Many of my clients who have done an environmental toxins test such as the Great Plains Lab Tox profile ask me what the best drinking water filter system is, as many results show that a reverse osmosis home water filtration system would reduce their exposure levels to certain toxins. So I have hunted around to find out more about how the different systems work and what is the best drinking water filter system for home use.
Choosing the Best Drinking Water Filter
Choosing the best drinking water filter system may depend upon what your main problem is. If you have hard water then you are best choosing a whole-home water filter system. If, however, you have eczema or skin problems, you may be better just choosing a chlorine filter for your shower head. If you live in an area where the tap water has high levels of chlorine, then a whole-home system is probably the better option for financial reasons as well as health reasons. Softening your water will make your electrical appliances last much longer because there is no limescale buildup. It will also mean you use much less soap, detergent, laundry liquid, shampoo etc. If you look at the cost of appliances such as washing machines and dish washers, you can see that the water filter will pay for itself in no time.
I had an under-sink water filter in the first house I bought because I lived in such a hard water area. It was the best purchase I ever made even though it was expensive at the time – costs have come right down since then! I chose to have it fitted by an engineer, but in fact most can be installed by someone who is good at DIY. The only thing I needed to d with mine was buy salt pebbles every few months and top up the ‘bin’ under the utility room sink.
I have a friend who opted for a tap that had filtered water for drinking, but they kept their regular tap water as usual and just had 3 taps on their kitchen sink. This means you do not have to change your filters quite so often as you would if you were filtering your bath or shower water as well.
Why would you need a water filter system at home?
Many environmental pollutants from agriculture wash into our water courses and do not get completely flushed out by the drinking water companies. I have a friend in the Greater New York area who told me, although I cannot prove it, that the instance of autism in that area is exceptionally high due to the agricultural run off that reaches their water courses. When I researched this comment she made, I found a study that demonstrated that children born to Mums who live near pesticide-treated fields had an increased risk of autism.
Cattle and sheep are given additional hormones to prepare them for the meat industry, so it stands to reason that they excrete abnormal levels of hormones into the grass which leaches into the water courses and finds its way to our tap.
The widespread use of the contraceptive pill has led to abnormally high levels of reproductive hormones getting into sewage and not being removed during the process of water purification. A reverse osmosis water filter is the only way to remove these hormones and reduce our inadvertent intake of unwanted synthetic hormones. An article in the Guardian in the UK exposed the extent of the risk:
Breast, testicular and cervical cancers are all made far more likely by abnormal levels of reproductive hormones in our drinking water and in the food we eat.
Filtered Water Health Benefits
- Unlike other forms of water filtration, reverse osmosis is considered one of the most all-around effective ways of eliminating water contaminants. Even residential-grade reverse osmosis filters can remove up to 99% of lead, asbestos and 82 other additional contaminants.
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- The best way to remove synthetic hormones from drinking water.
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- A reverse osmosis, carbon filter and UV filter under-sink unit such as the Thunder Thunder 4000M Reverse Osmosis System with UV is capable of removing drug residues and virtually all pharmaceutical contaminants from your drinking water.
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- Tap water has chlorine added to prevent contamination from germs and micro-organisms which is obviously important. However, chlorine has been linked to food allergies according to a US government study in 2005. Therefore, filtering your tap water removes both the chlorine AND the associated potential health risk.
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- When you are properly hydrated with purified water, your gut flora and fauna are healthier which improves digestion and absorption of nutrients from your food.
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- Purified water tastes better!
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- Filtering your own water and using a re-usable (glass) water bottle is much better for you and for the environment. Not only does it reduce on the amount of plastic waste and the carbon emissions from the bottled water industry, but it also prevents you from being exposed to the plastic contaminants from the packaging of the water.
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- It is much cheaper in the long run to have your own filtered water than to continue to buy bottled water.
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- Filtered water does not leave the build-up of limescale and residue that tap water uses. This has benefits for you as well as your appliances – you will notice that when you shower, your skin feels much softer, you need less soap or shampoo and your skin won’t feel dry and itchy after a bath.
