Kim Arrington Johnson in Food

What’s in Your Tap Water?

Want to know the very first item that was put into our home, before we even moved in? A water filter. I am often teased about my water quality report sleuthing when we move, however remember my rule of thumb for skepticism about the world around us? If something is directly going into my body, I want to understand what is in it. So without getting too boring or too scientific, I would like to share a few basic steps that can help us all be “water aware.”

Learn What is in Your Tap Water

Tap water suppliers (municipalities and such) all have to provide water quality reports each year. Bottled water providers do not. So find out what is in your drinking water by researching your city’s report, or having your well tested.

EWG Tap Water Database: Input your zip code into the Environmental Working Group Tap Water database and find out all kinds of information (my city had 8 contaminants detected above health guidelines.)
EPA Safe Water Drinking Act Consumer Confidence Reports (CCR): Find your local CCR, or annual water quality report.

What are Some Contaminants You Should Worry About?

Lead (Flint, Michigan knows all about this one; toxic at very low doses; often leaches from older piping)
Chlorine and Chloromines (these are disinfectants added to the water supply to reduce bacteria and viruses; they react with organic matter in the water, like decaying leaves, to create harmful byproducts)
Mercury (high levels over time are linked to kidney and nervous system damage)
Chromium, especially chromium-6 (cancer-causing chemical made famous by Erin Brockovich)
Fluoride (this one is controversial; too much added to water is linked with neurological, immune, and gastrointestinal damage)
Aluminum (special attention is being paid to links between dementia and communities with high levels of aluminum in the water)
Arsenic (a cancer-causing heavy metal that leaches into water from the ground or from industrial waste)
Perchlorate (widespread toxic chemical, used in rocket fuel, explosives, and road flares, can interfere with thyroid hormone production; notable because the EPA is still developing a standard for regulating in drinking water)
Nitrate (found in most fertilizers, manure, and liquid waste discharged from septic tanks; particularly hazardous for pregnant women and infants, as nitrate impairs the ability of red blood cells to carry oxygen)
Herbicides/Pesticides (runoff in agricultural areas can be harmful)

Filtered Tap Water is Best

Drink filtered tap water. Cook with it. Fill stainless steel or BPA-free water bottles with it. Once you have read your local water report, you can match filters with local contaminants, if desired. Caution: A CCR may tell you about your water but does not include what is coming out of your pipes. Lead and other substances can leach from pipes, joints, and fixtures in older homes. If your home was built before lead-free pipes were mandated in 1986, a test is the best way to assess your home’s water quality. First Alert sells a basic Drinking Water Test Kit that many people find handy. You may also have your drinking water tested by contacting a laboratory certified by your state or territory.

Beware of Bottled Water

One summer while living in New York City, I was walking to work and looked down an alleyway only to see a guy filling a cooler of plastic water bottles with water from a hose coming from the side of a building. He was charging $3 per bottle to thirsty passerby. That’s quite a profit! The same pretty much goes for your favorite bottled water companies, as studies have shown that most bottled water is no different from tap water. The EWG found 38 contaminants in 10 popular bottled water brands with bottled water containing ”disinfection byproducts, fertilizer residue, and pain medication.”

Need more reasons to drink filtered tap water? Bottled water costs more, and water bottles and plastics are a major source of consumer waste. Globally, we are using one million plastic water bottles per minute, and 91% of those are not being recycled, despite being highly recyclable. Plastic bottles are commonly made from polyethylene terephthalate (Pet), which can take up to 400 years to decompose! That means that a water bottle hypothetically thrown away by colonists in Jamestown would still be around today.

Water Filtration Systems

Did the contaminants on the EWG report make you think twice about the water you are drinking? For starters, you can always buy a well-reviewed water filtering pitcher, such as the ZeroWater 6-Cup Pitcher or Brita 10-Cup Everyday Water Pitcher. Then I would prioritize installing a water filtration system in your home over many things, especially if your annual water quality report is poor. If you are pregnant, or mixing formula for an infant, I would also highly recommend using filtered water.

You can choose from many options of water filters: pitcher, on-faucet, countertop, under sink, in-line refrigerator, shower, and/or whole house filters.

Carbon filtration systems: Pitcher and tap-mounted carbon filtration systems are affordable, and they help reduce exposure to lead and the contaminants that are byproducts of the process used to clean municipal tap water. Always change the filters in your water filtration systems regularly.
Reverse osmosis systems: these cost more but may remove higher levels of contaminants, such as arsenic and perchlorate. Always be sure to read the small print with filtering systems.

If you want more information about purchasing water filters, you can check out the EWG Water Filter System Buying Guide, the Consumer Reports Water Filter Buying Guide, the Amazon Water Filter Best Sellers list (based on sales, updated hourly, just remember that consumers are not hydrologists/read other reviews), or a water filter guide from Lowe’s, if you prefer a brick and mortar store review with products.

Hopefully these tips are helpful. Do you feel more water aware?