both parasites can take a cystic form (such as a hard, round, impenetrable egg). The form of the bladder is chlorine resistant and very powerful for killing.
Municipalities are unable to completely remove these cysts. Cysts are found in the largest water supply networks in the US. In Milwaukee, Wisconsin, there was a huge cryptosporidium outbreak in 1993 that killed more than 100 people. San Francisco, California, has been repeatedly tested as positive for saplings and for its chlorinated water that traveled hundreds of kilometers from the Sierra Mountains.
The human body has over 70% water. We avoid the real truth when we believe that impurities in drinking water are few and of no influence. Local authorities will do their best to guarantee that we receive the best possible water but they cannot undo the damage to water sources that have been caused by ignorance and abuse for decades.
It is up to us to take the personal responsibility to preserve the water we usually drink and prepare our food. This responsibility starts from interfering with the end-use of consumption, that is, the faucet of our kitchen. Removing all contaminants just before consuming water is the most reasonable, effective and economical solution to purifying drinking water. With this method, only the drinking water is filtered (instead of all the water in the house).
AVAILABLE WATER PURIFICATION TECHNICS
There are 4 to 5 general forms of water purification technology available:
ENTIRE COAL ENERGY
Carbon is a substance that has a long history and is used to absorb impurities and is one of the most powerful absorbents in humans. One pound of carbon (0.45 kg) grows on a surface of 125 acres and can absorb thousands of different chemicals. For centuries sailboats have used it to store drinking water for long journeys. Carbon is widely used as an effective antidote to poison ingestion.
Activated carbon is carbon that has a slightly positive electric charge added, making it even more attractive to chemicals and impurities. The bulk granular activated carbon (GAC) is used extensively in most of the water filters that we find today. Most of these filters have ratings such as purely flavor and odor or as pre-filters designed to remove original dirt, stones, sediments, etc. Very few of these GAC filters are effective in true cleaning (ie removing health hazardous substances) . Below are some problems:
– Drainage: When the water is forced to pass through a substrate of GAC (which is sand or brown sediment), it takes the path of least resistance and conducts its own channels through the GAC into the filter. This means that the water during filtration does not come into contact with the GAC long enough to allow the impurities to be completely absorbed. Many impurities penetrate with “pure” water.
– Bacterial growth: When the water passes through the GAC, some bacteria are also trapped in the substrate. The problem is that these trapped bacteria multiply in the warm, humid, oxygenated environment between the GAC granules. Because GAC is in bulk, there is no barrier to keep any bacteria growing inside the filter from being pushed out with water. There are extensive chemical analyzes that have shown that some filters have thousands of more bacteria coming out of them than what originally came into the filter!
Some companies add silver nitrate, a known poison to the GAC to keep bacterial proliferation low, but this method has limited efficacy. There are still serious questions about the negative health effects of silver nitrate itself!
– Efficiency decreases rapidly: Because the amount of GAC is usually minimal in most GAC filters, they soon become saturated with normal household use. The filters have to be changed frequently, which also adds to the cost of maintenance filters.
DISTILLATION
Distillation is a precise process that warms the water to a vapor point and helps to remove any impurities from the water. The theory is that chemical contamination and other impurities will evaporate and separate from evaporated water. The treated water then passes into a tank and the drinking water is taken from there when needed. This process requires electricity and plenty of water, since it consumes liters of water for every liter produced.
Distillation is used in rare cases where large quantities of trace elements (such as calcium, magnesium, etc.) have to be removed from the water to improve flavor. Some people periodically drink mineral water (not mineral water) for specific treatments such as kidney stone dissolution. However, mineral water (light) is harmful to the health of bones, teeth and tissues if ingested for a long time. Such soft water is called “offensive” water by the EPA because of its ability to pass through minerals, minerals or other materials from anything that touches or passes over it.
Other problems with distillation are:
– Maintenance: The units require periodic and extensive maintenance on pipes that can usually be done only at the factory.
