4 Contaminants a Good Water Filter Removes from Your Drinking Water

Municipalities do treat and clean drinking water before sending it out to your home. Unfortunately, the standards regarding certain contaminants are not what they should be, and contaminants can also be introduced to the water between the treatment plant and your home. As such, a good water treatment system is important for home use. Here are four contaminants such a system will remove.

Chlorine

Chlorine is added to water to clean it. Unfortunately, in some areas, a bit too much chlorine is added. It gives your water a pool-water-like taste and also vaporizes when you shower, which is not great for your lungs or your skin. (Dry skin may be, in part, due to chlorine in your water.) A water filter will remove chlorine for safer, better tasting water.

VOCs

VOCs, or volatile organic compounds, are a series of compounds that might make it into your water from certain pesticides or herbicides used by farmers. If you live in a rural area with a lot of farming, you're more likely to have these in your water supply. Their effects are not well known yet, but some suspect that they could increase your risk of certain cancers. Water treatment plants are not well set up to remove VOCs since they are such small, varied compounds. Home water treatment systems are typically much better at filtering them out.

Lead

Years ago, lead pipes were used in homes before people realized that lead caused brain damage and other negative effects on the body. It's no longer used, but lead can still make it into some drinking water supplies since some older pipes may still have lead solder in certain spots. (This may even be true in your home if it is older.) A water treatment system will remove lead along with other heavy metals.

Medications

Even though most pharmacies and doctors' offices recommend against doing so, some people still flush their unused medications down the drain! It's an unsafe practice since these compounds can then make it into the drinking water. Some are endocrine disruptors, leading to hormonal imbalances over time. Others may increase your risk of cancer or simply give you headaches. In any case, it's important that your water treatment system removes them.

Installing a water treatment system in your home is a significant investment, but it is a smart investment in your health and well-being. Talk to services such as Oxley Softwater Co to learn more.