Why Filtered Tap Water Is Your Best Drinking Water Option

Although the UN recognised it as a human right officially in 2010 , access to clean, safe drinking water is a privilege not afforded to everybody. According to the World Health Organization , there are currently 844 million people on the planet who can’t consistently access a clean water source. Having clean, disease-free tap water at your disposal is a great privilege. Filtering your tap water can remove more trace impurities, and give you a healthier, more environmentally conscious drinking water choice.

Many people have the impression that mineral water is the purest, healthiest water to drink; and to be fair, that’s the way the media frequently presents it to us. In 2005, ABC News interviewed Americans about their water drinking habits. People overwhelmingly preferred bottled water over ordinary tap water. However, studying where mineral water comes from, is composed of, and the waste it generates, shows that it’s not really the healthy choice advertising has led us to believe.

Mineral Water

The first point to make about mineral water is how harmful it can be to the environment. The plastic bottles aren’t biodegradable, and if they’re burned they produce a poisonous gas. Frequently, they are just tossed into a garbage bin and end up in a landfill, where they will lie for hundreds of years into the future. This aside, is the actual water itself any healthier, or tastier, than unfiltered tap water? Not really, no. We are led to believe that by drinking this water we’ll be healthier and free of contaminants. And the most frequent reasons cited for preferring bottled water over tap water are pretty much what the advertisers told us: that bottled water is more convenient than tap water, the taste and/or smell of tap water is offensive, and that tap water is unhealthy on some level.

Many people say that they drink mineral water because they consider it to be a fashion statement or lifestyle choice. They feel that being seen drinking mineral water says something important about them as a person, or about their character and social status. Mineral water companies take advantage of this by producing bottles in different shapes and colors to increase their aesthetic appeal.

Naturally one of the major disadvantages of purchasing mineral water regularly is the price, which is massive compared with the cost of essentially free tap water. For that expense, you would expect healthy, pure water filled with lots of healthy minerals. However, several studies found that the tap water and bottled water in most major cities in North America were actually both quite surprisingly low in mineral content. Numerous studies have found that when it comes to safety, bacteria levels, and taste, there is really quite a  minimal difference between the two different types of water. In at least half of all of the brands of mineral water sold, the liquid is actually taken from the same source as the local tap water.

Tap Water

In North America, physicians will generally advise you to drink tap water rather than mineral water. Municipal tap water must follow much more stringent regulations than bottled water. The history of tap water filtration explains how this came about, and what filtration methods have been used over the years to ensure that the city water is as free of contaminants as it can be. The reports the EPA produce are a matter of public record, an freely available to all.

Although advertising will tell us differently, double blind taste tests have shown multiple times that most people taste no difference between mineral water and tap water. People who stated originally that they like the taste of mineral water better have often preferred the taste of tap water over expensive brands of mineral water in these blind taste tests.

Tap water contains small amounts of chlorine that kill any bacteria that it might pick up on the way to your tap. Bottled water may not contain chlorine, so it could develop harmful bacteria. This is particularly true if the bottles sit on shelves or in warehouses for long periods of time, or if they are touched by multiple human hands on their journey to your fridge. Tap water also contains trace minerals like calcium and magnesium that are particularly healthy for your body.

Filtered Tap Water

This is not to say that tap water is perfectly pure either; it may contain contaminants, like various trace toxins, lead from old pipes, and sometimes even trace levels of asbestos. Filtering your tap water can ensure that harmful trace contaminants are removed, making it even that much safer. It does this without stripping the water of healthy minerals. In addition, filtration often gives the water a fresher, more pleasant taste. As the filtered water is free of toxins and contaminants, it will leave you and all who drink it healthier, better hydrated, and more energetic, whether they are family, pets, friends, or customers.

The cost of a home or business filtration system is much less than the hundreds of dollars a year you could spend on bottled water if you drink it every day, and does not generate billions of waste plastic bottles every year, many of which end up unrecycled in landfills, or polluting streams and waterways. In fact, filtered water can often reduce waste. By removing more trace minerals and trace metals than simple tap water, filtered water may extend the lifespan of your appliances by preventing buildup.

Now that you’re aware of the comparable facts concerning mineral water, tap water, and filtered tap water, you know that filtered tap water is clearly the healthier choice, and is much cheaper and better for the environment than purchasing bottled water on a regular basis.

At efilters.net we will ensure that you get the best filtration system for your needs, whether it’s for your home, food-service establishment, or convenience store. We have several types of filtration systems, including Combination CSR Systems and Reverse Osmosis Systems . Fill out the Connect With Us page, or send us an email, and we will fit you with the best filtration system for your needs.