Water & Air – Filter Systems News

Until now, I was struggling with a topic for today’s blog post. This one is going to be very brief; I thought it was so outrageous that it deserved a featured spot in The Filtered Files.

Last year, we wrote a post on the top 10 most disturbing things in our drinking water. “Crickets” held the number one spot for the worst contaminant ever found in bottled water. The lesson learned was – don’t drink bottled water. Contrary to what the bottled water industry would have you believe, it is no better in terms of taste, quality or safety, than tap water. In fact, most bottled water is nothing more than filtered tap. Aquafina and Dasani are both, admittedly, municipally-sourced.

Well, I just ran across an article headline that makes the bottled water industry look like a saint. “Man Sues Over Mouse in His Energy Drink Can.” The article was posted on April 1, but sadly, this is not an April Fool’s Joke. Crickets in bottled water is nothing when you consider that Stuart Little may have died inside the can of Monster you bought at the convenience store a few minutes ago. I’d think twice before “Unleashing that Monster.”

The moral of the story: drink filtered tap water.

Today, the Environmental Protection Agency‘s administrator, Lisa Jackson, will ask a Senate panel to set a limit for perchlorate in drinking water. Perchlorate is both naturally-occurring and man-made, and is used to produce rocket fuel, pyrotechnics and explosives. Despite the chemical being linked to thyroid problems in young children and pregnant women, perchlorate is not yet regulated by the EPA.

Tap water monitoring in 2001, 2003 and 2005 showed that the water of 26 states contained the rocket fuel chemical. The EPA’s decision to regulate perchlorate actually reverses a 2008 decision in which they decided not to regulate the chemical. Now, further research by independent scientists and the National Academy of Sciences has led the agency to campaign for perchlorate regulation. This decision does not mean that perchlorate will be regulated by water utilities or public water systems nationwide; rather, now that perchlorate has been listed as a regulated contaminant in the Safe Drinking Water Act, the agency must issue a National Primary Drinking Water Regulation. Once that is finalized, many public water systems will have to comply with the regulation. It could take as many as two years to see full compliance of perchlorate regulation.

Perchlorate may impair the thyroid’s ability to produce hormones that are critical to developing infants and fetuses. According to the EPA’s press release on perchlorate, between 5-17 million people may be drinking water contaminated with perchlorate. For more information about the chemical, visit the EPA’s perchlorate page.

To ensure your family is safe from the dangers of perchlorate in drinking water, you may consider installing a reverse osmosis system to reduce perchlorate and other contaminants in your water. What a reverse osmosis system removes is dependent on the type of RO membrane used. Filters Fast currently carries four membranes that will reduce perchlorate. Please contact us to see if you can use one of these membranes in your existing RO system: sales@filtersfast.com; 1-866-438-3458.

Pentek ROM230-T, ROM-230TN RO Membrane

Watts Zero Waste Reverse Osmosis Membrane

TFC-RS12-10/ERO-300 7098169 RO Membrane

Culligan TFM-50-A Reverse Osmosis Membrane

UPDATE: According to the EPA website, they are currently developing a proposed national primary drinking water regulation for perchlorate to be reviewed publicly in 2013.

Optimal pH is the key to good health. Squeezing fresh lemon into your water can naturally increase its pH level.

A couple of weeks ago, the U.S. admitted there was too much fluoride in water, resulting in an increase in cases of mild dental fluorosis among children. Days later, an editorial in the Washington Post examined the risk of cavities from drinking filtered and bottled water that doesn’t contain fluoride. With all of this confusion, it’s hard to determine the best way to ensure healthy teeth and bones for all. While reading the Washington Post article, I couldn’t help but think it was a little biased. After all, the writer expresses that her concerns over drinking filtered water arrived while she was visiting her dentist who told her about the supposed dangers of not drinking fluoridated water. Well, of course your dentist is going to tell you that fluoride is necessary and good for you.  One writer, in response to this article, suggested that it “comes off as an ADA propaganda piece,” and I would have to agree. But if fluoride is not the solution to cavities, then what is?

