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| Michelle Couri, MD, FACOG |
By Michele Couri, MD
Part II of II
To ensure the drinking water in your home is safe, take these three steps:
Step 1: Learn What’s in Your Water
Every year, your water supplier will mail you an annual Consumer Confidence Report (also called the Drinking Water Quality Report). You may also be able to find your report on the EPA’s website at cfpub.epa.gov/safewater/ccr/index.cfm. The EPA offers online tools to help you learn how to read the report at water.epa.gov/drink/local. You may also find your local and state reports in the EWG’s National Drinking Water Database at ewg.org/tap-water/home. While these reports offer an analysis of your local water at its source, it’s also wise to directly test your tap water at home. Relatively inexpensive home water-testing kits are available at hardware stores. You could also obtain professional tests on your water; the EPA recommends contacting your state certification program for a list of certified laboratories at water.epa.gov/scitech/drinkingwater/labcert.
Step 2: Understand Toxins
Drinking water contaminants come from many sources: radon, radium, and arsenic are naturally occurring, while microorganisms, pesticides, and pharmaceutical residues come from people, animals, and industry. Chromium-6, a known carcinogen, has been found in the water of 31 of the 35 American cities tested (89 percent). Atrazine, a common herbicide that can cause endocrine (hormone) disruption, cancer, and reproductive disorders is commonly used on the crops in the Midwest. Six states – Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Mississippi, and Ohio recently settled a lawsuit against Syngenta, the manufacturer of atrazine, for millions of dollars to subsidize the chemical’s removal from the public water supply. Lead is a highly toxic metal. If your home was built before 1986, it’s more likely to have lead pipes, fixtures, and solder, according to the EPA. Drinking lead-contaminated water could result in physical and mental development delays in babies and children and increased blood pressure and kidney problems in adults. See the NSF’s full Contaminant Guide list at nsf.org/consumer/ drinking_water/dw_contaminant_guide.asp.
Step 3: Select the Best Filter
When shopping for a filter, you will find many “technologies” to choose from, ranging from carbon to ozone to UV. Don’t worry; the choices are surprisingly easy to navigate. Any filter you use should be certified by a reputable, independent agency. To find the filter most capable of removing specific contaminants (based on your water testing results), look up the pollutant on the EWG website and find a list of filters certified to effectively remove it. While many filtration technologies exist, those most adept at removing contaminants include carbon or charcoal filtration and reverse osmosis. Carbon block filters are very effective in removing a wide range of contaminants but cannot effectively remove inorganic pollutants such as arsenic, fluoride or nitrate, according to the EWG. Reverse osmosis filters are effective in removing inorganic contaminants not removed by carbon filters. You can sometimes find combination carbon/reverse osmosis filters, which remove a wide range of organic and inorganic pollutants. However, reverse osmosis filters are not efficient, using from 3 to 20 times the water they produce, so limit their use to drinking and cooking water.
You will also find a number of filter styles, which range in price and complexity of installation. Options include pitcher/dispenser, faucet-mounted, faucet-integrated, on-counter, under-sink, or whole-house. The best type for your home depends on your budget and the contaminants in your home’s water (another reason to have your water tested). The EWG offers an online “water filter buying guide” at ewg.org/tap-water/getawaterfilter.
After you filter your water, what is the best vessel to put it in? Glass bottles are the easiest to clean and the most recyclable. Most versions come with a protective silicon sleeve to prevent breakage. Stainless steel is lightweight, dishwasher safe, but can dent if dropped. Aluminum bottles look like stainless steel but have a big difference: aluminum reacts with acidic liquids, so they’re lined with an enamel or epoxy layer that can wear down. They are not dishwasher safe and some linings contain as much BPA as their plastic predecessors. Plastic bottles are typically inexpensive and since 2010, most are BPA-free. They are not safe for hot liquids or microwaves and health concerns with other leachable toxins in plastics still exist. My recommendation: go with glass.
At the Couri Center, we believe in restoring health to Women’s Health care. Call about our TLC Program (Total Lifestyle by Couri) to help women improve their healthy habits and reduce the risks of chronic disease. Call 309-692-6838 or visit: www.CouriCenter.com.
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