Where to start? For those of you interested in getting a water system and being informed about the water in your area, I suggest that you go to the NRDC (Natural Resources Defense Council) website (http://www.nrdc.org/) and see if they have a reveiw of the water in your area. That is what I did for San Diego and what I found out about our water was not good. There were levels of chemicals and radio active materials that often exceeded the EPA standards set by the government. There were also a number of bacteria found as well. A lot of these things are now being linked to increased cancer risk and damage to the repiratory system, liver, heart, and kidneys, as well as birth defects and increased risk of miscarriage.
You can also find out about your water by calling the EPA's hotline at 1-800-426-4791. Your state is required by law to provide a report on all contaminants and toxins found in your water.
So, with all these contaminants, what can you do? Is it better to buy bottled water? The answer is no. Not only does bottled water in plastic leach plastic chemicals into the water, but it is estimated that 25% or more of bottled water is just tap water. About 22% of bottles tested had contaminents above state health limits. For more information on bottled water, check the NRDC website for a full report on bottled water.
Another reason to filter your water is to filter out the cholrine that is used to disinfect water. Chlorine is a poison and long term exposure is not good for you. There is all kinds of evidence that long term exposure to chlorine is associated with all kinds of cancers. As you shower, the warm water vaporizes the cholrine, so not only is it being absorbed by your skin, but it is also now in a form that can be inhaled. According to the EPA, every home in America has elevated levels of choloform gas in their home due to the vaporization of chlorine and other chemicals from tap and shower water. If you just google "chlorine health hazards", you will find tons of information. Here is one websites information to give you a start... http://www.holistichealthtools.com/chlorine.html
But, there is definately hope! The best way to deal with all these health hazards is to have your water tested and have a whole home water system installed. Not only will it be beneficial to your health, but it also prolongs the life of your water pipes and your appliances, decreases your energy bills, and decreases dramatically the amount of soaps and dishwasher and laundry detergent you need to use, especially in water as hard as ours is. It is definately an up-front investment, but I am looking forward to showering in clean water. We chose EcoWater systems after a recommendation from a friend and a holistic doctor, both who have done extensive research on water systems. Many systems need expensive filters changed periodically, but this system has no filter that needs changing and has a lifetime warrenty. The only upkeep is adding a bag of potassium about every 2 months at a cost of $8 a bag. The other system I was looking into, Aquasana, has a filter that has to be changed about every 3 years, depending on water usage at a cost of $800 a change.
If you are interested in getting an ecowater system, they are a large American manufactured company, that will provide their system all over the US. You can find out more about them on their website: http://www.ecowater.com/ or call them at 1-888-928-3765.
I hope this post has been helpful and if anyone has any other questions, I would be happy to do my best to answer them.
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