Do you know what you’re drinking on a daily basis and if it is safe for you and your family? Here are some facts every homeowner should know about his or her drinking water:
– Congress passed The Safe Drinking Act in 1974 in order to regulate drinking water systems to ensure that they are always safe for public consumption. Unless you use a private well, your water falls under this regulation as part of more than 155,000 different drinking water systems in the United States.
– Private wells account for about 10% of Americans’ drinking water and if you fall into this category, you must take extra precautions to ensure that the water you are drinking is safe for consumption.
– The EPA sets regulations on over 90 different contaminants in our drinking water. They determine the limits of these contaminants based on what levels are safe while also factoring in the ability of today’s technology to regulate these contaminants.
– Your tap water most likely has fluoride in it. Flouride prevents cavities by preventing tooth decay and has not been linked to diseases such as cancer or kidney disease. Flouride in water is safe for people of all ages including babies whose formula can safely be mixed with tap water.
– If you live in an older home with its original pipes, it is imperative that you perform a test on your water to check its lead levels. The lead leaches into the water from older pipes and if the test reveals excess lead levels you may need to replace the pipes in your home.
– The amounts and results of having levels of prescriptions drugs and other contaminants in our water is just now starting to be studied more extensively. For anyone worried about these contaminants, you may want to look into a whole house water filtration system. Though expensive to install, your peace of mind may be worth the cost in the long run.
– While Chlorine has been shown to be a very effective method to purify drinking water from some contaminants, chlorine itself can not only taste bad, but has also been loosely linked to other problems like cancers and bladder and kidney disease. A whole house carbon filter can also take care of the chlorine in your water.
Although our water here in the United States has been deemed safe for drinking, oftentimes further purifying the water makes it not only taste better but gives peace of mind that you are doing all you can to keep your family safe.
