Common US Tap Water Contaminants: The Concerns That Affect Everyone

The expression “You don’t miss the water until the well runs dry” is true. America’s tap water has experienced numerous safety incidents in recent years; these incidents have a direct impact on the lives of the locals.

The Environmental Protection Agency wants to reduce the lead action level from 15 to 10 parts per billion, and the Biden administration proposed a $30 billion plan to remove 9 million lead pipes over a ten-year period to reduce lead exposure. This action addresses past neglect and comes in response to updated lead pipe inventories. It also shows how serious the U.S. government is about water purification systems and water pollution solutions.

According to a report from the Environmental Working Group (EWG) , 218 million people drink tap water that has been contaminated to varying degrees by the toxic element hexavalent chromium . It is clear how many different pollutants are in our drinking water.

Concerns about the safety and quality of tap water are becoming increasingly known. Regarding the quality of the water, we drink daily, we cannot wait to act. So where does the tap water come from? What kind of contaminants are created during the process? Where to find out? How to handle it?

We must determine the source of the water before we can fully understand the water pollution solutions.

Surface water and groundwater are the main sources of tap water in the United States. Water must travel from sources such as ponds, reservoirs, springs, rivers, lakes, streams, and wells to get to our taps. Water treatment plant filters collect water, supply it with water pumps, and then distribute it via pipes to all outlets in our houses.

But this process has a lot of contaminants. Concerns include microbial contaminants, aging pipes and infrastructure that cause heavy metal contamination, chlorine left over from water treatment, and pollution from the industrial and agricultural wastewater that enters the water source.

As we can see, it is difficult to supply potable water using this system alone. It might not always be safe to drink, even the best tap water in the US.

The primary contaminants found in our everyday drinking water can be divided into four categories: inorganic matter, which includes heavy metals like lead and mercury; microorganisms, which include bacteria, viruses, and parasites; radioactive substances, which include uranium and radium; chlorine, which is a byproduct of the water treatment process. Besides, Organic contaminants include industrial and agricultural pollution (e.g., pesticides and herbicides), and leachate from household products, like PFAS .

However, consuming these substances or being around them can have some extremely specific effects on our bodies.

In order to clean municipal water systems, chlorine is frequently used. Insignificant amounts don’t really hurt, but too much chlorinated water or its byproducts can be harmful to your health. Long-term contact with the byproducts may raise the risk of cancer and cause skin and vision irritations.

Older pipe networks and facilities, particularly those that have undergone pipe replacement or old infrastructure projects, contain lead. Although slightly elevated lead levels in the body may be normal, more lead in water can cause learning difficulties, developmental delays, and even hearing loss in children. They can also cause abdominal pain, constipation, and fatigue.

Chemical plant proximity and industrial pollution sites are frequent locations for PFAS in water. It is hard to break down and is utilized in firefighting foams and anti-fouling paints, among other waterproofing and anti-fouling materials. It may be an endocrine disruptor , linked to the immune system, thyroid, cholesterol, and other issues. It makes some cancers more likely to occur. Extended consumption has been associated with health issues in expectant mothers and their babies

Natural water supplies typically contain fluoride, but many localities also add fluoride in water which supplies to prevent tooth decay. When used sparingly, fluoride is beneficial to your teeth; however, too much of it can cause dental fluorosis or problems with your bones. So home water filtration system seeks to solve how to remove fluoride from water and get fluoride-free water.

Apart from the aforementioned primary contaminants, there exist multiple other contaminants. For instance, untreated animal excrement may harbor bacteria and viruses if it leaks into sources of drinking water. These may result in nausea, diarrhea, and other gastrointestinal issues, as well as more severe diseases.

There are numerous ways for us locals to observe the water quality in real time. These methods have some reference value, even though they contain some errors when compared to professional appraisal departments and organizations.

If you’re a pragmatist. After that, you can purchase water test strips for home water quality online or at physical specialty stores. The test strip’s color changes when submerged in tap water in accordance with the directions providing a broad indication of the degree and kind of contamination in the water.

Comparably, there is a wide range of home water test kits on the market that typically check for common pollutants like lead, chlorine, and hardness ( calcium and magnesium ions). These tests will yield somewhat more accurate results than a standard test strip. Naturally, if you have the money, you can gather a sample of the water and send it to a licensed laboratory for more thorough analysis.

You can get the information you need more quickly and easily by visiting the websites of your state and local health or environmental protection departments. There you can find water quality reports and any health notices that apply to your area.

If you are interested, you can also anticipate the launch of a page on our brand website that will let you search for nearby contaminants by zip code. We’re testing this feature now, but soon you’ll be able to open our interface and use the query function to find out at any time what pollutants are in the water supply in your neighborhood. An essential component of attaining information transparency about drinking water quality.

Another name for the reverse osmosis system is water purifier. PP cotton, activated carbon RO membrane, and other materials make up most of the cartridge. The water filtered by RO is potable, meaning it is pure H2O, and the filtration accuracy is 0.00001 micron.

RO is an efficient method of eliminating bacteria, viruses, scale, heavy metal ions, odors, sludge, colloids, suspended materials, and humus from water. TDS is typically lower in RO water purifier-filtered water. Both boiling and drinking straight from the RO filter are options for this type of water. The kettle or electric heater will no longer scale, which is the most noticeable feature.

Long-term ingestion of RO cartridge-purified water won’t have any negative effects on the body because it is membrane-filtered water that is free of harmful substances.

PFAS, fluoride, heavy metals, salts, and large particulates are just a few of the contaminants that the Waterdrop G3P800 efficiently removes through its nine-stage filtration process, which is SGS -certified. It has a high-capacity filtration unit that minimizes wastewater by producing up to 800 gallons of water per day with a 3:1 purity-to-drain ratio.

By eliminating up to 99.9% of germs, UV germicidal technology increases the efficiency of filtration. It also includes a smart tap that continuously measures TDS in water and water quality for convenience.

The system has lead-free and TDS reduction certifications from NSF/ANSI 58 and NSF 372 . Leave it to clean your water every day; it’s the smart thing to do.

Admired for its creative design and relied upon by over 2,000,000 American families, the Waterdrop G3P600 is a well-liked tankless water filtration system for home . Its many features include an efficient 2:1 pure-to-waste ratio that saves water bills, the capacity to produce 600 gallons of water per day with a rapid water flow, and the ability to fill an 8 oz cup in just 8 seconds.

SGS testing has shown that the 8-stage filtration method greatly reduces a variety of contaminants, such as chemicals, heavy metals, and TDS.

The system also comes with a smart display tap that offers real-time information on water quality and filter replacement requirements. Certifications for the G3P600 include compliance with FCC , EU, and UK, CA safety standards as well as NSF/ANSI 58 for TDS reduction and NSF/ANSI 372 for lead-free components.