Is tap water safe to drink? The short answer is yes, it is safe if you’re not in the sanitary zone. If you live in the bay area, or near a creek, the chances are that there are some contaminants in the water. In fact, many places use new technology to reverse osmosis to filter the water, which filters out everything except oxygen and water molecules.
So is this safe? Not really. It’s true that it removes all contaminants, but does that mean it is safe for long term consumption? The only way to be sure is to have chlorine filtration, which is effective and does not cost a lot of money. However, most people simply don’t have the money to have a system like this installed.
So, is tap water safe to consume? It’s safe to drink but not very healthy. There is no doubt that there are some trace minerals in the water, which you probably won’t find in your drinking water, so it isn’t going to harm you. However, drinking water is not going to give you the minerals that you need.
What about fruits and vegetables? They are high in nutrients, but they are also high in sodium, which will hurt your diet. When you take the time to add a low sodium diet to your daily routine, it doesn’t take long before you start reaping the benefits. Your body will feel better and you will look better as well. Washing your fruits and vegetables with contaminated water clearly wreaks havoc on your body.
Is tap water safe to bathe in? It may sound silly, but in most cases it is. The contaminants in water that come from the tap can dry your skin, but bathing in pure water can also be harmful. The best thing to do is to get a water softener which will help your skin from becoming dry and flaky.
What about water for regular use? Cooking, showering, washing your hands. The water used to make the food can cause problems especially if there are contaminants and you are using it to wash your fruits and vegetables. Is tap water safe to drink if there are contaminants in it? Well, that depends. If your water has chlorine because your municipality uses chlorination, that can end up in your tap water. However, some amount of chlorine is necessary to kill bacteria, which is also present in tap water. If there are other chemicals such as pesticides in your water, they can also find their way into your body through your tap water.
Is there a way to protect yourself from getting these contaminants in your body? There are home purifiers that can remove some of the contamination from your water. Some of these home purifiers use a multi-stage filtration system. The best ones will use carbon to remove the chlorine. They will also use other methods such as UV light to kill bacteria, or ionization to negatively charge metals such as lead. Other purifiers simply filter the water through sand, and then return the purer water back into the supply.
When you take all of the factors into consideration, it’s hard to find a “safe” answer to the question “Is tap water safe to drink?” However, water is probably the most important natural resource, and one that we should try to keep as healthy as possible. Even if you never use your pool once a year, or have children, you still need to be aware of what is going into your drinking water. If you think that the quality is okay and have no concerns about what is in your water, then that’s great – just don’t drink it! Overall, tap water is considered safe in comparison to some low end bottled water that are deemed much less safe for your body. Poor filtration and water quality thrown into a plastic bottle wreaks more harm than good compared to tap water.
Many people are starting to install filtration systems into their home or the reverse osmosis systems to allow chlorine-free drinking water for their household. If this is something that interests you, consider hiring a plumber for help. They help with everything from the hot water in Geelong to helping with all your plumbing needs.
The cost of a filtration system may be very expensive but the benefits for your health and that of your family is worth it.
