If you follow the news, you know that there are many chemicals found in tap water. You should also know that most bottled brands contain filtered tap water, but the filtration method used does not remove chemical contaminants.

Public treatment facilities and mass-produced bottled brands rely heavily on reverse osmosis. That system only removes things that are larger than the pores of the membrane. The chemicals found in tap water are much smaller. Properly filtered tap water is run through a variety of steps that remove a wide range of contaminants, much wider than those removed through reverse osmosis.

There are many reasons that drinking properly filtered tap water in your home is a better choice than buying bottled. There are health reasons, environmental reasons and economic ones. Suffice to say that the chemicals found in tap water are not removed by their systems, the bottles are an endless source of pollutions, as well as a source of contamination due to the chemicals used to make the plastic, and it is simply cheaper for a family to filter their own water at home, than it is to buy bottled.

Here's a list of some of the chemicals found in tap water. There may be more or less in your supply, but these are the most common ones.

· Chlorine or bromine, chemical disinfectants that cause anemia in children, stomach problems in adults.
· THMs or disinfection byproducts that increase a person's lifetime risk of some forms of cancer by 100%.
· Pharmaceuticals, the affects of the traces found in samples are unknown at this time, but to be on the safe side you don't want them in your water.
· Perchlorate, a VOC, found at over 800 test sites across the US, causes damage to the thyroid gland and developmental problems.
· Benzene, Atrazine, alachlor, lindane and TCE are industrial solvents, pesticides and herbicides that cause cancer.

In order to remove all of these, you need a system with granular activated carbon, a resin and multi-media block and a sub-micron particle filter. You don't need an expensive reverse osmosis step. Don't let the companies that sell them fool you.

Systems that include all of these steps, as well as an ion exchange step to remove lead and balance mineral content are quite affordable. For about $100, you can have properly filtered tap water in your home that tastes better than anything that comes in a bottle and is better for your health.

Now that you know the facts about filtered tap water, you might be interested to know that chemical contaminants can be absorbed through the skin in a bath or shower. They become airborne while showering, cooking or washing dishes. You inhale them and it further increases your risk of cancer.

Now you know some of the contaminants found in tap water. If you want to live a long healthy life, you have to get rid of the chemicals found in tap water and the other contaminants, as well. Drink safely!



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