The human body is over 60% water.
Human blood is 92% water.
The human brain is 75% water.
Human muscles are 75% water.
Human bones are 22% water.
The USDA recommends consuming about 3 liters of water per day.
Have you ever wondered about the quality of the water that flows from your tap?
Considering how vital water is to human life, it only makes sence that we should investigate the safety of the water that is provided throughout the US.
After careful research of the quality of the water in the United States, I have come across some concerning information. Water quality varies from region to region, so any information is general for the US.
An analysis of tap water conducted by the Associated Press has shown that trace amounts of pharmaceutical drugs are found in tap water. Cholesterol medication. Birth control. Anti-depressants. Immunosuppressant drugs. Antibiotics. The list goes on. Official research of how this constant [though minimal] exposure to this cocktail of medication over a lifetime would affect a human has not yet been conducted. However, I don't think I need a researcher to tell me that ingesting an unknown mixture of prescription medication is not good for me, now or in the long run. I found this information pretty disturbing.
About 50% of tap water in the US is fluoridated. This means that during the water treatment process fluoride is added to the water that eventually comes out of your tap. What is wrong with fluoride, it is good for my teeth, right? Wrong. Not only has research shown that fluoride is entirely ineffective at strengthening teeth when ingested, research has also shown fluoride to be nearly as poisonous as arsenic. Shocking. Yet, it is still in our tap water. Again, disturbing.
Other contaminants commonly found in our tap water include various pesticides, manure runoff, and fertilizer. These are not chemicals or organisms that are meant to be consumed by humans and can prove to be very detrimental to our health and well being.
It is scary to think that children, pregnant women, elderly persons and people with compromised immune systems are being exposed to such harmful contaminants in their water. I know that I do not want the 60% of my body that is made of water to be jeopardized by our sub-par water supply.
So, what can you do? Well, this is a bit tough. Bottled water? Nope. Most bottled water is just tap water with a big price tag. You could distill all of your water; however, that is energy [and time] intensive [it's not "green"] and distillation breaks down important electrolytes naturally found in water. That leaves filtering your water as your only option. The problem is that most commercial water filters do not filter out much [if any] medications and chemicals. There is no filter on the market that can claim to filter out all of these contaminants.
There is one filter that does a pretty damn good job, though and that is the Berkey water filter. It is the most powerful water filter on the market and you can purchase an extra attachment that filters fluoride out of your water. Let me warn you, this is not cheap. The water filter system is going to run you between $230 and $330. The fluoride filters will run you an extra $60. It is important to note that the filters last for 3,000 gallons of water, which generally lasts several years. And to replace just the filters, it's going to cost about $100. You have to decide how important clean water is to you and your family. It is a costly investment, but it may save you in the long run. We have a Berkey and we love it. My mom was kind enough to buy us one as a gift and I could not be more grateful.
Happy filtering!
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