When a person can drink clean water, they are very lucky. This is because a lot of people don’t have access to safe drinking water. Most of them resort to drinking rainwater or worse, muddy water. Water is an important element in a person’s living situation. The people behind Berkey Water Purifiers understand this all too well. For more Berkey water filter reviews, visit the official USA Berkey website
This is the reason why they continue to perfect their filtration systems. Upgrades happen non-stop after a series of tests proved that it can make water safer. Contaminants in the water are no joke. Various water-borne diseases caused people to get sick and claimed many lives in the past. While it’s impossible to stop illnesses top happen, at least preventing it can save lives.
Drinking safe water is the first step in a healthy lifestyle. That is why a lot of filtration systems spawned in every country in the world. Sad to say, there are still countries that don’t have proper filtration procedures. The time will come that they too will have safe water to drink.
What are water contaminants? What can it do to people? What causes them to appear? These are very good questions and filtration experts do non-stop research for answers. This article will discuss various water contaminants and the dangers that they cause.
A brief explanation about its prevention
Why do people filter their water? It is to prevent any contaminants from getting inside a human’s body. It’s as simple as that. There are several things to consider before filtration can even begin.
Water travels across pipes for miles before reaching a faucet in a person’s home. During this travel, lots of contaminants went along with it. It can come from the water’s source and through the pipes itself. This is why water stations apply chlorine to the water. Chlorine prevents bacteria to grow in the water. If that’s not enough, these stations also add magnesium, calcium, and fluoride.
These are good nutrients and minerals since they aid and promote good health. It is part of a human’s normal diet and maintains bone and teeth growth. With those minerals in place, tap water is “safe” to drink. But, other contaminants can cause harm to a human’s body. Proper filtration protects the water from these impurities so that it is safe to drink.
Inorganic substances
These substances include heavy metals such as lead, arsenic, and mercury. It is important to note that arsenic is lethal to humans if taken in dangerous amounts. This amount doesn’t need to be many. It is lethal even in small doses so keep away from them. These metals end up in the water because of various human activities and natural means.
Traces of magnesium, calcium, potassium, and sodium are also present in the water. As mentioned earlier, these minerals are beneficial to one’s health. They end up in the water through the same channels that heavy metals go through. At least, there is a good reason why people get them in water.
But magnesium and calcium cause hard water. This is why filtration systems use water softeners to reduce the number of minerals in the water. By the way, hard water is water that has high mineral content.
Hard water is not bad to drink because of its health benefits and taste. But it also can cause diarrhea for some people. It also fades clothes, stains sinks and pipes, causes dry skin and hair, and many more.
This is the reason most people prefer soft water. Soft water can be a little salty though. In any case, both are safe to drink. It will all depend on the preference of the person drinking the water.
Water also brings cyanide, carbonates, phosphates, and other positive ions along with it. These ions are dangerous even in small amounts since it causes several health issues.
A radioactive gas called radon also comes along with water. This gas is present in tap water that comes from wells, bedrocks, and under the soil.
Organic substances
It’s good to know that Berkey Water Purifiers can handle both types of substances. Speaking of organic substances, it’s important to note that these substances are carbon-based. This is the reason why it’s easy for them to invade any water source. Some organic substances include benzene, trihalomethanes, carbon tetrachloride, and vinyl chloride. Here is a brief description of them.
Carbon tetrachloride is a chemical discharge from plants. It can also come from several industrial activities. It can cause liver ailments and cause an increased risk of cancer.
Benzene comes as a factory by-product. It can also come from landfills and gas storage tanks. Exposure to this substance causes anemia, cancer, and a decrease in platelets.
Vinyl chloride comes as a result of leaching from PVC pipes. Plastic factories produce this as well. It can increase the risk of cancer in humans.
Total trihalomethanes are by-products of the disinfection procedure of water. It causes a lot of health issues involving the central nervous system, liver, and kidney.
As one would see, these organic substances will cause great harm to people. Plastics, pesticides, synthetic fibers, and solvents use these substances. These products are available everywhere, so it’s understandable how it ended up in the water. It can cause certain cancers and damage to the nervous system. Studies also show that it causes hormone imbalance too.
How are contaminants regulated?
The Environmental Protection Agency has laws that ensure safe water for everyone. Also, the Maximum Contaminant Levels ensure that contaminants in water are low. It also set specific limits to more than 90 contaminants present in water.
This limit represents the contaminant level considered to be safe for human consumption. It checks on the filtration systems’ abilities to purify water using available technology. This governing body sets water-testing methods and schedules to meet safe water standards.
Conclusion
With these rules, one can make sure that they will have safe drinking water. The usage of Berkey Water Purifiers is a welcome addition to these procedures.
