Performance Water Filters

 

The Florida Aquifer has always been our most valuable natural resource. One of the most productive aquifers in the world, the Florida Aquifer produces over 8 billion gallons of water each day providing water for drinking residential, industrial and agricultural use. It is also one of the largest aquifers, underlying much of the southeastern U.S. - approximately 100,000 square miles of south-eastern Georgia, southern Alabama, southern South Carolina, and all of the state of Florida.

Today, the Florida Aquifer is suffering. Contamination is making its way into our water supply. Numerous contaminants have been found in various locations throughout the state of Florida. Everything from agricultural chemicals, gasoline, MTBE, pesticides, herbicides and many more contaminants have been found. Leaking gasoline tanks, industrial wastes, septic tanks, agricultural runoff, and street sewers are just a few sources of contamination.

Imagine the huge amount of fertilizers, herbicides, and pesticides used on golf courses, farms, and lawns in Florida. Now imagine what takes place when it rains.
These chemicals, and others from different sources are washed into the soil making
their way into the groundwater, then through the permeable rock into the water of the
aquifer itself.

Many of these chemicals are known to have negative effects on human health.  

Cancer, birth defects and many other ailments have been proven to be caused by contaminants found in drinking water today.

Our cities and towns here in Florida do all they can to provide tap water safe to drink.
Demand has increased drastically within the past few decades as populations are growing
rapidly. Many of our older water plants are not able to handle the huge demand.

Proper filtration at point of use is the only safe solution as many bottled waters are nothing but tap water.

Public awareness is growing in regards to this issue, but many Florida residents still
believe the aquifer is pure. This is a major concern because even if the contamination is found to be at a low level, long term use can be detrimental to ones health. Infants, young children, older people and people with compromised immune systems can suffer illness and possible death due to ingesting contaminated water.

Patti Wilson
St Augustine, Fl
Florida resident since 1993

 

 

 

 

There are over 400 drinking water filter manufacturers. Most water filters manufactured today reduce chlorine and improve the aesthetic value meaning the appearance, taste, and smell of drinking water. Only a few companies produce drinking water filters that will reduce a wide range of contaminants.

Please note, I said reduce. The simple truth is no water filter removes all of anything.

Many make false claims of producing PURE water. I have yet to find such an animal.

These false claims make it hard for even the most savvy consumer to choose a drinking water filtration system.

My goal in writing this article is to educate my fellow consumers so they can make a wise choice when purchasing a water filter.

Water filters are like everything else, quality costs money. Quality drinking water filtration systems usually cost a few hundred dollars to purchase, but save money in the long run because they produce drinking water for a fraction of the cost as compared to cheap filters. Cheap filters do little or nothing as far as purifying drinking water. One thing they are good for is costing the consumer a lot of money in purchasing replacement filters.

One of the main things to look for when shopping for a water filter is the filter life capacity and replacement filter cost. If the filter will not last at least 6 months, why buy it? The replacement filter cost for a cheap system will easily pay for a quality system that will actually improve your water by reducing not only chlorine, taste, and odor, but also various contaminants of health concern.

Performance is another important thing to look for in a water filter. Which contaminants can the filter reduce? The label on the product package should state exactly which contaminants it is capable of reducing based on standards set by NSF International.

So how do you know if the claims made on the label are correct? If the filter is not certified by the National Sanitation Foundation, put it back on the shelf. Quality water filter manufacturers put their filters through rigorous testing by NSF and are proud to advertise their certification.

NSF International tests and certifies drinking water treatment devices to the standard appropriate for the technology of the product. For filtration devices, NSF may certify the product to improve the aesthetics of the water to Standard 42, the health effects of the water to Standard 53 or both. In addition, NSF has developed an additional testing standard for Reverse Osmosis units, Standard 58.

Only if a product is NSF Certified can the consumer be certain that the product meets strict standards for design and performance. Many products claim they are Tested To NSF Standards, however, these products have not passed the rigorous NSF testing and certification process. The labeling on the package should strictly state NSF Certified to Standard 42, Standard 53 or both.

Consumers can go to the following NSF International website: www.nsf.org/Certified/DWTU/, locate the certification for any certified drinking water purification system, and then compare the certification of one product to another.

Any water purification system that is NSF Certified to Standard 42 and 53, will not only improve the aesthetic value of the water, but will reduce specific contaminants. The NSF Certification will specify each contaminant the water filter has been tested and proven to reduce and to what degree.

Most companies that sell quality water purification systems offer under sink filtration systems which save counter space. Sure is a lot nicer than having a monster sitting on your kitchen counter that you have to manually fill on a daily basis. Under sink systems have their own faucet which will mount on your sink and are more convenient than the faucet mount type water filters.

 

 

 

Aquifers, one of our most precious resources, provide millions of people across the U.S. drinking water and water for household uses, agricultural, and industrial needs. Today, because of lax regulations and lack of enforcement of current regulations regarding water pollution,  our aquifers are in trouble. Chemical spills, agricultural runoff, industrial chemical waste, excessive use of chemicals on lawns and golf courses all contribute to this problem resulting in chemical laden water entering the aquifer systems.

There are a number of things we can all do at home to reduce water contamination. Reducing our use of fertilizers, herbicides, pesticides and being careful so as not to spill gasoline, oil, antifreeze, and other chemicals used in or around our homes, automobiles, and lawns. Another thing we can do is call or write our Congressman and other government officials demanding tougher restrictions concerning chemical use and disposal by industry, agriculture, and golf courses.

Many people believe the water contained in our aquifers is tens of thousands of years old. This is far from the truth. Aquifers continually receive water. Rain water, which may become polluted from the atmosphere or from contaminated soil, is absorbed by the earth and makes its way into the groundwater. Below the groundwater is a porous rock bed that resembles a honeycomb. The ground water is absorbed by the porous rock and then passed on to the aquifer below, thus contaminating the water we drink.

