Hidden Threat: Is Tap Water Safe To Drink In USA?

For a clear, organized mind to healthy sex life, receiving proper hydration is a key to top performance and a boost in wellness. Drinking plenty of clean, pure water is essential for a healthy body, and that is why the quality of your tap water is so important. In this article, I answer the question: is tap water safe to drink in the USA and how to filter it to achieve the wellness and performance that you desire.

Although the tap water in the USA is treated by local authorities, researches have shown that in many areas, water contains many dangerous contaminants that are not treated to the required health standards. For this reason, further testing is required to determine if the water is safe to drink in your region.

After all, the average adult requires about 3 liters (8 cups) of water daily for optimal health. So just like charging your Tesla with electricity; you want to supply your body with the highest quality liquid fuel – water.

The fact is that the water from your faucet may look crystal clear, yet likely contains pollutants according to test results released by the Environmental Working Group (EWG). Included is a common contaminants table where you can find the common pollutants found in tap water. Plus DIY steps to cleaner water that provide the best options for improving water quality where you are today.

The video below provides an excellent example of what we are actually drinking from the tap.

What Is Wrong With Tap Water?

When Sarah Jennings drank a glass of tap water, she got more than she bargained for. In the clear bubbly water was a slight dose of toxic chemicals that couldn’t be detected by sight, smell, or taste. Industrial and agricultural runoffs linked to cancer, brain, and nervous system damage.

Scary, and how could that be possible? Why didn’t she feel sick immediately?

You would expect more from a municipal water purification system, yet she didn’t immediately feel sick from drinking the leached tap water. Science shows that repeated exposure over time can have dangerous side effects.

That’s the inconvenient truth reported by EWG’s Tap Water Database, which analyzed 50,000 public water utilities in the United States.

The truth is that 50 out of 50 of states tested positive for traces of various pollutants in their tap water supplies, many above health guidelines, and some at alarming levels.

In this article, I include simple methods that are available to purify your water. To filter it and to make sure that the majority of pollutants are removed so that it can be safe for enjoying cooking and drinking.

While you may have heard about the news of lead-filled tap water in Flint, Michigan – making the headlines for toxic levels surpassing even what was conceivably acceptable. The majority of U.S. drinking water supplies do pass the quality rating.

Yet, the same rating includes ´acceptable´ levels for over 250 chemicals and pollutants at levels proven to be dangerous to the health with prolonged exposure. In their study, the EWG presented an analysis of the major contaminants found in tap water in the average city across the 50 states, included below

Common Contaminants

Heavy Metals – found in residential homes built before 1986, one of the primary metals that are most likely to be found is lead from the water pipes, fixtures, and solder.

That’s because Congress didn’t prohibit the use of lead-based pipes before then, which means many neighborhoods still register for dangerous levels of exposure.

Other heavy metals registered in tap water are mercury, cadmium, aluminum, arsenic and radon, each with their own health concerns.

Carcinogens – made famous in the Oscar-nominated film Erin Brockovich, which first informed the public about the presence of carcinogenic (cancer-causing) chemicals in our water supplies.

The most common and most dangerous contaminant in tap water all over the country is hexavalent chromium, also known as chromium-6.

Other types of carcinogens and neurotoxins found in water supplies include: benzene, chlorine, fluoride, dimethyl disulfide, carbon disulfide, Naphthalene, trimethyl benzene, and the list continues.

Chloroform – this chemical found in water is a by-product of the chlorination process. Bathing or showering in chlorinated tap water exposes individuals to toxic chloroform, the famous chemical used on handkerchiefs to make people pass out.

Trihalomethanes – these are from the reaction between the chlorine used in tap water and the dissolution of natural organic matter in the water. At higher levels, they have been associated with health problems like cancer and difficulties in pregnancy.

Viruses and Bacteria – these are water-borne pathogens that are sometimes found in high levels in tap water. They are posing a moderate to high health concern including adenovirus, astrovirus, hepatitis A and E viruses, rotavirus, norovirus, and others, too.

Hormones – these are industrial and agricultural, sometimes pharmaceutical residues that pass through many tap water systems, including Oestrogen, Estrogen and various hormones linked to changes in fertility.