Two interesting responses to this article came up in my e-mail feeds last week, and though the fluoride debate has, perhaps, been beaten to death, I thought the implications from both of them seemed worthy of sharing. One of the responses came from Xenophilia, “a science, technology, politics, arts and strange events news blog” serving over 1.5 million readers. Xeno argues that the lack of fluoride is not what causes cavities. Rather, it is the American diet which promotes the intake of sugars and simple carbohydrates. These sugars support the growth of certain species of bacteria that make acid. It is acid that breaks down enamel and leads to cavities and gum disease. The solution is restoring the natural balance of “good” and “bad” bacteria in the mouth – a.k.a. probiotics. Probiotics have had gastrointestinal applications for years, but they are now breaking into the oral market with toothpastes, mints and oral care products that contain ProBiora3, a natural ingredient that promotes the balance of good and bad bacteria in the mouth. The takeaway? Harmful bacteria produces lactic acid, which breaks down tooth enamel. The key to good dental health is promoting a non-acidic environment…

Which leads me to the next response to the Washington Post article, released by PR Newswire. Evamor, a bottled alkaline water manufacturer educates consumers on the dental benefits of alkaline water. Alkaline water has a non-acidic pH of 8 or higher. Once again, we see a common theme: cavity-causing bacteria create acidic environments, so exposing your teeth and gums to water that has a basic pH will neutralize the acid in the mouth that causes cavities. While we don’t normally promote bottled water, the piece states: “With a pH level at 8.8, Evamor also aids in combating excess acids introduced by the modern diet loaded with sugars, preservatives and fats.” Alkaline water has been said to promote overall bodily health, in addition to supporting the growth of strong teeth and bones. It is fluoride-free, but who needs fluoride, when you can beat cavities the natural way, and NOT run the risk of fluorosis. A healthy diet, rich in foods that promote a basic pH, combined with the moderate consumption of alkaline water, to keep your overall body pH at a healthy level (between 7.2 and 7.6, is optimal, if I’m not mistaken), is the key to preventing cavities, fluorosis, and many other diseases.

It’s worth trying out, at least…

We are not saying you should go buy a case of Evamor tomorrow. Quite the contrary. There are better solutions than further contributing to the plastic bottle waste on this planet. The first step is to test your water’s pH to find out where you are on the spectrum. Then you may want to consider some natural options for bringing your water’s alkalinity to the optimal level that don’t require you to spend thousands a year on plastic bottled water. Several sources state that adding a small amount of baking soda or fresh lemon to your water can increase its alkalinity. (Make sure you test the pH of the water again, before drinking it, however, to make sure you are adding the right amount.) If you’re going for alkaline water that is fluoride-free, consider filtering it through a reverse osmosis filter, before adding lemon or baking soda. Alternatively, you may choose to invest in a water ionizer system; however these are very expensive. Reverse osmosis filtered water with lemon, combined with a healthy diet, rich in foods that promote alkalinity, seems like the least expensive, and best way to get alkaline water that is fluoride-free.

Recent reports have indicated the presence of chromium vi, also known as hexavalent chromium, in the municipal water supplies of 31 cities across the U.S. This toxic compound is an industrial pollutant and is known to be carcinogenic. Currently, the most effective way to remove chromium-6 from water is reverse osmosis filtration.

However, yearly water quality reports fail to distinguish between chromium vi and chromium iii. While the former is toxic and cancer-causing, the latter is an essential nutrient that is biologically active and found in everyday foods. Chromium-3 or trivalent chromium, is known to enhance the action of insulin, a hormone needed to metabolize and store carbohydrate, fat and protein in the body. Researchers have investigated the effect of chromium-3 supplements on preventing the onset of type-2 diabetes, and though these studies are inconclusive, there is no doubt that trivalent chromium is an essential and healthy compound. Failing to distinguish between hexavalent chromium and trivalent chromium is, as one report notes, like “lump[ing] a known carcinogen in with a vitamin.”

The moral of the story? Make sure you test your water for hexavalent chromium, specifically. Since chromium iii is found in so many foods, removing it from your water, along with chromium vi, is likely inconsequential. Most water filters that remove hexavalent chromium are likely to remove trivalent chromium as well, and it’s worth removing both in order to reduce your exposure to chromium-6. But simply buying a water filter that claims to remove “chromium,” but does not specify which type, may end up doing you no good, if your goal is to reduce the toxic variety.

The good news is, since the discovery of chromium-6 in water supplies across the U.S., health officials have recognized the importance of specifying these details on yearly water reports and will likely do so, in order to ensure a higher level of reliability in the future.

IMAGE CREDIT: emerginggreen.wordpress.com

You wake up one morning,  head to the kitchen and place a tea bag in your cup. Are you drinking green, black, oolong? Or is that tea bag filled with activated carbon, leaving you not with tea but with clean drinking water?

