What’s In My Water? Health Concerns, Water Tests, & The Best Filter
"Pure water is the world's first and foremost medicine."
—Slovakian Proverb
Water makes up about two-thirds of our body and we are so dependent on it that we can only survive without it for several days. In our lifetime we’ll consume about 30,000 gallons of water but the question of how much water might be less important than what’s in my water?
The tap water that comes out of your faucets is likely full of a variety of things that are toxic to our bodies such as pesticides, medications, fertilizers, industrial waste, and heavy metals. The obvious alternative then is to use plastic water bottles (which the average American drinks 150 of each year) but these too are packed with chemicals such as BPA, PET, and microplastics which are harmful to both our health and the environment.
By drinking these contaminants we increase our risk of a variety of health conditions including, but not limited to:
Increased inflammation
Arthritis
Elevated cholesterol
Reproductive dysfunction
Cardiovascular disease
Thyroid dysfunction
Weight gain/obesity
Brain fog
Cancer
Water—like light and air—is one of the most fundamental components of our health. Today I’ll tell you about the concerns of tap and bottled water, how to test your water, and what type of filter might be best for you so that you can avoid the toxins that you and your family might be consuming on a daily basis.
Flint drinking water pipes. Credit: Min Tang and Kelsey Piepe
What’s In My Water?
Tap Water
Tap water looks crisp and clean when it comes out of the faucet but the typically odorless and tasteless compounds in that water can have incredible effects on your health. These compounds can include chemicals, microbes such as bacteria and parasites; and endocrine disruptors such as pesticides, estrogens, BPA, phthalates, and PFAS,
The EPA, which regulates tap water, does not set standards for chemicals such as PFAS, also known as “forever chemicals.” PFAS are getting a lot of media attention lately as more and more information comes out about their effects, including hampering children’s growth and development. The EPA did, however, set voluntary recommendations to limit PFAS to 17 parts per trillion (which some say is still too much).
The three main sources of water contamination for all of these compounds are the source of the water, the pipes the water passes through, and, yes, the mesh filter at the end of the faucet.
The Tap Water Source
The water source varies depending on the municipality, as does the treatment and filtration process of that area. There are a variety of compounds, a.k.a. disinfection byproducts, used to treat water: chlorine, chloramines (chlorine + ammonia), fluoride, aluminum surface, calcium carbonate, and sodium hydroxide.
Here are some of the major concerns of the compounds used to treat water.
These disinfection byproducts (DBPs) work in cleaning the water but the issue is that they remain in the water and impact our body. A 2020 study, Endocrine Disruptors in Water and Their Effects on the Reproductive System, found that these the DBPs in our drinking water have “become a human health concern because epidemiological studies have demonstrated associations between DBP exposure and an increased risk of cancer development and adverse reproductive outcomes.”
Chlorine is used to kill bacteria and viruses in the water. Consistent ingestion of chlorine can lead to skin irritation, respiratory issues, and digestive problems, among other concerns. Chlorine also changes the taste and odor of the water.
Fluoride is added to water to help prevent tooth decay. Conspiracy theories aside, fluoride is a naturally occurring material but there are concerns. One case-control study, Impact of Drinking Water Fluoride on Human Thyroid Hormones: A Case-Control Study, aimed to investigate fluoride's impact on testosterone and thyroid hormones. They conclude, “It was found that fluoride has impacts on TSH, T3 hormones even in the standard concentration of less than 0.5 mg/L. Application of standard household water purification devices was recommended for hypothyroidism.”
The Water Pipes
The next step of the process is the next concern: the pipes that the water passes through. Have you ever glanced at the pipes near a construction site in your neighborhood? The older rusted, mental pipes that are being removed are impressively gross. In older homes and neighborhoods, these are typically lead pipes. Lead can leach into the water and can cause developmental delays, cognitive impairments, and kidney damage, especially for infants and young children.
Your drinking water’s route from the water treatment plant to the faucet means it has plenty of time to pick up some partners. In addition to lead, heavy metals like copper and cadmium can also leach into the water. Many pipes also contain a “biofilm” that harbors bacteria which is then picked up by the water passing through.
For a better visual, here’s one of many videos of a guy who cut a drinking water pipe in half to check out what’s inside.
Newer pipes tend to be made of copper, PVC, cross-linked polyethylene (PEX), stainless steel, and polypropylene (PP). There are benefits to all of these including no lead, however, they each have their own concerns such as microplastics, heavy metal contaminants, and that gross biofilm mentioned above.
The Mesh Filter At The End Of The Faucet
The oft-neglected mesh filters at the end of the faucet is typically made of metal or plastic and it’s designed to remove sediment and other particles from the water as it flows through the faucet. Naturally, the more it filters, the grosser it gets. Fortunately, it’s easy to clean.
