Tap Water Facts

Is tap water safe and healthy? Here are the tap water facts that you need to know.

The quality of tap water in the United States is steadily declining. Most water treatment plants were built decades ago when the main objective was to remove harmful bacteria from the water. These water treatment plants don't have the capability to remove all of the different chemicals that are now being used in our society and that are finding their way into our water supply.

You might be thinking that it has to be illegal for these chemicals to be present in tap water, but it's actually not. The reason why it's not is because the federal law regulating tap water, the Safe Drinking Water Act, is out of date.

The Safe Drinking Water Act only regulates 91 contaminants, even though the Environmental Protection Agency estimates that more than 60,000 chemicals are used within the United States. Not one chemical has been added to the list of contaminants regulated by the act since 2000.

Also, recent studies have found that even some chemicals regulated by the Safe Drinking Water Act pose health risks at much smaller concentrations than previously thought. But many of the act's standards for these chemicals have not been updated since the 1980s, and some remain essentially unchanged since the act was passed in 1974.

It's important to note that even though tap water contains contaminants, it won't necessarily make you ill, as many contaminants are hazardous only if consumed for many years. And there are some scientists and researchers who argue that even toxic chemicals, when consumed at extremely low doses over long periods of time, pose few health risks. Also, many of the chemicals used in our society that have not been analyzed for health risks may be harmless.

However, many scientists and researchers believe that many of the contaminants commonly found in tap water pose serious health risks at low concentrations. Also, independent studies suggest that millions of Americans become sick each year from drinking contaminated water, with illnesses ranging from upset stomachs to cancer and birth defects.

So what do you do if you want to experience the many health benefits of water but you don't want to rely on tap water?

Bottled water is not the answer, as there are health and environmental risks associated with bottled water. For more information on bottled water, visit the Bottled Water Facts page.

The only way to ensure that your drinking water is safe and healthy is to use a water filter. The home water filtration industry is heavily regulated, and manufacturers of water filtration products must do extensive testing and reporting to prove that their products are effective at providing clean water. Manufacturers are required to supply "Performance Data Sheets," which list all of the contaminants a product is certified to remove and to what degree.

Using a water filter is a convenient, economical and environmentally friendly way of getting clean, healthy, great tasting water. I've been using a water filter for many years, and I highly recommend using one. It's one of the best things you can do for your health.

In conclusion, I hope that these tap water facts have given you a good understanding of the potential health risks of tap water.