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Is tap water safe to drink? I’m not too sure. Recently the EPA announced that they are ramping up their efforts to decrease PFOA and PFOS levels in our drinking water. The EPA reported that it was previously thought that the current limits were acceptable, but newly reviewed research indicates just the opposite. It was a quick announcement on my local news channel and not given any great importance. Such a small soundbite for something so important.
There was no discussion about what consumers should do to reduce their exposure to PFOA and PFOS in local tap water. Guess they didn’t want to create public panic.
What are PFOA and PFOS?
PFOS and PFOA stand for perfluorooctane sulfonate and perfluorooctanoic acid. Both are industrial run offs from the manufacture of such household items as Teflon products, stain resistant carpeting, polish and paper and packaging for food.
How PFOA and PFOS affect your health
These industrial chemicals are linked to cancer, birth defects, heart disease, weakened immune system and other illness.
EPA’s health advisory explains the health risk:
“…exposure to PFOA and PFOS over certain levels may result in adverse health effects, including developmental effects to fetuses during pregnancy or to breastfed infants (e.g., low birth weight, accelerated puberty, skeletal variations), cancer (e.g., testicular, kidney), liver effects (e.g., tissue damage), immune effects (e.g., antibody production and immunity), thyroid effects and other effects (e.g., cholesterol changes). https://www.epa.gov/ground-water-and-drinking-water/drinking-water-health-advisories-pfoa-and-pfos
Here’s the link to consumer watchdog, Environmental Working Group’s (EWG) interactive map to see if your city’s water supply has tested positive for PFOA and PFOS. https://www.ewg.org/interactive-maps/2015-teflon-chemical-harmful-at-smallest-doses-lower-48.php The areas in white are the areas that have not been tested for PFOA and PFOS.
Can I Just Switch to Bottled Water?
Why not just switch to using all bottled water? Well, that brings another question to mind. Are the bottled water companies using and filtering the same public water. Are they removing all the chemicals? Here’s what EWG has to say about bottled water:
“The industry’s lack of information on source, purity and treatment of bottled water isn’t some coincidence,” said Jane Houlihan, EWG’s senior vice president for research. “Bottled water companies try hard to hide any information consumers may find troubling. They don’t tell where the water comes from and what pollutants they may have found. Their ads depict mountain streams and natural springs. Yet nearly half the time, according to the industry’s own statistics, they’re bottling tap water.”
Aside from lack of disclosure from bottled water companies, there’s also the issue of plastic bottles not decomposing and cluttering our eco system.
You could probably do a better job of filtering your own water by making an informed decision. Because of the EPA’s recent announcement, I think it’s time to start researching ways to filter my own water.
Consider Using a Low Cost Water Pitcher for your Home Water Needs
If you’re like me and not ready to commit to a whole home filtration system or can’t afford one, maybe you should consider using countertop water pitcher filtration systems. I also looked at filters for the water faucet. The problem with that was most Filters that attach to the faucet don’t work with most sprayer type faucets (which I have and I love my current faucet and not ready to make a switch). And whole home systems are a little pricey for me at this time.
Water pitchers offer you a lower initial investment cost for water purification. They’re portable. You can move the fridge or leave on the counter. No installation required.
If you choose to start off with a water pitcher, it’s best to go with products that are certified by a third party. Certified manufacturers are required to provide a Performance Data Sheet, listing contaminants reduced. If a water filter or treatment system is not certified, you have no way of really knowing the validity of their claims.
Certified Manufacturers are required to have the filter certified to the appropriate NSF/ANSI standard. The three certifying organizations are NSF International, WQA (Water Quality Association) and UL (Underwriters Laboratories).