How To Clean Your Faucet Filter
Unscrew the filter from the end of the faucet and remove any visible debris or sediment. Soak the filter in a mixture of equal parts water and vinegar for 30 minutes, then rinse with warm water. You may need a brush to scrub some of that gunk off depending on the hardness of the water. Reattach the filter to the faucet and turn the water supply back on.
Bottled Water
Once they notice their water is contaminated, many people will jump right to the plastic water bottle. Plastic water bottles are easy to lug around, and they’re said to come from “natural springs,” however, this option isn’t as safe of an alternative as you might think.
For one, the odds are that the water in your bottled water is not far off from your faucet water. A report from Food & Water Watch found that about 64% of all bottled water that they tested is actually tap water (despite costing 2000x more).
While the EPA regulates tap water, it’s the FDA that regulates bottled water. The FDA considers bottled water a food product and lacks the authority to require certified lab testing or violation reporting. On top of that, the FDA doesn’t even require that bottled water companies disclose information about the source of the bottled water, if and how it was treated for contaminants, or even what contaminants are in the water.
One study, led by Johns Hopkins researchers found PFAS (a.k.a. “forever chemicals”) in 39 of the 100+ bottles of water it tested. While it didn’t identify brands, it reported that the water that was filtered with reverse osmosis had less PFAS than those that were from “natural springs” and not filtered.
Consumer Reports tested 47 types of bottled and carbonated water for PFAS and found these forever chemicals in 43 of them, including many types of carbonated water.
One of the most well-known chemicals found in plastic water bottles is bisphenol A (BPA), which is used in the production of polycarbonate plastics. BPA has been linked to health problems such as reproductive disorders, obesity, and cancer. While many plastic water bottles are now labeled as "BPA-free," they may still contain other harmful chemicals.
Another chemical commonly found in plastic water bottles is phthalates, which are used as plasticizers to make the plastic softer and more flexible. Phthalates have been linked to health problems such as hormonal imbalances and reproductive disorders. Studies have shown that phthalates can leach into the water from plastic water bottles, particularly when the bottles are exposed to heat or sunlight.
Plastic water bottles can also contain other chemicals such as polyethylene terephthalate (PET) and polystyrene. While these chemicals are generally considered safe in small amounts, they can still leach into the water over time and pose health risks.
Microplastics are tiny plastic particles that can enter our bodies by drinking water from plastic water bottles. Humans consume up to a credit card’s worth of microplastic every single week! Microplastics have been found in various sources of drinking water, including bottled water. These microplastics can cause inflammation, oxidative stress, and damage to organs. While the long-term effects of microplastics on human health are still unknown, it is best to avoid them.
On top of that, well, the environment. About 1,500 plastic water bottles are thrown away every second and 91% of water bottles aren’t recycled. It’s thought that by 2050 there will be more plastic in the ocean than fish. (source).
Do this instead: Avoid plastic water bottles (including gallon ones, gym bros) and opt for a reusable and safe water bottle (we use these Yetis) or glass (like this one). Fill it with clean, filtered water. If you enjoy sparkling water like me, then go with the sparkling water found in glass containers instead of plastic ones.
How to Test Your Water
The easiest way to get an idea of the quality of your water is to use EWG’s Tap Water Database. Type in your zip code for immediate results. I just checked my county’s water quality which had 16 contaminants including up to 542x (!) the recommended limit of Haloacetic acids (HAA9), a contaminant linked to cancer. Here are the rest of the results:
Results from my zip code’s water quality (EWG Tap Water Database)
My mind was blown by these results.
EWG also provides a breakdown of which contaminants are filtered out based on three different filters: activated carbon, reverse osmosis, and ion exchange.
While this gives a good overview of the region’s water quality, the water running through your house will likely have different results.
There are 3 options to get individualized water quality tests for your house:
TDS meter. TDS, or total dissolved solids, are basically anything in the water that’s not H₂O. TDS is measured in parts per million (ppm) with higher numbers generally considered less safe and lower numbers safer (the EPA doesn’t recommend treating the water until it’s at 500 ppm).
The issue with TDS testing is that we want some particles in water such as calcium, magnesium, and potassium. TDS doesn’t differentiate between the good (calcium, magnesium, and potassium) and the harmful (lead, arsenic, pesticides).
You can simply buy an inexpensive TDS meter (~$13) which you just dip into a cup of tap water to get a reading. The best use of a TDS meter is more of a canary in the coal mine kind of way. If the reading is above 500ppm (even less by other standards) then jump right to the filter.
Home water test. The next step up for water quality testing is to determine exactly what is in your water. You can use a home kit to get quick results but the number of things tested is limited with any home test. The Watersafe testing kit is a good one that tests 9 contaminants with results in 10 minutes and costs $30.
