Since the beginning of time, water has been a carrier and purveyor of illness and disease. From the olden days of waterborne cholera and typhoid fever to modern concerns of water-induced lead poisoning and bladder cancer, water has held an ambivalent presence in our lives. It is absolutely necessary to our survival, but it can also serve as an agent of death.
In our industrial age, drinking water is becoming increasingly dangerous as a result of chemical contamination. It is now even more important to take steps to protect oneself from the dangers of drinking water contamination. One of the simplest and most effective means of protection is the employment of a water filtration system. In the following paragraphs, you can examine the specific benefits of several types of water filtration systems, including drinking water filters, shower filters, and whole house water filters.
Drinking Water FiltersDrinking water filters are designed as the last line of protection between the body and a great number of dangerous contaminants. Water pours from most taps carrying many disease-causing, health-damaging chemicals. Below you can see just a brief list of the contaminants that may be in your tap water:
While this list is not exhaustive, it covers some of the more insidious and prevalent contaminants in your tap water. A simple home water filter can quickly and easily remove all of these contaminants from your water before you use it. However, knowing the specific list of contaminants that a water filter can remove does not necessarily explain its incredible value in your home. Through its role in the removal of these contaminants, a water filter prevents a large number of diseases and other adverse health conditions that are increasingly on the rise throughout the nation. In addition, a water filter ensures that you and your family will gain all of the certified health benefits of drinking an adequate amount of water each day.
In order to illustrate some of the incredible benefits of a drinking water filter, let’s briefly examine the specific health effects of two contaminants that drinking water filters remove: chlorine and lead. Chlorine is now a known cause of three deadly types of cancer. While intake of chlorine in drinking water has been connected to cases of bladder and rectal cancer for several years, it has just recently been linked to a number of cases of breast cancer. Lead, on the other hand, has long been known to significantly lower IQ in young children and to cause a number of mental and physical problems, including learning disabilities, hyperactivity, and developmental delays. Clearly, the diseases and disorders caused by chlorine and lead are syndromes that all people would wish to avoid, if possible. Fortunately for those people, one of the specific benefits of using a drinking water filter is the prevention of such syndromes.
Shower FiltersThe shower filter has taken its place as one of the newest arrivals on the water treatment scene. Shower filters promise incredible cosmetic and health benefits. Using technology similar to that of drinking water filters, shower filters remove many of the same contaminants.
Although a shower filter may seem somewhat superfluous or unnecessary (due to the fact that we do not drink showering water), many contaminants can make their way into the body in more ways than through simple ingestion. The same contaminants that may cause cancer and other harmful health problems when ingested can cause equally harmful health problems when absorbed through the skin or inhaled.
To demonstrate the specific benefits of shower filters, let’s examine again the role of chlorine in the body. Firstly, it is practically common knowledge that chlorine robs the skin and hair of valuable moisture. When that chlorine is removed from showering water, skin and hair are allowed to retain their natural oils, ensuring a healthy, soft feel and appearance. In addition, the removal of chlorine eliminates the possibility of dermal absorption of chlorine, which can result in rashes and other irritations of the skin.
Beside the cosmetic benefits of a shower filter, however, there are some significant health benefits. Chlorine has a particularly insidious effect on the body when inhaled in its gaseous form. Because chlorine vaporizes at a much faster rate than water, chlorine fumes are a prevalent part of any showering experience in which unfiltered water is used.
When chlorine is inhaled, it quickly attacks the delicate tissue of the lungs, causing and aggravating such illnesses as asthma and bronchitis. It is no coincidence that chlorine gas was used as a weapon of war in WWI with deadly effectiveness. The same poisonous nature of chlorine that ensures the death of harmful bacteria in drinking water also ensures damage within the body. The use of a shower filter, however, eliminates the risk of that poisonous chemical being inhaled into the lungs or absorbed through the skin.
Whole House Water FiltersOnce you have a drinking water filter and shower filter in place, the risk of water contaminants is entirely removed, right? Unfortunately, the answer to this question is no. Water contaminants can make their way into our bodies in even more ways than through ingestion or inhalation while in the shower. Dangerous contaminants, especially chlorine, can also infiltrate the air of a home through the use of many common appliances. Whenever the dishwasher or washing machine is used or a toilet is flushed, dangerous chlorine fumes are released into the air.
Clearly, a person cannot install a water filter at the water source of every appliance. The cost and hassle of such a practice would be too overwhelming. Fortunately, there is another water filtration product that solves the problem of air contamination in the home: the whole house water filter.
A whole house water filter works as a point-of-entry water filtration system, cleaning and purifying water as it enters the home. Chlorine, VOCs, and other dangerous contaminants are removed from water before that water is used in any household capacity. In addition to providing clean, contaminant-free water for use in all household purposes, a whole house water filter ensures clean air to breathe and serves as a perfectly efficient shower filtration system.
So, what are the specific benefits of a whole house water filter? The removal of dangerous contaminants before they ever enter the home allows for pure air to breathe and pure water to drink and bathe in. Such removal significantly reduces one’s risks of a great number of dangerous illnesses and diseases, many of which have already been named and discussed.
While a whole house water filter is incredibly effective and efficient at its job, it is recommended that it be used in conjunction with a drinking water filter, in order to ensure the removal of lead from drinking water. Lead is introduced to drinking water through the corrosion of lead pipes, following treatment by the whole house water filter.
The benefits of any type of water filtration system are incredible. Using a water filter can result in greater fitness, health, and overall peace of mind. The preventive nature of a water filtration system greatly warrants its relatively small cost. Truly, a home water filter is worth more than its weight in gold.