You need to drink enough water to stay healthy.
You must consistently hydrate throughout the day since water is required for every cell in your body to function correctly.
Most people are aware of how vital it is to drink enough water, but others are unsure about the best kind of water to use.
This article compares the qualities of purified, distilled, and normal water to determine which is the most hydrating.
KEY TAKEAWAYS
✅ For optimal health, one must have access to clean drinking water.
✅ Many people choose to drink filtered water even though the majority of sources of public drinking water are strictly controlled and safe to drink.
✅ Purified water can lessen exposure to some toxins that can be found in tap water and is generally considered to be safe.
✅ Keep in mind that the quality of your local water can differ.
✅ When deciding whether to consume tap water or filtered water, this should be the deciding factor.
Why Is Water Purified?
Water that has undergone filtering or other processing to eliminate pollutants and other impurities is known as purified water. Typically, groundwater or tap water is used in its production.
Many different kinds of contaminants are eliminated during purification, including:
- Bacteria
- Algae
- Fungi
- Parasites
- Metals like lead and copper
- Chemical toxins
Water is purified using a variety of techniques both commercially and domestically.
Public drinking water is filtered in the majority of Western nations before being made suitable for human consumption. However, there are different requirements for drinking water around the world, most of which are based on laws or international norms.
In actuality, according to the World Health Organization, more than 2.1 billion people do not have access to clean drinking water. Various treatment techniques are employed to make water safe in nations that cleanse public drinking water, including:
- Coagulation and flocculation: Water is treated with chemicals that are positively charged in order to bind with negatively charged particles and filter them out. As a result, floc—larger particles—are produced.
- Sedimentation: As a result of its bigger size, the floc separates from the clean water by settling to the bottom of the water supply.
- Filtration: After passing through sand, charcoal, and gravel-based filtration systems, the clean water on top of the supply continues to flow. Contaminants like dust, bacteria, chemicals, and viruses are eliminated as a result.
- Disinfection: Chemical disinfectants, such as chlorine, are added to the water during this step to eradicate any bacteria or viruses that could have persisted past the first few processes.
It’s vital to remember that depending on the region and the quality of the local water, water treatment methods may vary.
Benefits of Purified Water for Health
Even while tap water is generally safe to drink, it nevertheless could include very small amounts of pollutants. For over 90 pollutants in drinking water, the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) establishes legal levels that are deemed safe for people.
However, as long as they adhere to the EPA’s minimum limits for contaminants, the Safe Water Drinking Act permits individual states to control their own drinking water standards.
Accordingly, some states have stricter drinking water laws than others. Although precautions are taken to guarantee the safety of public drinking water, it is still possible for it to contain minute quantities of contaminants that could be harmful to health.
For instance, the harmful effects of the heavy metals lead and copper on human health are severe. When consumed over time, they can damage the brain and upset the stomach. Even in nations where public water supplies are strictly monitored, it has been observed that certain heavy metals can contaminate drinking water.
The drinking water goes through another level of filtration by utilizing in-home water filters or drinking bottled water that has been purified. Depending on the type of purification system used, this additional level of purification can remove metals, chemicals, and other impurities.
Chlorine, a typical chemical added to the public water supply as a disinfectant, is removed by water purification equipment like charcoal filters.
Chlorinated water has been associated in numerous studies with an elevated risk of several malignancies, including colorectal cancer.
Having fresh, pure-tasting drinking water is another advantage of water purification because it eliminates disagreeable tastes brought on by chemical treatments, organic particles, or metal piping.
The negatives of Purified Water
While drinking purified water has numerous advantages for your health, there are also some possible risks. For instance, some nations add fluoride, a mineral, to the public drinking water supply in an effort to promote oral health and prevent tooth decay.
Although this method has helped prevent tooth decay in children, particularly in high-risk locations, some people contend that the health consequences of drinking water that has been fluoridated are not worth it.
Long-term exposure to high amounts of fluoride has been connected to learning, memory, and cognitive deficiencies. Excessive fluoride levels have been shown to be hazardous to both brain and nerve cells. Experts contend that the amount of fluoride in drinking water, particularly for young children who are only exposed to it through water, is safe and helpful in preventing tooth decay.
However, consumers who drink purified water should be aware that some purification systems remove fluoride from drinking water. Research on the safety and effectiveness of fluoridated water is still being conducted.
Additional drawbacks of filtered water include:
- Maintenance: Water purifying systems require routine maintenance. Contaminants can accumulate in aging filters and seep into your drinking water if they are not properly maintained.
- Some toxins may not be removed by water purification systems: Depending on the type of purification employed, some chemicals and pesticides may still be present in the water after it has been cleaned.