– Storage Tank: All distillers require the use of a storage tank of treated water, “inviting” potential contamination and bacterial growth in the tank.
– Incomplete cleaning: Distillation is not effective in removing volatile organic compounds (VOC’s) because many of them are re-concentrated in liquid form as water does. For this reason, the distiller is usually combined with a granular activated carbon filter to remove any excess chemicals that slide in between.
– Environmental contamination: In some cases, the distillers have removed evaporated impurities in the surrounding air of the household.
– Disturbance: With most distillers, the owner has to wait eight hours to get 7.5 liters of drinking water.
REVERSE OSMOSIS
Reverse osmosis, or RO, is another separation process using a semipermeable membrane. This membrane allows particles of a particular dimension or smaller to pass through and holds back larger particles.
As with distillation, there is little chance of some impurities passing through the membrane with the water molecules, so a GAC filter is added at the end of the treatment to capture them. RO systems dispense 11.35 to 37.85 liters of water per liter produced. Also, as in distillation, RO water is essentially non-metallic so it is not safe for drinking as a lifelong drink. For this reason, it is common for RO systems to add a dolomite filter that is a metal supplement before consuming it.
However, unlike distillation, RO units leave the water well oxygenated so that the taste of the water is very close to “pure spring water”. Distilled water is tasteless and “lifeless”. In cases of extreme mineralization or high levels of nitrates in the water (rural areas), RO systems are the most appropriate option.
KDF RESIN
KDF resin is a limited technology mainly used for chlorine removal. A large amount of KDF and contact for a long time is enough to get the job done. This resin is best used in large industrial applications such as boiler systems although it is also used effectively in some shower head filters.
Typically, KDF filters use zinc and copper to create electrolysis that will help keep bacteria from growing inside the filter. However, systems using KDF may have a problem with zinc and copper when flushing the water they distribute.
KDF filters tend to clog up quickly (in about 6 months in some cases) and this action depends on the specific composition of the water such as pH and temperature. Companies using KDF recommend filtering backwashes (using hot water to displace trapped pollutants) but this method consumes many liters of hot water, and has no way of preventing contaminated detachment from going out. with the purified purified water.
ULTRAVIOLET RADIATION
Ultraviolet systems make use of this portion of the light spectrum’s ability to kill bacteria. Such systems are only effective in bacteria for algae and protozoa, so they are reasonably linked to carbon technology to give complete purification.
Their disadvantages are:
– Incomplete cleaning: Water particles such as dirt, leaves, etc. can prevent the disinfection process from hitting any bacteria, some may slip in cases through heavy mud and sediment levels.
– No effective disinfection throughout the water: The process is only good where UV light is present, any contamination in the pipe passes with the water.
– Limited application: The UV lamp is only good for bacteria and viruses. It is not effective in dealing with scabies, cryptosporidium, chemicals, lead or asbestos.
– It is expensive in the market and maintenance.
OZONIZATION
Ozone oxygenates the water above, killing bacteria with sufficient contact time. Again, it is a process that only treats bacterial contamination so it is necessarily combined with carbon filtration to make it more efficient.
Disadvantages of the system are:
– Expensive in the market and maintenance.
– Creates by-products in treated water: Ozone water can contain high amounts of toxic impurities such as formaldehyde and different ketones. Some of the by-products still allow the bacteria to grow in the tubes along the length, which contributes to the re-contamination of the water.
COMPRESSED CARBON FILTERS
This technology has combined the incredible carbon absorption capability previously mentioned with the ability of a solid block of material to selectively expel out elements from the water passing through pressure. The density of the block determines how well the water will be purified. The best brands of this type of filter have a three (3) stage filter and are designed to prevent any chance of “bypass” due to high pressure failure.
The following list of features combines the types of filters that will remove most of the potential contaminants in drinking water:
– Mechanical stress: The carbon block mechanically removes dirt, sediment, rust, algae, bacteria, tiny worms, cryptosporidium and asbestos. All this is achieved by water pressure so no electricity is used – such a filter can work with a hand pump if needed!
