So, Which Water?
by Phillip Day

There is a lot of snobbery about water. Commercial rivalries rear their heads as the western world gradually awakens to the reality of medicated, polluted water and the need to do something about it. The water boards insist their water is safe (why wouldn't they?), and write off such 'scaremongering' as a ploy to create problems to sell water filters. Some of these are the same water boards tipping industrial fluoride poisons into the water supply and convincing themselves they are doing the public a service. Such is life.

Water contaminants
Below are list of the more common contaminants found in water supplies all over the western world.

Chlorine
Fluoride
Trihalomethanes
Nitrates
Hormones (and medications)
Petrol and MTBE
Bacteria, viruses and
Other micro-organisms

One point often missed is the non-ionised mineralisation of the water which the body finds hard to assimilate. Much of this will be sludge the body has to deal with along with the rest of the pollutants. A simple electrolysis test of the water will precipitate soluents out of solution so they will be visible. While the ugly mass resulting is sometimes misinterpreted as 'all pollution', there is an ionised mineral content which the body is able to use. The problem though has been to separate any useable mineral content from the rest of the junk.

While it is true to state that most tap water is 'fresher' than its bottled water counterpart, tap water is nevertheless recycled and often pollutants are not taken out. Years of birth control pills and endless prescriptions for Prozac, Paxil, etc. end up down the toilet in the urine and faeces and these hormones and drugs are often detectable in water supplies after the water is supposed to have been treated. It has long been untrue that drinking tap water is 'safe' over the long haul, and even more so if your supplies have been fluoridated or chlorinated.

Filtration solutions
It is my belief that not too many years from now, the world will see houses built with in-house filtration systems as standard. Point-of-use (POU) filtration is the most reliable way to ensure the quality and freshness of the water you are drinking. Let's take a quick look at water supply alternatives.

Supermarket (bottled) water
…contains reasonably high mineral content (250-400 ppm), a lot of which the body is not able to use (non-ionised). This water has sat around for a while and often is not as fresh as the providers would have you believe. Also, several recent scandals have highlighted that, far from being the 'spring water' advertised, the bottling company merely took the neighbourhood water supply and ran it through a carbon filter before filling the bottles and slapping on the scenic labels. Avoid plastic bottles, especially the flexible ones, which contain plasticiser chemicals which mimic the female hormone estrogen. Glass bottles, while awkward, do not give off this problem. Bottled water is inconveniently expensive, and you end up with arms like an orang-utan after all those trips to the corner-store.

Carbon filtration
These filters are inexpensive and available from your neighbourhood DIY store. The common ones are either stand-alone units (you pour the water in at the top, and the cleaner stuff comes out at the bottom), or counter-top units which attach to the tap/faucet in the kitchen and filter the water as it passes through. Carbon filters are good at removing most of the chlorine in countries like America and Canada where the water is heavily polluted with this halogen. You end up with tastier water, but any fluorides, heavy metals, hormones and micro-organisms remain untouched.

Distillation
The nectar of many health gurus. Lots of problems, I'm afraid. In distillation, the water is boiled, evaporated, then the vapour condensed, thus removing all soluents and leaving pure water. Sounds too good to be true, right? It is. Dr Joseph Mercola explains:

'Distilled water is free of dissolved minerals and, because of this, has the special property of being able actively to absorb toxic substances from the body and eliminate them. Studies validate the benefits of drinking distilled water when one is seeking to cleanse or detoxify the system for short periods of time (a few weeks at a time).

Fasting using distilled water can be dangerous because of the rapid loss of electrolytes (sodium, potassium, chloride) and trace minerals like magnesium, deficiencies of which can cause heart beat irregularities and high blood pressure. Cooking foods in distilled water pulls the minerals out of them and lowers their nutrient value.

Distilled water is an active absorber and when it comes into contact with air, it absorbs carbon dioxide, making it acidic. The more distilled water a person drinks, the higher the body acidity becomes.

The most toxic commercial beverages that people consume (i.e. cola beverages and other soft drinks) are made from distilled water. Studies have consistently shown that heavy consumers of soft drinks (with or without sugar) spill huge amounts of calcium, magnesium and other trace minerals into the urine.

Not good, then. According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, 'Distilled water, being essentially mineral-free, is very aggressive, in that it tends to dissolve substances with which it is in contact. Notably, carbon dioxide from the air is rapidly absorbed, making the water acidic and even more aggressive. Many metals are dissolved by distilled water.'

