97% of the earth’s water is undrinkable, and two percent of earth’s water is in ice caps and glaciers, leaving us with 1% of drinkable water for all our needs. Our bodies are made up of 70% water, making water a vital part of our lives.
There are many reasons why drinking tap water is not good for you. Tap water can have parasites, heavy metals, chemicals, and much more that are naked to the human eye. Because we need water to survive, we should be careful with what water we drink.
Read on to learn about water contaminants that could be hiding in your local tap water.
1. Parasites
Parasites are nothing to mess with. They are disgusting organisms that feed off of their host and can make someone sick. Unfortunately, parasites live in tap water, and that is one way they can enter our bodies.
Water-borne diseases are linked to severe health problems. Sometimes a parasite is an underlying issue, which can cause long-term or persistent diseases, such as giardia or a tapeworm. You can find these parasites in tap water, lakes, rivers, and more.
2. Heavy Metals
While heavy metals are natural formations in the earth’s crust, it doesn’t mean they are all healthy for humans to ingest. You can find heavy metals in tap water, such as cadmium, arsenic, copper, and lead.
These specific heavy metals can do a number on your body. They are known can cause cancer of the bladder, skin, lungs, kidney, and liver. These metals can also cause stomach pain, nausea, diarrhea, and sometimes even kidney or liver disease.
3. Pharmaceutical Drugs
Due to recent investigations, small amounts of certain pharmaceutical drugs have been found in our municipal water systems. Birth control pills, antibiotics, antidepressants, and more are in our tap water.
While the level of drugs present in the water might be low, it is still unsafe to say if they are low enough not to have harmful effects on our bodies.
4. Bacteria
E. coli, Legionella, and Salmonella live in tap water. Each bacteria targets different parts of the body.
E. coli can cause nausea, vomiting, cramping, and diarrhea. Legionella is a bacteria that affects the lungs and can cause localized infections. Lastly, Salmonella can cause health issues such as food poisoning and gastroenteritis (the inflammation of the intestines and stomach as a result of viral infections or bacterial toxins)
5. Taste and Smell
Do you ever notice when you visit a friend’s house and grab some tap water that it has a different taste than your tap water from home? That’s because the water picks up other minerals and compounds on its’ journey to your faucet, thus altering the taste of the water.
While taste and smell are not health issues, they can be unappealing for those who do not like water or don’t get enough daily.
Avoiding Untreated Tap Water
Untreated Tap water isn’t our only option when it comes to quality drinking water. At berkeycleanwater.com, you will find many options to help you filter your tap water. Berkey Clean Water not only provides you with purified drinking water but also has filtration systems for your shower.
When you replace your tap water with filtered water, you are giving yourself safe and clean drinking water. You are ensuring that the water contaminants are gone, and you can once again feel safe while drinking water.
What’s Next?
Drinking tap water shouldn’t be a worrisome pastime. By switching to clean, purified water, you will feel cleaner, safer, and healthier, and you can get back to drinking water without giving it a second thought.
For more advice, read another one of our articles.