- Price: Purchasing and installing an in-home water purifying system can be costly, with some systems costing hundreds of dollars.
- Trash: Purchasing purified water in plastic bottles and discarding spent filters from at-home purification devices both produce significant amounts of waste.
A type of purified water is distilled water.
To get rid of contaminants, distillation is used to create distilled water. Boiling water and gathering the vapor, which cools back to the water, are the steps in distillation. Giardia and other protozoa, as well as pollutants like lead and sulfate, can all be effectively removed with this procedure.
Distilled water is frequently employed in medical facilities and laboratories due to its high purity.
Despite the fact that drinking distilled water is less popular than drinking other forms of purified water, some individuals do it since it is contaminant-free.
Distilled water advantages
Drinking water pollutants can be effectively removed via water distillation.
Your geographic location and the organizations in charge of overseeing the safety of the drinking water in your nation will determine the levels of pesticides and other chemicals in public water sources, such as tap water.
Distilled water is virtually free of impurities like germs and pesticides, which may be especially beneficial for people with compromised immune systems.
For instance, people with HIV/AIDS and some cancers are more likely to get sick from contaminants in food and water and may find it beneficial to consume distilled water.
Additionally, distilled water successfully removes chlorine from drinking water, similar to certain other purification techniques, which can enhance the flavor of water while lowering your exposure to chlorine.
Possibilities for Risks in Distilled Water
The healthiest water is distilled water, albeit it is also the purest.
Although the natural minerals and electrolytes present in water are also removed during the distillation process, it is particularly effective at removing potentially dangerous pollutants.
Beneficial minerals like calcium and magnesium are also left behind as the steam rises during the distillation process along with undesired contaminants.
In actuality, distillation usually eliminates 99.9% of all the minerals present in tap water. Although water is not normally considered a source of minerals, any factor that causes your intake of vital micronutrients to drop could have a negative effect on your health.
A higher risk of fracture, premature birth, and heart disease has been linked, for instance, to drinking water that is low in calcium and magnesium. However, it’s crucial to remember that for the majority of people, tap water does not constitute a significant portion of their daily mineral consumption.
As long as a healthy diet is followed, drinking distilled water should be reasonably safe.
Distillation eliminates fluoride from drinking water like other purification techniques, which may raise the risk of cavities for people who prefer to drink distilled water.
Due to this, it’s critical for people who consume distilled water to practice good dental hygiene.
Should You Opt for Filtered Water Instead of Regular Water?
Due to the high contamination limitations established by regulatory organizations, public drinking water sources like tap water are typically safe. But human activity or natural sources can contaminate drinking water, lowering its quality.
This makes purchasing a home water filtration system an excellent choice, especially for those with weaker immune systems who are more likely to get sick from contaminated water. The safest choice is always bottled or purified water in areas where water contamination is a problem, particularly in developing nations with inadequate sanitation.
There are several other kinds of purification systems out there, such as charcoal and UV filters, which get rid of any pollutants that may get past the initial, extensive filtration that most tap water through. However, drinking tap water is generally safe in nations where public drinking water quality and safety are controlled.
If you have any doubts about the quality of your tap water, you can test it at home using a test kit or by getting in touch with a local agency that does water tests.
How to Make Your Water Safe to Drink
Although the majority of public water sources are regulated for safety, some people decide to utilize home water purifiers to further enhance the quality of their water. Home water treatment systems can get rid of some impurities and enhance the flavor or smell of tap water.
POU (point-of-use) treatment systems only clean the water that is consumed (drinking and cooking). All of the water entering a residence is normally treated using point-of-entry (PUE) treatment devices. POU systems are more frequently utilized in homes since they are less expensive.
These filtration units are available as free-standing water pitchers with built-in filters, similar to the well-known Brita water filter, or they can be attached to the faucet or placed under the sink. Additionally, some freezers include internal water filtration systems.
The majority of household water filtration systems employ the following cleaning processes:
- Filtration: Systems for filtration catch unwelcome pollutants in the pores or surface of an absorbent media. These include filters that contain charcoal.
- Reverse osmosis: These systems filter contaminants using a semipermeable membrane.
- UV light: UV light filtration systems eliminate potentially harmful bacteria and viruses in the water by using ultraviolet light to sterilize it.
Price points might range from $20 to hundreds of dollars depending on the type and model.
Whatever kind of filter you select, make sure to check for manufacturers who have received approval from regulatory bodies like the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) and NSF International. These organizations vouch for the fact that household water filtration systems satisfy or surpass federal drinking water regulations.
Water filtration systems in homes need to be properly maintained. Because of this, it’s crucial to adhere to the manufacturer’s maintenance instructions, which include filter change, to guarantee that your water is being adequately cleaned.