Reverse osmosis filtration (RO)
… is my filtration system of choice, the most bang for your buck. First pioneered by the French in 1748, RO is used today for manned space programs, desalination of sea water as well as use in heavy industry where the purest, most stable water is required.

How RO works
The RO membrane is extremely fine and selective about what it allows through. Water, due to its small molecular size, passes through easily, while soluent contaminants become trapped. Water will typically be present on both sides of the membrane, with each side having a different concentration of dissolved minerals. On the Science - How Stuff Works web-site, we read:

'Since the water in the less concentrated solution seeks to dilute the more concentrated solution, water will pass through the membrane from the lower concentration side to the greater concentration side. Eventually, osmotic pressure will counter the diffusion process exactly, and an equilibrium will form.

The process of reverse osmosis forces water with a greater concentration of contaminants (the source water) into a tank containing water with an extremely low concentration of contaminants (the processed water). High water pressure on the source side is used to 'reverse' the natural osmotic process, with the semi-permeable membrane still permitting the passage of water while rejecting most of the other contaminants. The specific process through which this occurs is called ion exclusion, in which a concentration of ions at the membrane surface from a barrier that allows other water molecules to pass through while excluding other substances.'

What does RO remove?
Reverse osmosis is used to remove a cross-section of health and aesthetic contaminants: Chlorine, fluorides, hormones, micro-organisms such as viruses and bacteria, heavy metals, and heavy industrial 'volatile' contaminants, such as benzene, trichloroethylene, trihalomethanes and radon. The Water Quality Association (WQA) cautions however that while RO membranes typically remove virtually all known micro-organisms and most other health contaminants, design considerations may prevent a unit from offering foolproof protection when incorporated into a consumer drinking water system. Always ensure the unit you buy has been tested successfully and approved by a quality testing laboratory.

What's in an RO system?
A reverse osmosis system for the house typically comprises:

· A low pressure storage tank
· Carbon and sediment pre-filtration units
· The reverse osmosis semi-permeable membrane
· Odour and taste control post carbon filter
· Connecting pipes and miscellaneous kit
· Instructions

The Water Review Technical Brief explains: 'Low pressure units typically provide between 24 and 35 gallons per day of water. Water purity can be as high as 95 percent of rejection. These systems can be highly affordable, under-sink units starting at about £699.00. These units produce water for a cost as low as five cents per gallon once maintenance and water costs are factored in. Maintenance usually requires replacing any pre- or postfilters (typically one to four times per year); and the reverse osmosis cartridge once every two to three years, depending on usage.'

Reverse Osmosis
Credence investigated several other filtration systems which were effective but considerably more money. Thankfully, since the above article was published, the price of good reverse osmosis systems has come down considerably (now around £260), making the process affordable and desirable for every household. Those with average DIY smarts should have no problem installing one if they follow the instructions. Those who prefer someone else to do the graft may call upon a local plumber to install. Filter changes are straightforward to carry out. The pre-carbon/sludge filters are changed the most regularly (every six months) while the RO membrane and odour and taste control cartridge last far longer. A TDS meter (total dissolved solids measuring device) is sometimes included with the kit, along with the instructions, so water may be periodically tested for purity, and notification learned of any degradation of the filters.

Conclusion
There is no more important substance for good health than water. Your body cries out for it, your blood is made up of it, nerves, heart, lungs, bowels and brain do not function without it, yet we answer the body's thirst signals with tea, coffee, Fanta, Diet Coke, Budweiser and drugs! Hardly any wonder most western nations have a pub/bar culture to deal with the ravening thirst of their citizens.

Many illnesses respond well to adequate hydration, according to the experts. Mental performance is enhanced. Limbs operate. Blood thinned. Pain banished. Bowels happy. Skin lustrous and clear. Toxins flushed away. Water, the stuff for life.

Are you getting enough of it?

May I finish by wholeheartedly recommending every thirst-wracked body read Dr Batmanghelidj's masterful Water and Salt book (see overleaf). Dr Batman is right to anticipate his glorious findings will open the sluice gates of a new understanding in medical science. Which, if one pauses to ponder, might be the ultimate irony.

Two atoms of hydrogen, and one of oxygen.

Set to flood the world with its substance.

Again.

Further Resources
Books:
Water - The Stuff of Life (booklet) by Phillip Day
Water and Salt - Your Healers From Within by F Batmanghelidj

Click here to purchase or review any of the above.
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RO Filters: Click here if you wish to contact Credence for further information.