Do You Need a Household Water Filter to Protect Your Family?

Your needs for a household water filter depend on the contaminants in your area. A lot has to do with where you live and the source your local government uses to supply the public's needs. Treatment facilities are required to publish a consumer confidence report on an annual basis. That information can help you choose a filter.

Not all contaminants are listed on the consumer confidence report. The Environmental Protection Agency is responsible for creating a list of hazardous contaminants. EPA scientists are charged with calculating an acceptable contaminant level.

Most of us would prefer a "zero" contaminant level. While that (or something very close to it) is possible in a person's home, it is an impossible goal for large scale treatment facilities.

In order to achieve a zero contaminant level or even something close, the flow rate would need to be reduced to a point that would be unacceptable. A facility could be responsible for meeting the needs of thousands of homes and businesses. They must be able to pump out millions of gallons per hour.

In the home, a slight reduction in pressure or flow is acceptable, particularly in sink water filters. Filling up a container to meet your drinking needs may take a few seconds longer, but most people don't have a problem with that.

The flow rate becomes more of a concern in the shower or when whole house filters are used. The better showerhead filter provides a flow rate of 2.5 gallons per minute. Increased pressurization is often achieved, depending on the type of showerhead selected.

Neither a whole house nor a showerhead filter will address the presence of cysts; illness causing parasitic contaminants resistant to conventional disinfection methods. In order to remove cysts, a narrow channel less than one micron in size must be included. Only faucet or sink water filters contain those narrow channels.

Cysts are not always listed on a consumer confidence report, although they may be present at any time according to the EPA. The arrival of cysts is sporadic. There may be none present one day. There may be thousands per liter the next.

The biggest risk of cyst consumption is to the very old, the very young, those recovering from cancer treatments and others with weakened immune systems. The EPA advises those people to either invest in a household water filter with the sub-micron sized channel or to boil everything they drink.

Other hazardous contaminants not listed on the report include perchlorate and a variety of prescription drugs. Independent studies have shown perchlorate and/or traces of drugs are present in practically all areas of the country. The scientists say the risk of consumption is unclear. Their biggest concerns are for infants and children. The maximum contaminant levels created by EPA scientists are based on what a 170 pound adult could consume without suffering any ill side effects. There is another set of MCLs for children. But, those are not always published.

The best thing to do when buying a household water filter is to look for one that removes the widest range of contaminants. Better safe than sorry.

Gordon Hall is fervent about enabling you and everyone to live a healthy lifestyle, and is an ardent reviewer of Water Purification Systems. Visit his website now at Water-Safe-And-Pure.com to discover which Water Purification Systems Gordon recommends after far ranging comparisons.