Clean Water
The water we drink, cook, or bathe with is susceptible to pollution from numerous industries, including the military and contamination with disinfection by-products, agricultural runoff, firefighting foams, pharmaceutical and personal care products, improper hazardous chemical disposal, or naturally occurring substances.
Most Americans receive their drinking water from municipal water systems which are regulated by the Safe Water Drinking Act (SWDA),which sets regulations for approximately 90 different contaminants. About 10% are using well water, which is not regulated by the SWDA.
Research Your Tap Water
Information about contaminants in municipal water systems can be obtained by contacting those entities via Environmental Working Group's Tap Water Database. Well water should be tested yearly for bacteria, nitrates, and other substances depending on local conditions.
Even after your water has met the requirements of the SWDA or passed well water testing, additional approaches should be considered for purifying water optimally. This is because there is debate in the scientific community regarding safe levels of contaminants, especially for vulnerable populations.
Unfortunately, bottled water can also have contaminants, such as Arsenic, according to a recent analysis from Consumer Reports.
What you can do:
- Test well water yearly for bacteria, nitrates, and other substances (dependent on local conditions).
- Filter/treat water for best purity
- Store/drink water and other ingested liquids in non-plastic containers, such as, stainless steel or glass
- Be aware that bottled water isn’t necessarily cleaner than tap or well water
