In our modern society we have access to water in many forms. Spring water, mineral water, distilled water, city tap water, and filtered water are all available in my area. How does one choose the best source for themselves and their families?
The most important thing about choosing our water source is knowing what is in our water. Tap water and well water both come from ground water supplies. Tap water is usually treated with chlorine by cities to kill microorganisms. Sometimes they will add other chemicals such as fluoride. It can also be contaminated by heavy metals, pesticides and chemicals used for agriculture. Well water is also subject to contamination from heavy metals and pesticides. Spring water can be a good choice if you can verify the source and bottling practices of the suppliers; however, It can also be contaminated by the same pollutants as well or tap water. If you plan to drink tap, well, or spring water then make sure that you know what is in the water and where it comes from.
There are options available to us that will help us to remove some of the pollutants and contaminants that are found in our waters. Filtration systems, reverse osmosis and distilling water are some of the options we have. Activated charcoal filters and reverse osmosis remove pollutants by forcing the water through the filter and filtering out the larger inorganic and organic materials. This can remove many, but not all, of the contaminants. Minerals are not usually removed by these processes. Another option is distillation. The distillation process vaporizes the water in one chamber and then condenses it in another. This process removes minerals and microorganisms from the water. Some chemicals that have higher boiling points than water will not be removed. Also, microorganisms may make their way into the condensation chamber. Distilled water should probably be run through a filter as a secondary measure. One issue with distilled water is that the minerals are all removed during the distillation process. This can induce mineral deficiencies in our bodies if we only drink distilled water. The demineralized waters will attract the minerals in our bodies to balance out the other bodily fluids. Drinking only distilled waters is not recommended for long term.
Finally, it is important that we know what is in the water that we are drinking. With just a small amount of research we can find out the content of heavy metals and pollutants in our drinking water supplies. Armed with this knowledge we can seek out the best filtration methods we can afford and ensure that the water we are drinking is helping and not harming our bodies. We should also look at preserving and protecting our drinking water supplies. We need to take action now to keep our waters free from pollutants and safe for future generations.