Water Guide: Quality + Filtration

Jump ahead to the topics I cover below:

Tap Water Issues

Bottled Water

Water testing

Well Water Issues

Why Filter

Recommendations

Contaminants

Filtration Differences

Water Matters!

Someone much smarter than me said something along these lines: We care so much about eating organic and avoiding exposure to pesticides/herbicides on our food, but then we drink and bathe in the very water that CONTAINS those chemicals…PLUS medications, heavy metals, radioactive elements and more.

When you think about this, it really does hit home- we drink 50% of our bodyweight in ounces a day, we brush our teeth, we shower in water, cook with water…and thus every time we use it we have a potential for exposure to endocrine (hormone)-disrupting chemicals, pesticides like glyphosate that tear up our gut lining, and even our neighbor’s hormonal medications that don’t get filtered out of the traditional city water supply.

Even those using well water depending on location are exposed to run-off chemicals from conventional farming practices or radioactive elements (uranium, radon) in the ground based on where they live.

Because of this- water filtration is one of the FIRST things you need to focus on in your health journey. No amount of healthy eating or supplementing will stop the assault on your body that is coming with every sip.

Sadly, water is something I find a lot of people ignore or think they’re safe if they drink bottled water or from their refrigerator filter or pitcher like a Brita. Even if you drink well water and have some form of filtration, based on your location and the filter type, you still may be drinking heavy metals and other substances from deep in the earth that we aren’t supposed to be exposed to on a daily basis.

The Problem With Tap Water

Just gonna give it to you straight: There is a 1 in 4 chance you’re drinking water that is either unsafe to drink OR not being monitored properly.

300 Contaminants Found in Public Water…

Over 300 chemicals + contaminants have been detected in drinking water.

…Yet only 90 Are Currently Regulated.

Meaning that even if your water is “safe” from the 90 that are tested for, there is a potential for 210 others to be found in your water that are technically considered “legal.”

Even worse? 22 of these have been identified as cancer-causing, which could be responsible for over 100,000 cases of cancer each year.

Massive Lack in Regulation

Between 1986-1996 the EPA set most contaminant limits…and ZERO new contaminants have been regulated since then. But this isn’t necessarily the EPA’s fault, as it can take 10 years to review just one single contaminant.

Also – just because it is “regulated” doesn’t mean it isn’t still showing up in our water (just like the cancer example I just shared).

20% of Water Treatment Systems Fail Regulation.

A study found in 2009 found that over 20% of the nation’s water treatment systems were violating the specifications of the Safe Drinking Water Act, but fewer than 6% of the violators were ever fined or punished.

So…even IF a water treatment plant was found to have levels higher than they should, only 6% of them are being fined? It doesn’t exactly give me confidence that even the regulations that DO exist will be upheld.

Further, some have been found to underreport contaminants, as depending on your local water authority they may get lax with their testing and thresholds.

Aging Water Systems + Too Many Chemicals = A Mess!

We can’t blame the plants themselves, as they were simply never designed to deal with the volume or new type of contaminants coming our way, and thus they are unable to filter it all out.

Additionally the pipes in many systems are over 100 years old and aging quickly, which means leaching of metals/chemicals into our water system on top of whatever is actually in the water going through them

The Health Impact of Industry Dumping

In 2012 alone, it was found that industries dumped over 206 MILLION pounds of toxic chemicals into America’s streams and rivers:

1.4 million linked to cancer
4.4 million lbs linked to fertility reduction
460,000 lbs linked to developmental disorders

So – we are paying for cancer treatment, and fertility treatments and programs for our developmentally challenged children…but are we ALSO looking at our water supply?

Check Your City Water

Here are two generalized resources you can check if you have city water to get an overview of what may be in your water (without actually testing it for yourself).

EWG Tap Report Database for City Water

The below website will give some general information on your city water quality and what has been tested to be found in your area’s water, however it isn’t perfect because it doesn’t check/regulate all the contaminants due to no legal requirements for many of them.

Additionally, their “safe” levels aren’t necessarily safe – for example things like fluoride, arsenic, lead, etc. which you really don’t want ANY levels on your report showing up.

This report also doesn’t factor in your pipes and/or plumbing system and what could be leached from it (lead, copper, etc.).

EWG Tap Water Database

Tap Score City Water Project

Tap Score (my favorite company for water testing) put together their own database of city water results using annual utility reports (like what EWG uses above), public water data, but ALSO results from those who live in cities that have used their test kits AT the tap.

This data may be even more accurate than the EWG’s given that the water that ends up at the tap may be more contaminated than water that is tested at the water facilities.

Tap Score City Water Project

What About Well Water?

Many think that well water is naturally safe to drink because it comes from the earth, but that couldn’t be further from the truth.

Well Water Is YOUR Responsibility!

Unlike water from the tap, well water is completely unregulated and is the owner’s responsibility to ensure cleanliness of water.

Well water can vary greatly based on your location and contain anything like: pesticides/herbicides, bacteria like E. coli, giardia + cryptosporidium, heavy metals from the earth like arsenic, fluoride and radioactive elements like radon and uranium, and even industrial run-off of chemicals, flame retardants and even artificial sweeteners.

Most local testing likely isn’t looking for all of these things so I personally recommend testing it on your own to make sure you aren’t missing anything (see below for testing suggestions).

What About Hard Water?

I’ve had the question before in regards to water softeners vs. water filtration and the “hardness” of water.

What is Hard Water?

The “hardness” of water is referring to the amount of minerals like calcium and magnesium, iron and manganese in your water. Though not inherently bad (as these are beneficial minerals to our bodies), too high of levels may leave your water glasses stained, hair feeling heavy, skin feeling slimy, and leave build-up in your sinks and tubs.

Water Softening ≠ Water Filtration

For those with hard water, you may have a water softener that switches the “hard” ions of calcium and magnesium with sodium or potassium ions. Though it will do this ion exchange, it is not filtering out other issues like heavy metals, pesticides, chemicals, bacteria, etc.

If you need your water to be softened, yoru best bet is Reverse Osmosis which will both soften AND filter your water in the process.

What is In Your Water Anyway?

It’s important to have an overall idea of WHAT is in your water so that you can choose the right filtration system. Here are some of the top contaminants found in water + their health implications:

Chlorine

Used as disinfectants to kill off bacteria + organisms, but it is disruptive to the microbiome in both our gut and skin
Just chlorine in water alone increases your risk of developing cancer by 93%
40-70% of our chlorine exposure comes from daily bathing activities. Most of us take hot/warm baths and showers, which makes these chemicals easier to inhale and absorb more than drinking tap water.
Worses asthma and can cause eye and throat irritation
Increases your risk of developing cancer by 93% (linked to greater levels of bladder, kidney, colon, rectal and breast cancer)
In showers/hot bathing water, it is even more harmful- it vaporizes and we breathe it in and absorb it more readily through our skin; which is why a shower filter or whole-house filter is so important aside from just drinking water

Fluoride

Fluoride is a toxic halogen chemical that will displace iodine in the body (crucial for thyroid health) and increase our toxic load
Has also been found to make the aluminum we ingest more bioavailable (increases chance of developing Alzheimers) and displaces magnesium and depletes our cells of it
Fluoride has been added to our public water systems since the 1940s and even though the CDC claimed that fluoride was “one of the top 10 public health achievements of the 20th century” there is no discernible difference in tooth decay rates between countries that fluoridate their water and those that don’t
Ironically before 1945, fluoride was considered an environmental pollutant as it is a byproduct of aluminum and phosphate fertilizers and was found to be poisoning cattle and destroying crops…makes perfect sense that we should start consuming it, right?
Here’s the bad news: still to this day over 66% of US population is drinking fluoridated water. If you don’t drink filtered water, you get a ton of fluoride in your body simply through drinking water, brushing your teeth, opening your mouth in the shower, drinking water when out to eat, etc. You also get fluoride if you say yes to those treatments at the dentist
Fluoride causes weakening of the teeth (even greater in children), kidney stress, a buildup of fluoride in our bones, leading to increased fractures, and brain toxicity issues
Fluoride isn’t removed with standard water filtration systems and requires specific types of filtration to be adequately removed

Perchlorate

Perchlorate is an ingredient in things like rocket fuel and fireworks but isn’t regulated by the EPA in water and has been found in over 45 states thus far
Because of this, there is no testing for it if it is or isn’t in water (so you won’t see if it is detected or not on water quality reports- this is something you’d have to pay for your own testing for)
It disrupts thyroid gland function in kids and adults and the thyroid’s ability to uptake iodine, leading to decreased thyroid hormone production

Nitrates

Nitrates are the primary source of nitrogen for plants and occur naturally, but high levels in our water come from fertilizers, animal and industrial wastes
Those most at risk include babies and pregnant or nursing moms because when in the body nitrates convert into a substance that causes decreased oxygen getting to the body, which is really bad for infants
No surprise, they have been linked to spontaneous miscarriage, thyroid issues, birth defects and cancers
Well water users have to be concerned about this, as nitrates can be in the groundwater from nearby agriculture

Microplastics + Bottled Water

Over 94% of drinking water samples contain microplastics
A single fleece coast can release 250,000 microfibers in ONE wash
Plastics are an issue because they are estrogenic, meaning they impact testosterone levels and contribute to painful periods + fertility issues in many women
A major exposure is drinking from bottled water– one study found 93% of bottled water sampled contained these microplastics

Pharmaceuticals

Drugs aren’t intentionally dumped into water but make their way through improper disposal (like flushing down the toilet) and human waste
Any time someone takes a medication, it gets excreted through our urine and ends up in our water supply
One study found 118 pharmaceuticals in samples from 25 water treatment centers; despite these facilities supposedly filtering them out, 47 still were found in the “after” treated water which means they made their way into the tap water supply in those areas
Again this is another one for well water users to be wary of– in one study they found 27 contaminants with over a dozen being just pharmaceuticals alone

Bacteria/Viruses

Technically those with city water do not need to worry as much as well water users
There are more than 10 MILLION Bacteria in the average glass of water
Many can cause GI distress, nausea, vomiting, fever, etc.

Chloramine

The replacement than a lot of water treatment centers are using now instead of chlorine due to certain strains of pathogens like cryptosporidium being resistant to chlorine and requiring a harder-hitting disinfectant
However it is much harder to remove from our drinking water
Tends to pull lead from water pipes
And FYI- filters that remove chlorine don’t usually remove chloramine

Disinfectant Byproducts/VOCs

Chlorination can result in the reaction and creation of disinfectant byproducts– Trihalomethane, Haloacetic Acids, Bromate, Chlorite and Chlorate to name a few
Other VOCs lke Perchloroethylene (PCE) and
Methyl tert-butyl ether (MTBE) that can come from different cleaners, paints, adhesives, dry cleaning, or gasoline additives that leak into our ground water or are dumped by industry into water ways
Many are known cancer-causers but also impact liver, kidnes and nerves in the body
Not only ingest them with drinking water but inhale them in the shower or absorb them through your skin (especially at higher temperatures)

Glyphosate

I touch on glyphosate so much working together, but in summary it is the primary ingredient in RoundUp which is the most widely used herbicide on the planet
It is classified as a cancer-causer (carcinogen), brain toxicity, ADHD, increased risk of miscarriage, and hormone disruption, but most importantly is a MAJOR disruptor of proper gut function and causes leaky gut
Unfortunately the limits for “safe” amounts of glyphosate in water are actually incredibly high for pesticides so even if it is “in range” the question is if that range is actually safe for our bodies

Atrazine

The most widely used herbicide in the US that has been found in over 90% of all drinking water samples.
Found in frogs studies to literally change male frogs into female frogs!
It is not only used on food crops, but on golf courses and cemeteries and is showing up in higher contents in the spring time when fertilizers, pesticides and herbicides are applied.

PFAS Chemicals

There are over 14,000 man-made chemicals that fall in this category (aka PFOA and PFOS) found in 99% of bodies in the US population
They are designed with such strong bonds they are very persistent in the environment and don’t easily break down and are called “forever chemicals”
Found in things like non-stick coatings (Teflon), food packages and fire-fighting foam and are primarily in our water supply due to industrial dumping
They are linked to hyperactivity, asthma, fertility issues, liver and cholesterol changes, impaired immune system, developmental problems, cancers and hormone disruption, especially the thyroid
It’s not regulated by the EPA in our water…meaning their presence isn’t tested for
This is another chemical that well water users need to be careful of, as a study of 20 wells found that over 70% of them had FPAS chemicals

Heavy Metals

Heavy metals have become a “hot” term in the detox world and for good reason- ones like mercury, lead, cadmium and arsenic impact our vital organs and glands like the heart, brain, kidneys, liver and bones and also displace the “good” minerals our bodies need
Impacts fertility, hormone function + children the most due to their lower detoxification capacity (and higher formula-fed infants due to the use of tap water to make the formula) and can be so damaging to their brains that there have been linkages to Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s later in life
Lead is common in the water supply from old pipes and water containing fluorides and/or chloramine which PULL it from the pipes into the water within
Arsenic is a known cancer-causer and IQ decreaser. Our exposure comes from arsenic-based pesticides and mineral deposits in the earth (another one for well water users to watch for), but also from places with softball fields, playgrounds, golf courses and tennis courts that use weed controlling pesticides.
Copper, though needed in the body can cause overload, and the most common exposure is from corrosion of pipes, faucets and other plumbing fixtures

