Almost the entire population of the United States drinks water straight from the tap. But how safe is tap water? Does it contain contaminants? Is it harmful? Can you use it or do you need a water filter or a bottled water home delivery subscription?
Tap Water In The US
Tap water is used abundantly in the US. It is filtered, purified, and then supplied to houses. A lot of households use tap water as their primary source of water for every kind of use and it’s amazing how fresh and clean the water tastes. It’s a well-known fact that tap water and public water systems in the US are just as safe to drink as bottled/filtered water. That’s because of the highly rigorous safety procedures and filtration processes that the water goes through before it reaches the faucets of houses.
Even though tap water in the US is very safe and there’s no need to filter it regularly, there still might be certain problems that can lead to infestation of contaminants in the water.
It’s always a good idea to keep an eye out for things that could potentially poison your water and lead to adverse health effects on the body. There can be things like:
- Broken pipes
- Leaked water supply pipes
- Corroded pipes
- Pipes that haven’t been maintained in ages
- Nearby construction can cause the pipes to break and the water to get exposed to contaminants, etc.
So, it’s a good thing to be on the lookout for these things and also to get your water tested every couple of months just to ensure that you’re safe from any possible contamination.
Almost all of the water coming in the taps of USA homes is originally from public water systems. They use water from large reservoirs of water, like lakes, rivers, and springs, and treat it in facilities to get rid of any contaminants, but sometimes there might be trace minerals and metals that are left behind. Bacteria and viruses can also be left in the water and these things combined can lead to major health issues.
What Does Tap Water Contain?
Tap water isn’t just water. There are a lot of other things that can or cannot be harmful for consumption. Some of them are as follows:
Fluoride
Tap water contains an abundance of fluoride in it. In some cases, it might even be added to water to help get your daily intake of the mineral in. Fluoride is essential for your teeth and there are a lot of other health benefits to this miracle mineral too.
Chlorine
This isn’t found in water per se, but it is added to get rid of any toxic bacteria, viruses, and other living organisms that don’t belong in water to begin with. Chlorine is nature’s disinfectant and it also kills any unwanted parasites and microorganisms in the water, leading to pure, fresh, and clean drinking water. With chlorine in the water, there’s no need to boil it either.
Minerals
Water also contains trace quantities of minerals, either by default or they can be added to it to boost the quality and health benefits of water. Calcium, magnesium, and potassium are the most common types of minerals found in water, although there can also be zinc, iron, and phosphorus. These minerals are present in very small quantities, because too much calcium, magnesium, and even potassium can lead to hard water.
Hard water is a type of water that doesn’t produce lather and has heavy salts of calcium and magnesium in it. This water isn’t good for consumption or use around the house and it needs to be treated to become potable and usable around the house. People install a water softener for removing excess minerals.
However, water does need trace amount of these minerals because you get a good portion of your daily intake of calcium, magnesium, and zinc from drinking water.
Contaminants
Lastly, there are also contaminants and bad things in the water and that is a fact. There are things like bacteria, viruses, parasites, amoebas and even waste chemicals that are not good for consumption at all, unless the water is treated first. Water coming from open bodies like lakes and rivers is more susceptible to containing a large number of contaminants because the open air can influence the production and thriving of bacteria in the water.
These contaminants are removable and water passes through a lot of treatment processes, to get rid of them and give the homeowners safe and healthy drinking water. However, if your tap water has these contaminants, use a water filtration system Meadville for removing them.
What Makes Tap Water Unsafe To Drink?
There can be many things that make water unsafe to drink. Here are some of the very harmful contaminants found in tap water in the US:
- Bacteria and viruses are found in tap water, even after it has been purified. Cryptosporidium, E. Coli, etc., are just some of the many bacteria that can be found in tap water and they can lead to a plethora of stomach and intestine-related issues.
- Heavy metals like lead, mercury, arsenic, etc., can also be found in tap water. There are a lot of health issues that are associated with heavy metals, like cancer, kidney diseases, cardiac failure, ulcers, etc. It can be very dangerous if water with heavy metals is consumed without getting it tested.
- Radioactive metals, like uranium, thorium, and palladium are also found in water. These metals are not at all good for your health. They can cause severe problems and lasting abnormalities in the body. Tumors, cancers, physical and genetic deformities, and miscarriages are just some of the grave issues that can be caused by radioactive metals and substances found in water and it’s very scary if you think about it.
Side Effects Of Drinking Unsafe Water
There are a lot of side effects of drinking unsafe tap water. That’s not to say that tap water is unsafe, but there can be times when it can get contaminated without you knowing. This is why you must stay on your feet and test the water as soon as possible, even if there’s a slight change in the color, odor, or taste of the water.
Here are some side effects of drinking unsafe water:
- There is a constant decrease in immunity, after drinking water with contaminants in it, as it depletes your body from the inside out.
- Children and even adults can get diarrhea and vomiting and that’s very dangerous because the body loses water rapidly and it can turn into a medical emergency.
- People are also at risk of developing hepatitis by drinking contaminated water. A lot of third-world countries are suffering from this ordeal on a large scale.
- Contaminated water can also cause cancer of multiple kinds, either in the stomach or the intestine.
- Contaminated and unsafe tap water can also lead to kidney issues and ultimately kidney failure, which is pretty much irreversible.
Conclusion
Tap water is the easiest source of clean water in the US, but there can be trace minerals and metals found in some regions that can be harmful to human health. If your tap water has contaminants, you should get it tested and consider installing a water filter or using a drinking water delivery service Warren.
