Pure water is a hot topic these days. Whether your drinking water comes
from a bottle, municipality or a private well, make sure that it’s
safe for you and your family. Here’s a checklist to insure that
your family has the very best water on the blue planet!
• Test your tap water – Harmful bacteria, Microsporidium,
Giardia, lead and toxic chemicals dissolved in solution
are a few of the health risks that could be lurking in
your tap water. Whether you have city water or private
well water, it’s a good idea to know what you’re
drinking. Purchase a test kit from a food co-op or a certified
laboratory (contact your state’s Health Department
for more information) and test your water on a periodic
basis.
• Buy spring water or a good quality bottled
water – According
to the Environmental Protection Agency, laws protecting
public tap water are more stringent than the FDA’s
laws protecting bottled water. However most major brands
carefully filter and test their water. And typically, bottled
water is treated before it’s bottled. Spring water
purchased at a food co-op or a service that delivers is
another good option. Before you buy ask for their latest
water test results.
• Use a home water filter -- There are many home
water filtration systems available. Reverse Osmosis is
the best technology available to date. There are also counter
top charcoal systems available for around $100. Ask for
a “solid carbon block”. Make sure that any
filtration system you purchase is certified by the National
Sanitation Foundation (NSF). NSF is a nonprofit certification
agent and they have an international standard for water
filters.
• Think before you put it down your drain -- If it
goes down your drain, it will eventually end up in someone’s
drinking water. Pesticides, cleaning solvents, oil, oil-based
paints should go to a hazardous waste drop off site rather
than down the drain or in the ground. But lesser known
is the fact that left over drugs must not be flushed down
the toilet including narcotics, antibiotics, hormones,
or any other pharmaceuticals.
Additional Resources
www.nrdc.org/water/drinking/bw/chap3.asp - National Resources
Defense Council conducted a survey of 103 bottle water
brands
www.lindenhills.coop -
612-279-2479 - Minneapolis based Linden Hills Co-op and
Natural Home Store provided the bottled water and water
filtration systems for this segment.
www.chem.duke.edu - Search for “bottled water” for
the article on “Tap vs Bottled Water”, Jim
Chapman of Duke University
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