Possible Solutions

At the end of the day, we can take steps to make sure that our families are getting the cleanest, safest water possible. We can journey to the northern glacier formation, climb the mountain to the hidden source of the purest water stream of ice, fill up our bottles, and hike back down.

Then install a new home filter to remove the majority of the contaminants mentioned above. Journey to the ice fields, install the filter… today we’re looking at both, in fact, several options for home water filter systems according to budget and level of filtration in the following list:

Carbon Filters

This is a relatively inexpensive and semi-efficient way to purify water, based on using a carbon filter, which absorbs a large number of chemicals, like most of the chlorine from your water. These systems can range from a pitcher filter that can be refilled for each use, to a countertop or under the sink system that filters the water through a bigger carbon block.

Carbon filters are great at removing many chemicals, including chlorine, benzene, radon, solvents trihalomethane compounds, VOCs such as pesticides and herbicides. As well as many other industrial and agricultural chemicals that may be found in tap water as it travels through the pipes.

They improve taste and quality, yet there are some things they don’t remove, like dissolved organic contaminants and heavy metals.

Multi-Stage Carbon Filters

Multi-stage filtration systems send water through 2 to 5 independent filters based on carbon technology. Because there are more stages for the water to go through, they are generally more effective at getting a cleaner glass of water.

Carbon filters remove many contaminants and are great for budget systems. At the same time, there are advantages to spending a little more and getting something that will be even more effective at giving you the best quality water.

Home Distillation Systems

This type of system is based on heating water to a boiling point of steam and then condensing the water in a separate chamber. The chamber collects the vapor, leaving the majority of chemicals behind to be flushed by the system.

This is probably the most traditional form of water distillation, and it has its advantages and disadvantages. An advantage is that distillation is perhaps the oldest and one of the most reliable ways of water purification.

So if you find yourself in a survival type scenario, you could probably build yourself a system to live comfortably with clean water through the Apocalypse.

However, there can sometimes be what is called carry-overs found in distilled water. Some herbicides and pesticides, with boiling points lower than 212°F (the boiling point of water) cannot be removed efficiently and can actually become carried in the vapor.

While stylish in a vintage DIY way, distillation requires large quantities of water and energy and tends to be slow in comparison with other methods

Reverse Osmosis Systems

This is a water filtration process that uses pressure to remove contaminants by sending water through a semipermeable membrane at super-high rates. The pressure helps to remove impurities for clean, high-quality drinking water.

What is so ‘reverse’ about reverse osmosis?

Actually, it refers to the technique of bringing the water through a porous membrane in the opposite direction to natural osmosis, producing a very effective method in terms of filtering. The con is that they can use a lot of water.

Most systems spend about 3 gallons of water per gallon of output. If you are OK with that, then you will be getting a quality home water filtration system that removes the majority of contaminants for a fair price.

For getting the best taste and absorption, get a filter complete with pH balancing and alkalization, usually found in 6-stage systems, and essential for health.

Total Home Water Filtration

It is ideal for those looking to not only drink and cook with clean water but to make sure that every faucet and sink in your house, even those connected to your washer, are providing filtered water.

Of course, your water pipes must be replaced after 1986, so they don’t contain lead fixtures or solder that would be picked up. It is crucial as water travels from the home water source filter through the pipes to your faucet.

If you live in an old apartment building or home, you would want to add an additional filter, maybe reverse osmosis, for the water you plan to drink and cook with.

Apart from that, these total home water filter systems are excellent because you can shower in chlorine-free water that is better for your skin. Or wash clothes in water that is better for their longevity, and feel good knowing that the water in your home is safe for all uses.

Get Conscious and Start Today

Looking at the quality of tap water and all the things that it brings with it in the form of agricultural and industrial chemicals, it’s clear that the advantages of getting a filter are many.

Starting to look at the options that work best for your family, getting started can be as easy as picking up a carbon filter at the store. Maybe you can go online and get a complete system that will really work for ensuring the highest quality possible for drinking, cooking and more.

My blog is focusing on these issues here, and you will be able to find a lot of information about drinking water. Plus I am more than happy to answer your questions.

P.S.: References for further study: