If you don’t filter your water, your body is the filter

It’s surprising for most of us to imagine that clean and safe water is an issue here in the United States. Our water supply is considered one of the safest in the world. We rely on public water systems to provide and treat over 44 billion gallons of water each day for our cooking, drinking, cleaning, bathing, and washing, etc. But according to a comprehensive examination of the health of U.S water by the EPA (US Environmental Protection Agency), fifty-five percent of all waterways in the US were considered to be in poor condition, while just 21 percent of the waters were considered good.

Also of great concern, is the fact that there are presences of pharmaceutical and byproduct contaminants in our water. A study conducted by the Associated Press discovered a vast array of pharmaceuticals or byproducts in treated drinking water of at least 41 million Americans including antibiotics, anti-convulsants, mood stabilizers and sex hormones. So how do these pharmaceutical and byproduct contaminants get in our water? As an EPA representative put it, “People think that if they take a medication, their body absorbs it and it disappears, but of course that’s not the case.”  Our municipal water treatments do not remove these, so they just continue to build up in our water supply.

These types of contaminants can create dangerous health issues to people especially young children, pregnant women. Currently, the federal government doesn’t require any testing and hasn’t set safety limits for drugs in water. As a matter of fact, there are many contaminants in our water which are not regulated

Part of the challenge is that our water system infrastructure is heavily underfunded, and it is being strained by growing populations and economic development.

What can we do to ensure the water that our families are drinking is safe and clean?

Many people install carbon filters on their sinks, or use those pitchers with filters. While this approach does usually make the water taste better, carbon filters are not effective at removing most dangerous contaminants, such as lead, mercury, or pharmaceuticals.

Is that really that bad? I often get this question when people see the hassle I would go through to get clean and safe water for my family.

Once my daughter was born, I became much more aware of the challenge of providing clean, healthy water for her, my wife, as well as my own health. If you don’t filter your water, your body is the filter. I certainly do not want my family to be the filter for dangerous contaminants. Some of the dissolved solids may include Arsenic, Asbestos, Fluoride, Lead, Cadmium, and others.

As a parent, I strongly believe it is our responsibility to protect our children from harm. They depend on us. After months of working with various industry experts, other fellow parents, and water system manufacturers, we built the first compact and portable Reverse Osmosis water filter unit. So please join our journey and help making healthy water more accessible for everyone.

Source:

1. Malewitz, Jim. “EPA Warns of Poor U.S.Water Quality”. Governing.com, Energy & Environment Section. Mar 2013. Web. Feb 2014.

2. “The Importance of Clean Water”. Gracelinks.org. n.p, n.d. Feb 2014.

3. “AP: Drugs found in drinking water”. USA Today. n.p, Sept 2008. Feb 2014.