Point of use purifiers

Important criteria to consider when selecting a home water filter

• Performance – does the water filter do an exceptional job at removing both living contaminants (bacteria and viruses) and non-living contaminants (toxic metals like lead and copper).
• Affordability – What’s the up the front cost of the unit – How much are replacement filters – What’s the total cost of ownership (price per liter of filtered water).
• Quality – Is the unit durable, and is it backed by a guarantee.

There is only so much that a municipal water filtration system can do. They protect us from diseases like typhoid. They remove mud, dirt, raw sewage and other more offensive foreign objects like dead animals that fall into reservoirs and lakes. They remove heavy metals, rocks and a lot of minerals. They test the water to make sure that the level of contaminants is not toxic.

Most public water works use chemicals to kill bacteria and to disinfect. Chlorine is most commonly used. The chemical disinfection process releases byproducts into drinking water that are hazardous to a person’s health. In the case of chlorine, the byproducts are referred to as THMs. They are known as carcinogens which mean they cause cancer. Environmental Protection Agency standards limit the THM content to 80 parts per billion. Beyond that level, THMs are considered toxic and can cause nerve damage and other health conditions. The public water filtration system cannot remove the by-products. They can only test the water to see if the level is too high.

That brings us to the second problem. Just because it is tested by our public officials doesn’t always mean its safe.  The “safe” requirement does not take several things into account. The toxic level is aggregated for an adult that weighs 175 pounds, so if you weigh less, there is a greater threat. Tests are performed before the water enters the pipes that lead to your home, so the concentration of the byproducts could be higher by the time it reaches you.