Radioactive Elements

Radioactive elements, like radon and uranium are technically “natural” and are found in the Earth’s crust, but the issue is that in the body they are like hot coals always emitting damaging energy inside the body to the our immune system and DNA, are cancer-causing, impact kidney health and can cause birth defects
170 million Americans are drinking Radium (3000x stronger than Uranium) in their tap water and the amount varies depending on where you live and especially based on activities like mining and oil drilling which can increase the amounts found in our water
Well water users specifically need to be informed, as sourcing usually comes from groundwater deep in the earth and water doesn’t get filtered through the city municipality.
The EWG has a map to see areas of the country with highest levels of radium

What If I Drink Bottled Water?

You may think you are in the clear if you just drink bottled water and though it claims to be “natural and pure”, over 50% of bottled water is taken directly from the tap…aka you’re paying for water you could have easily poured at home.

Bottled Water is BS.

The sad thing is this is actually legal- though water is usually regulated by the EPA, bottled water is considered a food and regulated by the FDA which does not require bottled water companies to disclose to consumers where the water came from, how it has been treated or what contaminants it contains. It is a $4 billion per year industry so they won’t be changing this any time soon.

Test Aqua is a website to see which bottled waters have been tested and what has been found in them.

Because of this, I suggest avoiding bottled water AND plastic water bottles as much as you can; traveling can be an exception but if you can get stainless or glass refillable that is ideal!

Why You Can't Buy Any Old Filter

It’s important to have an overall idea of WHAT is in your water so that you can choose the right filtration system. Here are some of the top contaminants found in water + their health implications:

Ground or Surface Water

Groundwater tends to have higher contents of minerals and other radioactive elements and heavy metals and very susceptible to contamination from man-made chemicals like gas, oil and industrial chemicals.

If you use well water (which about 15% of Americans do), YOU are the sole regulator of this water’s quality; you cannot rely on city regulation or filtration to make sure you have a clean source. Because of this well water typically has higher levels of bacteria and all of the other contaminants mentioned earlier

Surface water is sourced from streams/ponds/lakes and can have higher levels of agricultural run-off, pesticides, and microorganisms.

Where You Live

If you live in an agricultural area, you’re more likely to have high levels of pesticides, nitrates and manure run-off in your water supply

If in an urban area, higher presence of industrial chemicals, heavy metals like mercury and fluorinated chemicals in your water

Some areas of the world have higher levels of radiation (radon, uranium) in their groundwater that can cause health issues

Each of these issues/contaminants can each require different filtration types to remove.

Your Local Water Department

As mentioned, the age and state of your local plant is crucial; most water infrastructure is failing and dates back 100 years.

Different plants use different types of disinfectants like chlorine or chloramine and additives like fluoride which are also pretty hard to remove from our water and need a special filter to do so.

The Pipes In Your Home

This is why you can’t just trust the water report from the city; it isn’t factoring in the piping system both to and within your house which could be fitted with lead or copper (heavy metals) that leach into your water supply.

Differences in Filtration Options

We’ve all seen different types of filtration on the market, but do we know what each CAN and CAN’T filter?

Based on what’s in your water (again found through testing like Tap Score), here are some specifics of what certain types of filtration will remove from your tap supply:

Reverse Osmosis

One of the most popular systems because it reduces more contaminants than any other filter. Heavy hitters like fluoride, arsenic, and lead are removed by this type of system
Usually installed under the sink counter or can buy as a countertop unit (whole-house reverse osmosis is very costly and wasteful with water- I suggest pairing a different whole house system with an under the sink RO system)
Filters out even the “good” minerals so it is important to have a mineral-dense diet and/or add in mineral drops to your water
What we have in our home (paired with a whole-house system for the rest of the water access points)

Contaminants it Reduces/Removes:

Aluminum, Arsenic, Antimony, Asbestos, Atrazine, Barium, Copper, Chloride, Chromium, Cryptosporidium, Disinfectant Byproducts + VOCs, Glyphosate, Fluoride, Haloacetic Acids, Lead, Manganese, Mercury, Microplastics, Nickel, Nitrates, PFA/PFOA/PFOS, Perchlorate, Pesticides, Pharmaceuticals, Sulfates, Viruses, Bacteria: Salmonella, E. Coli, Giardia, Water Hardness, Uranium