Sinkholes are created because of a hole, crack, or fissure in the protective rock layer above an aquifer vein. The soil is washed down in through the hole, crack, or fissure creating a hole on the earth’s surface. This is common place in Florida. Sinkholes can develop anywhere above the aquifer, in the middle of city streets, under foundations of homes, ect.

Many people apparently think sinkholes are garbage dumps, in which they discard everything from household garbage, furniture, old paint cans, chemicals, used oil, etc.

Sinkholes are actually a direct route to the aquifer. Anything they throw into the sinkhole ends up in the aquifer. Eventually it comes back out in someone’s faucet.

This is a very important issue. Our very existence depends on healthy water.

Many contaminants found in drinking water today are known to cause cancer, kidney, heart and liver damage, nervous system disorders, birth defects and reproductive disorders, just to name a few.

The average adult body is 55 to 75 percent water. Because our bodies are mostly water, water figures heavily in how our bodies function. Aside from helping digestion and absorption of food, water regulates body temperature, carries nutrients and oxygen to cells, and removes toxins and other wastes.

Water also cushions joints and protects tissues and organs, including the spinal cord, from shock and damage. Conversely, lack of water or dehydration can be the cause of many ailments.

Recent surveys conclude 64 percent of Americans are concerned about their drinking water.

Obviously, the quality of water we drink is very important.

We need to protect our water resources starting now. Tomorrow may be too late.

 

 

Reverse Osmosis is actually a simple process. Reverse Osmosis is a process that forces, by the application of pressure, the water to pass through a semi-permeable membrane that rejects heavy metals, salts, and inorganics, including healthful, naturally occurring minerals. Although the Reverse Osmosis membrance is somewhat limited as to contaminants reduced, it will reduce to a high degree the following: Arsenic V, Barium, Cadmium, Copper, Fluoride, Hexavalent Chromium, Nitrate/Nitrite, Particulate Matter, Perchloriate, Radium 226/228, Selenium and Trivalent Chromium. Reverse Osmosis does not effectively reduce VOC's (toxic chemicals).

After passing through the RO membrane, the product water passes through a holding tank. The process is slow and wastes 3-4 gallons for every one gallon of drinking water produced.

RO alone is not sufficient if "healthy" drinking water is desired. Additional filtration is needed to produce water that can be considered to be "properly filtered".

Most manufacturers offer RO devices that include additional water filters of a different technology that work in conjunction with the RO membrane to reduce additional contaminants such as different organic chemicals, additional toxic chemicals, pesticides, herbicides, and certain heavy metals. A system of this type will produce higher quality drinking water with more contaminants reduced.

Always look for a system that reduces contaminants to at least 1 micron, 0.5 micron is even better. Keep in mind some contaminants, such as Bacterial Cysts, can be as small as 1 micron.

The system should be installed as close as possible to the location(usually the kitchen sink) where the finished product will be delivered to the user.

One other thing to keep in mind - since Reverse Osmosis does remove "healthy minerals", anyone who is drinking RO water most of the time should also be consuming a multi-vitamin mineral product so they know they are getting the minerals the body needs to stay healthy.

 

 

 

Bottled water, a multi-billion dollar industry, is growing rapidly. Today more people, approximately 68 percent of consumers, are drinking bottled water. Because of this, bottled water sales are increasing to the tune of nearly 10 percent per year. Americans consumed 8.25 billion gallons in 2006. On average, consumption increased by over 2 gallons per capita to 27.6 gallons.

Many consumers use bottled water thinking it is safer than tap water, which is not necessarily true. The truth is many bottled waters, approximately 25 percent, are nothing but tap water that has been processed and packaged.

Many bottled waters are high in quality, and yet, bottled water may not be the safer alternative. Fact is, bottled water is regulated by the Food and Drug Administration. The FDA regulations are similar to the Environmental Protection Agency regulations on tap water. Currently, the EPA only requires testing for 114 contaminants of the 260 contaminants detected in tap water. The regulations on bottled water are lacking in many respects. For instance, bottled water which is processed and sold in the same state may not be regulated at all.

The Natural Resources Defense Council recently completed a study on 1000 bottled waters and found that 17 percent exceeded unenforceable sanitary guidelines for microbiological purity. They also concluded that most bottled water is no cleaner or safer than tap water. Some bottled waters were found to contain chemical or biological contaminants. 40 percent of the water tested was found to be of good quality.

The source of bottled water comes into question also. Do not be misled by the advertising. The question is - is it really from a sparkling mountain stream, a local tap water supplier, or from a well? Read the fine print on the label. If it states "from a municipal source" or "from a community water system" the source is derived from tap water. Just because the label has a picture of a mountain stream does not mean that was the source.

For example, the NRDC located a bottled water company which produces bottled water from a well located in the middle of an industrial warehouse facility and next to a state-designated industrial waste site in Millis, Massachusetts. The bottled water produced from this facility was found to be contaminated with industrial solvents including trichloroethylene at levels above EPA and FDA standards. At least one of the brands produced there displayed labels with a picture of a beautiful lake and mountain scene.

One thing for sure is, no matter what the source, if water is not properly treated for bacteria and filtered for contaminants it is not safe to drink.

Bottled water is expensive, averaging approximately $2.85 per gallon. The smaller the bottle, the more expensive it is by volume.

More money is spent on packaging, labeling, and marketing of bottled water than the production itself.

Point of use water filters are a more economical, cost effective, and convenient choice. High quality water filters can reduce many contaminants of health concern to a high degree, are more convenient, and produce better drinking water than most bottled water.