Is the Water You Drink as Pure as You Think?

Few things are more important to your health and wellbeing than the purity of the water you eat and drink. After all, the human body is 60% water on average, with most of it located inside cells. Every cell in your body runs on water, even hair and bone cells. Water provides the medium for the transport of nutrients and other molecules within the cell. Without water, cells can’t conduct their vital functions, and life wouldn’t be possible.

Basically, your whole body is swimming in water. To the extent that water is contaminated, so will your body be. Water is critical to your physical, emotional, and mental wellbeing, as each of these depends on your hydration level.¹ Unfortunately, the water most of us cook with and drink is far from pure, in spite of what we’ve been told about it. But getting pure water isn’t difficult, once you know the facts.

For Starters, Consider All Freshwater Sources Contaminated

Though our planet may look blue from outer space, fresh water is actually a scarce and finite resource down here.

1. 97% of the earth’s water is in the ocean, undrinkable.
2. 2% of water resides in icecaps and glaciers, a shrinking number due to global warming.
3. 0.6% of fresh water is underground.
4. 0.3% is in the atmosphere.
5. Only 0.1% is in surface water such as lakes, rivers, streams, and reservoirs.²

Centuries ago, the natural cycle of evaporation, precipitation, and ground filtration was sufficient to cleanse and renew fresh water. But pollution sources of every kind—on the ground and in the air—have rendered this process ineffective due to agricultural and urban runoff, dumping, overpopulation, and seepage of industrial air and ground wastes into aquifers, wells, and surface water alike. Don’t even think about drinking any water at its source without treatment, even if (and especially if) it comes from your own well. Unless you’re getting your water straight from a glacier in Northern Siberia or Northwest Greenland, the only decontaminated water to drink is processed water.

Naturally this raises the question of what processes are needed to produce pure water. The premise of this article is that only water subject to proven and verified purification processes is fit to cook with or drink. This is a huge topic, with a lot of science involved. So to simplify, let’s consider the three primary water treatment regimens in place to produce purified water: tap water (municipal and private); purified tap water; and bottled water. This article will deal with the first two sources. Bottled water is a whole different can of worms, which we’ll consider in this separate post.

What Could Possibly Go Wrong with Fresh Water?

Before considering water purity, let’s review some things that can contaminate fresh water to begin with. Freshwater contaminants include:

1. Pathogens—namely bacteria, viruses, and parasites (including cysts). All of these are in all water sources. Indeed research has shown that one teaspoon of relatively unpolluted lake water contains more than a billion viruses.³
2. Toxic Minerals—there are hundreds of minerals that, if ingested is sufficient quantity, are known to be harmful to human health. The main ones include:
• Aluminum
• Arsenic
• Asbestos
• Barium
• Cadmium
• Chromium
• Copper
• Fluoride
• Lead
• Mercury
• Nitrate
• Nitrite
• Selenium
• Silver
3. Organic Chemicals—the worst of these come from synthetic fertilizers, pesticides, herbicides, paints, fuels, plastics, dyes, flavorings, pharmaceuticals, and preservatives. Volatile organic chemicals (VOCs) are one class of such chemicals that have invaded most freshwater sources and are particularly dangerous to drink.
4. Radioactive Substances—this includes radioactive minerals and radioactive gasses, which may be produced by mining, nuclear power plants, nuclear weapons facilities, radioactive disposal sites, and docks for nuclear-powered ships.

Two Additives that Take Away Purity

Almost all municipalities, private water systems, and water bottlers add chlorine to their water as a disinfectant at some stage of the production process. My local water company adds so much the water coming out of the tap smells like a public swimming pool. This will make any water taste bad, no matter what its source. There is nothing especially harmful about drinking chlorine in small quantities. In large quantities, however, it can make you sick. The bigger problem with chlorine is the reactants it leaves behind. When chlorine combines with organic chemicals in tap water it produces toxic chemicals known as trihalomethanes (THM), which are known carcinogens.⁴ This is the main reason you don’t want to drink chlorinated tap water unless you have no other choice.

Another additive and ubiquitous nemesis is fluoride. Some studies say it prevents tooth decay in children, so most U.S. municipalities add it. In fact, tooth decay has markedly dropped even in countries that don’t fluoridate water (most of Europe). This suggests that the drop is most likely due to better public health policy, which has led to better dental care and oral hygiene, namely regular tooth-brushing. The problem with the fluoride added to water is that it is a waste product from the smokestack scrubbers of phosphate fertilizer plants and contains toxic wastes that are known to be carcinogenic, some in large quantities—including arsenic.⁵ All things considered, you don’t want to drink fluoridated water on a regular basis.

Tap Water Isn’t Bad. Just Don’t Drink It Straight.

Most of the contaminants listed above occur in all tap water sources. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) vigorously regulates tap water in the U.S. and, over the years, the standards have become increasingly stringent. Some 90 properties of water are regulated and tested by tap water suppliers, as directed by EPA guidelines. The challenge is, there are hundreds of other potentially harmful compounds that seep into public water systems water that in fact are not subject to regular testing.