Lab test. The next step up is to take a sample of your water and send it out to the lab. This costs more and takes more time but it provides much more thorough testing. The Safe Home® ULTIMATE Drinking Water Test Kit is a good one that tests 200 parameters at EPA-certified labs and returns the results in 7-10 days.
How To Choose A Water Filter
Now that you know a bit about the quality of your water, it’s time to learn about the best ways to remove contaminants from the water.
There are many types of filters including ultraviolet (UV) filters, ozone filters, and gravity filters. While each of these have their pros and cons, it’s the reverse osmosis water filter and the carbon filter that will be the most effective and providing quality water.
The Ideal Choice: Reverse Osmosis Water Filter
The ideal water filter option is a reverse osmosis (RO) water filter. RO filters use a membrane to filter out impurities. The membrane has tiny pores that allow only water molecules to pass through while blocking larger molecules and contaminants.
These RO filters stand above the rest because they’re considered to be the most effective at removing impurities. In fact, they can remove over 80 contaminants, including bacteria, viruses, dissolved solids, and heavy metals. The drawback, however, is that they’re so good at removing particles from the water that they also remove the good stuff too (like magnesium, chloride, and sulfate).
Fortunately, there are simple ways to replace the healthy components of the water. In our old water filter, we would intermittently add healthy minerals back in with a dropper bottle of trace mineral drops. Now we use a much simpler demineralization attachment for our under-the-counter RO filter (below).
Waterdrop Reverse Osmosis GSP600
RO filters are not cheap but they do provide the best for your buck if you’re looking to optimize and remove as much of these heavy metals, pesticides, microplastics, and other contaminants found in tap water.
Best Under The Counter Option: Waterdrop Reverse Osmosis GSP600 Remineralization
Best On The Counter Option: Waterdrop Reverse Osmosis Hot Cold Water Dispenser
Another Option: The Water Pitcher
Carbon filters, a.k.a. activated carbon filters, like the Brita water filter, are common types of filters. They use activated carbon, a form of carbon that has been treated with oxygen, to make it highly porous and able to adsorb (not absorb) certain impurities by having them adhere to the surface of the activated carbon.
The Waterdrop Chubby
Carbon filters can filter out a wide range of impurities from water, including VOC (benzene, toluene, toluene), chlorine, and chloramine. Unlike an RO filter, however, they are not effective at removing bacteria, viruses, minerals (including fluoride), and salts which can affect water hardness.
Best Water Pitcher Option: If you’re not ready to pull the trigger on an RO system then at the very least consider a good water pitcher. I recommend the Waterdrop Chubby pitcher which is NSF certified and has BPA-free plastic (use MINDBODYDAD for 10% off).
What I Do
I’ve looked long and hard for the best (and most affordable of the best) kind of RO filter. I came to the conclusion that the Waterdrop reverse osmosis system was the best option. While it’s still not cheap, I consider it a good health investment for my family given the high risk of contamination, the long-term health implications, and the amount of water (and coffee) that our household consumes.
We used to have a large under-the-sink filter back in the day. While it was a huge upgrade from tap water, the cons were that it was difficult to replace the filters and I later learned that the types of water that have those tanks are basically a breeding ground for bacteria.
We upgraded to the Waterdrop GSP600 Remineralization Reverse Osmosis System which is much easier to use. Since the RO filter strips nearly everything out of the water, including the good stuff, this filter uses a demineralization attachment to add back in calcium, magnesium, sodium, potassium, etc. so that we are replenishing the healthy minerals. Waterdrop also has many other options on the site that fit wider budget ranges, as well as ones that can be on top of the counter instead of under the sink.
We’ve been using this for nearly a year so far and we have no complaints. We’ll be sticking with this one for a long time.
Takeaway
The quality of our water plays a significant role in our health. Tap water and bottled water have been found to have a variety of contaminants including pesticides, medication, endocrine disruptors, and microplastics. Poor water quality has been linked to cardiovascular disease, thyroid dysfunction, elevated cholesterol, higher levels of inflammation, and limiting children’s growth and development, among other concerns.
Water quality will vary depending on where you live, however, there are options for testing your water. The best step you can take to decrease your risk of consuming contaminated water is to use a filter. While there are many types of filters the best kind to use is a reverse osmosis water filter.
Learn More
To learn more about toxins, check out The Non-Toxic Living Guidebook: Hacks, Strategies, & Natural Products for Better Health. I wrote this comprehensive guide as a way to break down the complexity of toxins into a simple, easy-to-read format with practical tips and clickable links to the least toxic products I could find. Get your copy today and use the code MBD20 at checkout for a 20% discount. You can also get a paperback or hardcopy on Amazon.
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