Here are water pitchers and stand alone counter top units currently certified by the NSF to remove PFOA and PFOS (NSF Protocol P473) and other water contaminants:
Clearly Filtered Water Pitcher
Clearly Filtered Water Pitcher – Guaranteed to remove chemicals such as Fluoride, Lead, PFOA/PFAS, Glyphosate & even Pharmaceuticals; 1.9 Liters
Each Pitcher includes (1) Filter manufactured in the USA
Remove Fluoride, Lead, BPA, Glyphosate, Hormones & over 220 tap water impurities
Retains the essential minerals & nutrients in the water
100% BPA Free medical-grade Tritan materials
Capacity 64oz or 1/2 gallon (1.9 liters)
Datasheet for all the chemicals removed by their water pitcher filters found here
Cost: $75.00
Filter Capacity: 100 Gallons
Filter Replacement: $49.95
Epic Pure Water Pitcher
Epic Pure Water Filter Pitcher | 100% BPA-Free | Removes over 200 contaminants including Fluoride, Lead, Chromium 6, PFOS PFOA, Heavy Metals, Microorganisms, Pesticides, Chemicals, Industrial Pollutants & More | 3.5L Epic’s pitcher is American-made ; tested and exceeds NSF/ANSI Standards 42, 53, 401, & P473 for contaminant reduction
See data sheet for complete results.
Cost: $54.95
Filter Capacity: 150 Gallons
Filter Replacement: $44.95
AquaTru Countertop Water Purification System
Power Activated
Certified to NSF Standards by IAMPO to remove 15X more contaminants than the leading pitcher filters — removing such poisons as Lead 99.1%, Chromium 97.2%, Copper 95.2%, Fluoride 93.5%, Radium 96.4%, and Chlorine 96.6% (to name a few). AquaTru is designed to remove 1000’s of pollutants that could be in your tap water.
NO PLUMBING OR INSTALLATION required – takes less than 3 minutes to set up. AquaTru’s Reverse Osmosis (RO) countertop system costs less than a fully installed under-the-counter RO systems.
The tap water tank holds about a gallon of water. The clean water tank holds about 3 quarts of purified water.
System uses three different filters. Change VOC filter after approximate 600 gallons and remaining filters changed after 1200 gallons.
Cost: $426.00
Filter Capacity: 1200 Gallons
Filter Replacement: $100.00
Visit Aqua Tru Water
A O Smith Clean Water Machine
Power Activiated
Advanced Filtration – Reduces up to 99% of 77 harmful contaminants including lead, mercury, asbestos, pesticides, pharmaceuticals, chlorine, and more.
Filter lasts 320 gallons or 6 months. Annual replacement filter cost of $60 or less.
Full system NSF Certified to standards 42, 53, and 401 +P473.
Includes filtration dock, dispenser, one Claryum filter, and glass carafe. Simply plug into the nearest outlet for powered active filtration. No installation required.
Product specifications listed here: https://www.aosmithatlowes.com/products/water-filters/drinking-water/ao-cwm/
Cost: $129.00
Filter Capacity: 365 Gallons
Filter Replacement: $29.98
Available at Lowe’s
Visit Lowes https://www.lowes.com/pd/A-O-Smith-The-Clean-Water-Machine/1000562053
Aquasana Clean Water Machine
Power Activiated
Professional grade filtration removes 99% of lead and asbestos, as well as 96% of chlorine, chloramines and 73 other harmful contaminants. NSF Certified to Standards 42, 53, 401 + P473 for claims specified on the Performance Data Sheet
The system features a slim profile to maximize counter space.
The 16-cup dispenser provides on-demand filtered water at the touch of a button.
The slender 8-cup (1/2 gallon) pitcher easily fits in your fridge door.
Performance Data Sheet http://cdn.aquasana.com/assets/AQ-CWM_Performance_Data.pdf
Cost: $129.00
Filter Capacity 320 gallons
Filter Replacement $59.99 for a two pack
Visit Aquasana https://www.aquasana.com/clean-water-machine
Ideally, it would be great to have a whole home system so you don’t have to worry about washing dishes, clothes and bathing in toxic water. But this is one small step in taking charge of your own health and water needs. My personal goal is to eventually purchase a whole home system and I will share my research with you in a separate post.
Are you concerned about your city’s tap water? If so, what solutions have you discovered?