Can you drink water straight out of the tap? Yes. Should you? Well, no—not unless you have no other option. You can assume your tap water is safe to drink in the short term, but is likely to contain substances that are not good for you over the long haul—especially if it’s chlorinated or fluoridated. If you have to drink water out of a tap, do any or all of the following:

• Wait: Let the tap run on cold for 20-30 seconds before filling your container. This flushes out pipe and faucet sediments, a common source of toxic minerals in water.
• Give it some air: let the water sit in a glass, ceramic, or stainless-steel container with a wide mouth for a few hours—this allows VOCs and chlorine to evaporate and sediments to settle.
• Boil it: boiling water for 5-to-10 minutes will kill all pathogens and help evaporate chlorine and VOCs more rapidly.
• Stir: stirring the water vigorously, or putting it in a blender for a few minutes (cover off), is another way to evaporate unwanted compounds and gasses, while also aerating the water, which adds some flavor.

Bottom line—don’t drink chlorinated tap water on a regular basis. Your cells and internal organs will thank you for it.

The Joys of Purified Tap Water

Your tap water has already been purified to a considerable degree, and is at least as likely to be pure as most bottled water—for 1000x less cost. Your best bet is to find a way to make this water even safer and purer. This involves subjecting it to additional purification stages that go further in removing pathogens, toxic minerals, organic chemicals, radioactive substances, and additives. The types of commercially available purifiers include:

1. Filters of many types:
1. Sediment filters
2. Carbon filters (granulated and block)
3. Membrane filters
4. Ceramic filters
5. Reduction/oxidation (redox) filters
2. Reverse osmosis units
3. Distillers
4. Ultraviolet units
5. Ozonators

Each of these purification methods works differently and is good for removing some pathogens or substances, but not all. Distillers consistently produce the purest water since they remove everything but the water molecules. The only downside is they are slow and some people find distilled water to taste flat. With the other methods, it’s a matter of the more the merrier. You’re looking for a filtration system that combines as many methods as possible, at least three stages, preferably five. There are three ways to achieve this end.

1. Water Vending Machines

These machines front many grocery and health food stores and most of them work superbly. You’re looking for one that people use a lot, meaning it has high volume and therefore must be serviced often to have its filter elements maintained and replaced. One such system in my area combines course sediment filtration, fine filtration, carbon filtration, softening, ultraviolet sterilization, reverse osmosis, and ozonation. This is a highly effective purification regimen. This machine produces tasty water that costs $.50 a gallon, $2.50 for 5 gallons. This water is 99% likely to be purer than any bottled water on the shelf in the store, and sells for a fraction of the price. If you use your own recyclable glass bottles, you also avoid all the downsides of plastic.

2. Bulk Water Stores

Water stores offer a high-quality product that is subject to purification processes similar to those in water vending machines. The cost is typically 25¢ to 50¢ higher per gallon than from vending machines, though many such stores also provide vending machines inside the store for a lower-cost option. Alkaline water seems to be trending at these stores, though its benefits are questionable and alkalinity has little to do with the water’s purity.

3. Home Purification Systems

There are many multistage water purification systems for home use on the market. Some attach to your faucet, others sit on the countertop, and still others mount under your sink. It is impossible here to review all these options, but remember, you are looking for multiple stages.

Does a pitcher-based filter work? It’s better than nothing, but only to a degree. These are all based on granulated carbon filters, and some also have a crude sediment filter. Consider them okay. You can do better, however, by spending just a little more. Pur for example has a line of 3-stage purification units for under $40 that attach to your faucet and remove considerably more contaminants that any pitcher on the market.

There are so many five-stage, under-sink systems out there that we couldn’t begin to review them. Most are based on reverse osmosis, with several additional filter stages to remove specific minerals and chemicals, and UV radiation to kill resistant pathogens. Do your homework, go with a reputable brand with affordable replacement filters, and look for online and home-store sales. These units range in price from $99 to $500; however, since the water they produce costs 1000x less than bottled water, the payback is fast.

Similarly, there are numerous 5-stage countertop systems on the market that apply reverse osmosis, several filter stages, and UV radiation or ozonation. Prices run the gamut, so do your homework and shop those home-store sales. These units require some counter or table space, but no more so than a typical water cooler.

When It Comes to Your Water’s Purity, Don’t Sell Yourself Short.

My message is simple: Drink and cook with the purest possible water you can. It doesn’t come straight out of your tap, nor does it come in soft plastic bottles. But you can buy high quality, purified water—or produce it at home—with just a little extra effort. Take it from an optimum hydration junkie: every cell in your body—not to mention your mind, heart, and spirit—will thank you for using purer water. And your health and wellbeing certainly deserve it.

1. Cohen, D. & Bria, G. (2018). Quench: Beat fatigue, drop weight, and heal your body through the new science of optimum hydration. New York: Hachette Books.
2. Symons, J. M. (1995). Drinking water: Refreshing answers to all your questions. College Station, TX: Texas A&M University Press.
3. Ingram, C. (2006). The drinking water book: How to eliminate harmful toxins from your water, 2nd ed. Berkeley, CA: Celestial Arts.
4. Ingram, C. (2006).
5. Ingram, C. (2006).