Chemical compound: As mentioned above, activated carbon is combined with thousands of chemicals. Essentially, carbon will be incorporated into most of the chemicals that man knows! When water is forced to pass through the solid block, it is forced to slow down its flow and increases the contact time with the carbon, leaving the carbon to form compounds to remove chemical contaminants such as toxic, pesticides, THM’s, bleach, bad gases. odors, etc.
Health-promoting trace elements such as dissolved calcium and magnesium do not bond with carbon and pass through, maintaining the quality of health and thus the taste of water.
Heavy metals do not bond with carbon, but are pushed out of the block’s pores – basically as it “tries” to fit a basketball into a ping pong hole!
– Prevention of bacterial growth: Bacteria are extruded outward and remain outside the carbon block. Therefore, due to the density and lack of oxygen and space within the block, the bacteria cannot be born – they thrive in the middle and come out of the finished water.
– Convenient: This type of system supplies clean water on demand so there is no storage, no running out of time, no bottles ordered.
– Inexpensive: This type of filter is replaced with a spare that lasts for 12 months (depends on the amount of dirt and sediment). The cartridge is designed to be replaced by the owner in a few minutes at home, as we change a lamp. Replacement housing is very easy to install. It can still be connected to a self-contained fridge and water dispensers so all the water in the house is filtered!
The only downside to compact activated carbon is that it does not remove nitrates and sulfates (agricultural fertilizer products) and in these cases RO technology can address the problem. Nitrates and sulfates are found in relatively few areas so consumers do not have to worry about them.
—Using Bottled Water Today
Bottled water has been booming lately due to all the contamination problems mentioned above. People consume it because of its improved taste and this allows them to drink more water. What people do not realize is that the standards for bottled water are not higher than for the water in their kitchen faucet. Bottled water companies have been allowed to sell water with a minimum level of contamination (bacteria, algae, dirt, lead, etc.). When water tastes better, people perceive it as cleaner.
Here are the disadvantages of bottled water:
– Expensive: A 1985 survey showed that consumers pay up to 1000 times the cost of tap water.
– Unsuitable: People who used bottled water often tend to have many bottles on their feet – empty containers or new jugs waiting to be used. People usually accumulate “pure” water for special reasons, e.g. coffee, drinks, instead of using it comfortably whenever needed. There is always the problem of having too many bottles on hand because they are not used fast enough, or not enough bottles because water is consumed more quickly.
– There is no legislation to be cleaner than tap water: In 1991, at the US Energy and Commerce Committee headquarters, a survey was conducted on bottled water with the following results:
* 25% of “expensive” waters (such as Evian, Perrier, etc.) draw from the same sources as cities !!
* 31% exceed tap water limits for microbiological contaminants!
* 25% could not register water sources!
* Any water sold strictly within borders is not regulated by the Food and Drug Administration!
The University of Delaware found that of the 37 known bottled waters, at least 24 were off-line in at least one of the 31 standards for drinking water! The Research Bureau of California, USA did random sampling of bottled water samples sold in 1985 (brands such as Alhambra, Black Mountain, Sparkletts, etc.) and found a number of infections problems, such as various chemicals, insects, algae, bacteria nails, even chewing gum !!
Due to the nature of the bottling and disposal, it is difficult to avoid occasional contamination from various points throughout the process. The air bubbles entering the household containers are loaded with bacteria and dust that pollute the water every time. Bottling companies recommend keeping water away from direct sunlight and even supply bottle caps because of algae, etc. that can grow in bottles due to heat and light.
CONSUMER PROTECTION
Today, there are over 517 different brands of filters on the market and consumers are confused. The industry has been largely aligned with organizations such as the Water Quality Association (WQA) which are recognized. Since most of the WQA members are in the market for cooling and water softening in the market, until recently there have been no consumer ratings and protection of drinking water systems.
