Water is the medium in which all other nutrients are found. It is the most abundant substance on Earth and in the human body, making up at least 60 percent of our adult body. Its simple molecular structure of two hydrogen atoms and one oxygen atom form a substance our Earth and all its inhabitants can't live without. Water is our daily reminder of what is natural, healing and irreplaceable.
The million or so inhabitants of Hawai'i, who share circular borders with the Pacific Ocean, are the best to understand the magnitude and life giving properties of water. But is our drinking water being held to the highest standards for optimal health and healing?
Remember back when drinking a glass of water was as simple as turning on the tap? We would turn on the faucet, fill our glass, drink and feel satisfied. Today we may perform the same habit, but the act is mired in apprehension and speculation. What is "in" the drinking water?
Today, choices abound when it comes to tilting your head back and downing a glass of the clear stuff (not vodka). Take your pick of tap water or vitamin-infused water, bottled water or mineral water, Brita (activated carbon filtered) or reverse osmosis, alkaline or ionized water. In this day and age, when bottled water companies claim to offer a water alternative better than tap water, how are we to know if their claims of purity are valid?
Is bottled water better than tap water or vise versa? Maybe we can do better than both.
In Hawai'i, tap water comes from groundwater or well water, from reservoirs filled with mountain streams, rainwater and rivers. The water from these sources goes through local treatment plants to be chlorinated. Chlorination is used to disinfect the water of microbes that have potential to cause illness and disease.
The chlorination process also forms by-products called trihalomethanes (THMs) when mixed with natural occurring material in the water. THMs have been shown to be carcinogenic in laboratory animals and are monitored by the EPA as well as our local Board of Water Supply to keep the chemicals under a regulated concentration to 100 parts per billion. However, other chemicals and contaminants may propose more of a concern as the woes of our modernized technologyótoxic chemical waste, farming and agricultural waste (pesticides, herbicides and insecticides), heavy metals from old pipes, pharmaceuticals and hormones from drugs spill over into our water supply making a modernized mess.
Water in a bottle only adds to the problem by introducing non-biodegradable plastic to the waste stream. The FDA regulates bottled water and holds the same standards for municipal water, your everyday tap water. Depending on the company and where they get their water, bottled water could be glorified tap water at a higher price.
Our aquatic salvation: home water filtering systems that, in the long run, save money and help preserve our environment. Couple that by using stainless steel reusable containers to carry your purified water to eliminate plastic bottles from the waste stream altogether.
The most popular home water purification systems use activated carbon filters and reverse osmosis (RO). There are two types of activated carbon filters: granulated (think Brita) and solid carbon block. Both help to remove bacteria, parasites, most viruses, chlorine and heavy metals, while maintaining the basic minerals naturally found in water.
Granulated carbon filters have air spaces between the carbon particles to trap bacteria and remove it from the water. However, over time these air spaces can serve as a hot bed for bacteria to multiply and spill over into the filtered drinking wateróinadvertent sabotage.
On the other hand, solid carbon block filters provide a denser carbon bed and capture very little oxygen within the filter, which reduces the chances of germs. Research also demonstrates that solid carbon block filters trap more chemicals, organic pollutants, radon, and asbestos than the looser granulated carbon and reverse osmosis filters, while naturally leaving trace minerals in the water that our bodies can use.
Reverse osmosis filters tap water through microporous holes that are the size of a water molecule. These pores allow water to pass through while leaving behind larger inorganic and organic materials, even the basic minerals found in water. RO filters remove much smaller particles than carbon block filters and have two to three filtering mechanism. On the downside, they produce 2 to 30 gallons of wastewater per day, utilizing only 10 to 25 percent of the incoming potable water.
To achieve quality water, the goal is to eliminate the chemical and microbial concerns of tap water and the waste stream pollution of plastic bottles. Possibly one day in the future we can return to the days of turning on the faucet, drinking a glass of water and feel satisfied, but for the time being, it's best to filter before you quench.