The newly designed “Tea Bag Water Filter” does just that. The filter uses a basic tea bag design to contain activated carbon, which can remove chemical contaminants. This is why so many of our water filters use some form of carbon. Carbon can adsorb (not absorb) chlorine, lead, mercury, zinc and more, and it is  used in Brita pitchers, inline filters, fridge filters, RO systems and even air filters.

But the tea bag water filter doesn’t stop there. The prototype, designed by Stellenbosch University’s Professor Cloete, also uses a biocide on the outside of the bag to kill off bacteria. Cloete cautions that “all technology has its limits,” but he also says that they have yet to find a bacteria the tea bag water purifier can’t kill.

Perhaps the most attractive aspect of the water filter is its ease of use. The filter attaches to the neck of a standard water bottle, so you have only to place it in your bottle, fill it up, and you’ve got filtered water at your fingertips.

So where can you buy the tea bag water filter? Not at FiltersFast— yet. The tea bag water filter is currently in production, though Cloete is working with manufacturers and hopes to have a version ready for sale by next month.

When you do purchase the teabag filter, you might be able to take comfort in the fact that your purchase also supports clean water initiatives in developing countries. Cloete hopes that a surcharge can be added to the purchase price so that a portion of all sales will lessen costs of the units for citizens of developing countries who may not otherwise be able to afford them.

Update: It appears this filter is not widely available at online and retail stores. We will keep you posted.

The President Cancer’s Panel urges you to filter your home’s water. This PUR Faucet Filter is a Consumer Report’s Best Buy.

In a recent article on MSNBC’s site entitled “13 Everyday Ways to Avoid Cancer,” Richard Laliberte provides a dozen and one ways to decrease your chances of getting cancer. He begins the article with some great advice:

1. Filter your tap water
“You’ll reduce your exposure to known or suspected carcinogens and hormone-disrupting chemicals. A new report from the President’s Cancer Panel on how to reduce exposure to carcinogens suggests that home-filtered tap water is a safer bet than bottled water, whose quality often is not higher—and in some cases is worse—than that of municipal sources, according to a study by the Environmental Working Group. (Consumer Reports’ top picks for faucet-mounted filters: Culligan, Pur Vertical, and the Brita OPFF-100.) Store water in stainless steel or glass to avoid chemical contaminants such as BPA that can leach from plastic bottles.”

We wrote about the President’s Cancer Panel‘s report back in May. The 240-page report listed several different contaminants, and explained how they could enter not only our water, but also our air and soil as well. As Laliberte points out, the Cancer Panel recommends that you filter your tap water at home with a faucet water filter. The use of reusable water bottles to carry this water with you, such as the Klean Kanteen Stainless Steel Water Bottle, is also advised.

We carry the three faucet filters recommended by Consumer Reports that Laliberte mentions in the MSNBC article. The Culligan FM-15A Faucet Filter and PUR FM-3700 Faucet Filter were named best buys by Consumer Reports. The Brita OPFF-100 (also known as the Brita On Tap Faucet Filter) is also one of our more popular faucet water filters.

Most tap faucet filters install with little to no tools. Installing a water faucet filter is one of the easiest ways to filter your home’s drinking water. Be sure to read the rest of the article for a dozen more ways to avoid cancer!

As we know from previous posts, the International Bottled Water Association has made multiple efforts to save face in the wake of environmentalist criticism. Two recent lawsuits, one against Eco Canteen, and one against ZeroWater, may be the organization’s most desperate attempts yet. In fact, these might even deserve a spot next to Nestle Waters as some of the most ridiculous lawsuits of all time.

IBWA has accused both companies of making “false and misleading claims” in their advertisements. These include the claim that plastic bottles contain harmful chemicals like BPA that leech into water, or that bottled water is unsafe and the act of recycling single-use bottles releases toxic substances into the environment. IBWA was victorious in its lawsuit against Eco Canteen, a distributor of reusable, stainless-steel water bottles. ZeroWater, maker of a 5-stage ion exchange water filter, has agreed to settle peacefully by retracting any and all false claims.

Perhaps the IBWA simply can’t handle all of the bad press it has received from bottled water critics – which could explain their recent back-to-back release of several online videos that advocate bottled water as a “safe and healthy alternative.” While it is certainly an alternative to less healthy sugary beverages, some might argue that the presentation of bottled water as “safe and healthy” in and of itself is just as “false and misleading” as some of the advertising claims made by the defendants in both lawsuits. A quick glance at our list of the “Top 10 Most Disturbing Things in Our Water” reveals that not all bottled water is as “safe and healthy” as  companies claim. (Pay special attention to #5 and #1 on this list, and you’ll see what we mean.)