In 1991, the National Institutes of Health in the United States was accredited by the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) and the RVC, ANSI’s equivalent in Europe. NSF International is an independent, non-profit organization with specifications for product development and certification. This agency is responsible for the consumer sector, with regard to the regulatory and construction sectors. NSF International maintains a voluntary certification program for equipment in applicable ANSI / NSF specifications. This program includes all equipment used for food preparation and storage, including drinking water systems.
NSF International checks products as part of its certification program to ensure that chemicals do not leak above levels established by regulatory standards. Below the material guidelines, this includes all the components of the products (screws, neoprene seals, tubes, etc.). According to the Structural Guidelines, this includes that not all units will break, they will not break down, etc. The Structural and Material Guidelines are essentially the minimum requirements that products must have to be certified.
NSF International Drinking Water Standards are recognized by American standards as Point-of-Use Water Treatment Appliances (POUs), and their certification program is recognized as a registered trademark in North America. In fact, most states use NSF International as a markup plus their own controls that determine which individual manufacturers can claim for their filters sold in the state.
For example, the state of California is one of the most difficult states to sell because many filters are not sold. Standards are based on outrageous performance requirements that are uncontrollable. Most well-known companies invest a lot of money to “catch” ratings because they recognize the credibility given to them as their filter measures quality. So they are trying to get as much documentation as possible.
NSF International has 6 standards for drinking water filters, including standards 42, 53, 58 (reverse osmosis units) and 55 (ultraviolet radiation units). Most filters are certified to the following standards:
– Standard 42: Aesthetic effect: This covers taste, odor and chlorine removal and is further subdivided into sub-categories depending on the rate of removal:
Class I: 75% or more chlorine removal
Class II: 50% – 74% chlorine removal
Class III: 25% – 49% chlorine removal
– Standard 53: Health Impact: This category covers any contamination, with many such as lead and asbestos being very difficult to remove due to their size or chemical composition. These substances are personally tested by each individual at a different cost:
Chemicals (VOC’s THM’s)
Pesticides
Herbicides
Cysts (Yardia, Cryptosporidium)
Blurry
Lead
Asbestos
Radon
The method in which the filters are tested is to control for more than 99.9% reduction of one substance (for example lead) to double the filter tolerance. For example, if a filter has a nominal value of 500 gallons (1892 liters) from NSF International it means that it removed 99.9% lead per 1000 gallons (3785 liters). In this sense, consumers are fully protected in any case of water being controlled by the plant and its expected performance is conservatively evaluated.
NSF does not rate or compare one filter with another. It simply certifies that the product bearing the NSF seal meets the minimum requirements of the applicable ANSI / NSF standards. NSF also certifies that the manufacturer agrees to comply with NSF’s written policies. California receives other test results, but NSF International is a more comprehensive source of comparisons, and as of October 1992 all filters sold in the state of California must bear the NSF mark. Any product that does not bear the mark is prohibited from being sold.
HIDDEN FILTER MAINTENANCE COST
There are 3 more factors to consider when buying a water purifier that can be as important as the performance of the product itself:
– Cost of Filter Change: How Much will the Filter Maintenance Cost? Sometimes it is best to buy the device and spare parts together as this will provide you with the lowest price.
– System Warranty: How long is the warranty period? Some of the cheaper systems have a 1 year warranty, a 3 year warranty and then they drop. Generally few systems guarantee more than 5 years. The longer the warranty period, the better because this is a direct indication of the manufacturer’s commitment to the product and customer service.
– Company longevity: How long has the company been in the market and what is its prospect of staying on the market? In short, will the company be 5, 10, 25 years or more? The importance of longevity is also the availability of replacement filters as required. Many filters cannot be changed and many consumers are “burned” after buying a filter that was not available 3 years later! The right tip is to target recognized filter manufacturer companies that have been in the industry for over 15 years.