In defense of the IBWA, it is true that the claims made by ZeroWater and Eco Canteen were indeed misleading. Though BPA and phthalates are used in the manufacture of many reusable plastic bottles, they are not contained in the single-use varieties.  Moreover, not all bottled water is unsafe or unhealthy, and it is certainly healthier than soda. Still, we can’t discount the negative environmental effects of the tons of plastic waste that go unrecycled each year – of which, single-use plastic water bottles are a part (albeit small). Nor can we ignore the ridiculous costs associated with this supposedly more convenient product. Bottled water is expensive, and in many cases is nothing more than purified tap water – a natural commodity that can easily be obtained from the kitchen sink with the use of a faucet water filter, or a reverse osmosis filter, if you’re looking for more advanced filtration. It’s not rocket science; mere common sense will persuade the average consumer that filtered tap water is a safe alternative that is both tasty and eco-friendly.

Frankly, such desperation on the part of the IBWA just makes me sad. Who’s next? Annie Leonard?

Tiny, invisible shrimp.

I’m sure you weren’t expecting that one, were you?

As several of our posts over the last year  indicate, New York City is proud of its tap water, and with good reason. A company called Tap’d NY has bottled and successfully sold NYC tap water, and the Famous New York Baking Water Corp. has created a water filtration system that yields water similar to that of NYC tap. This water may be the secret ingredient in the famous New York style pizza. But what makes it so great?

Well, we aren’t sure, but recent evidence suggests that tiny invisible shrimp, called copepods may have something to do with it. While they don’t sound so appetizing, these little creatures are completely harmless. In fact, they are known to eat mosquito larvae.

If you’re Jewish, the water is definitely not kosher, so you might want to get a water filter if you live in NYC. Or if the idea of drinking shrimp juice just plain freaks you out, a recent article in Time Magazine affirms that most commercial water filters will do the trick.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), in partnership with the Department of Energy (DOE) has developed a new water quality software to improve our drinking water systems and ensure the safety of our nation’s water supply. The software is named “Canary,” perhaps taken from the phrase “canary in a coalmine“; when one canary dies down below, miners are alerted to evacuate immediately.

The software works in conjunction with water quality sensors placed throughout the water supply that can detect a variety of biological and chemical contaminants like pesticides, metals and pathogens. When contamination is detected, a “Do Not Drink” alert can be issued.

Canary was piloted by the Greater Cincinnati Water Works utility in 2007. It is available worldwide and is currently being evaluated in four U.S. cities – New York, Los Angeles, Philadelphia and San Francisco – as well as in Singapore.

This innovative software is certainly an achievement. However, it will still require the use of disinfecting chemicals like chlorine to rid water of harmful contaminants. These chemicals give water a bad taste and are toxic over time. The safety of your drinking water can be further improved with the use of a water filter system that effectively removes chlorine, pesticides, metals and other contaminants. And if a “Do Not Drink” alert is ever issued in your city, you may not have to heed the warning.

Studies claim that adding drugs to drinking water could result in cognitive enhancement for the long-term betterment of society. This hypothesis has its roots in the successful fluoridation of water now hailed by some as a “tremendous human advancement.”

More recently, studies are showing that adding trace amounts of lithium to the public drinking water supply could limit suicides. This drug, which is normally used to combat bipolar disorder, some say could do for suicide what fluoride did for cavities.  According to the studies, communities with naturally lower levels of lithium in their drinking water have higher suicide rates than those with higher lithium levels. Scientists claim that the levels in fortified water are too low to be of any harm to humans. However, this claim has also been made about water fluoridation, in spite of the evidence that links fluoride to neurological defects, blindness, bone cancer and thyroid problems.

Opponents of water enhancement argue that lithium is far more dangerous than fluoride. Conspiracy theorists also claim that adding drugs to drinking water could result in a population much like that envisioned in Aldous Huxley’s famous novel Brave New World. Huxley predicts a future dictatorship in which the mass medication of society renders people complacent with slavery and less likely to revolt against the political regime. Whether or not this is likely to occur, we must consider that the automatic fortification of drinking water – with fluoride, lithium, or any other chemicals – is an infringement on the right of humans to give informed consent to medical intervention. Proponents of mass medication say the opposite – suggesting that our right to lithium-free water is no greater than our right to lithium-enhanced water, and that those opposed to it can simply drink bottled water (which opens up an entirely different can of worms…).  What do you think? Should the government add fluoride, lithium, or any other drugs to our drinking water? Vote on this issue in our latest poll!