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Can you tell the difference between filtered water and tap water? Some people swear they can. Why? A distinct taste of 'chemicals' or an odor that some find offensive. For others, their filter use is connected to a perception of bacteria or other nasties in their local supply. It's unsurprising, then, that water filters have never been more popular. But are they really necessary? They tend to strip water of its minerals, which are vital compounds the body needs to be and stay hydrated.
Curious? Click on to learn if filtered water really is better than tap.
Around 60% of our body is made up of water, and it's crucial for many bodily functions. It helps lubricate the joints, deliver oxygen to our cells, and prevent kidney damage.
Making sure we drink enough water each day has become an integral part of living a health-conscious life. At the same time, people are paying closer attention to the taste and smell of the water they drink.
Tap water has gone through a screening to remove sediments. It is treated with chemicals, making it safe for human consumption. Depending on where you live, fluoride is sometimes added.
Distilled water is treated using heat. The water being treated is vaporized by high temperatures before being cooled, when it returns back to liquid form.
This process extracts all impurities and minerals from the resulting cooled water. Distilled water is available at many grocery stores.
Water is treated by being put through a filter process. This process removes certain chemicals and improves the taste.
Purified water is treated to remove microbes, either by distillation or by a process of reverse osmosis. Reverse osmosis filters water through a material (called a membrane) to physically remove contaminants.
In the Western world, water safety is tightly regulated. The tap water in most countries is considered safe for drinking.
Despite this, when the non-profit Environmental Working Group polled 2,800 people living across the US, half said their tap water was unsafe to drink.
Similarly, in a 2023 study in the UK, 42% of people responded that they "don't trust or like the taste of tap water" when questioned in a survey.
In the US poll, nearly 35% of people responded that they filter their water. This falls short of the 54% of Londoners who claim to use a water filter.
In the US, tap water suppliers are required to uphold specific quality standards. The water must be treated for up to 90 different contaminants.
In the UK, water is filtered for multiple rounds, and undergoes ultraviolet disinfection and chlorination before arriving at a tap.
Finland, Iceland, Norway, Switzerland, the Netherlands, and the UK's water supplies were awarded joint first place for their drinking water quality and sanitation, in an assessment by Yale University's Environmental Performance Index in 2022.
However, even if water is safe to drink at a municipal level, it doesn't take into account wear and tear to residential water supply equipment that can affect the end quality.
In homes where pipes are older and have become rusty, they can pose a danger of exposure to lead toxicity via the residential water supply.
What's more, even after water has been extensively treated, the remnants of some medications have been found to be present in water supplies. These include the contraceptive pill, hormone replacement therapy residues, and psychotropic medications.
For their part, PFAs, or "forever chemicals," have been found present in low levels in even the best treated tap water supplies. These chemicals bioaccumulate in the body over time with repeated exposure, and are linked to several health issues.
Boiling water helps kill any remaining microbes in the tap water. However, it doesn't remove heavy metals, or residual PFAs, hormones, or medication from the water—if they're present.
Filtering can help provide a last line of defense against certain chemicals and toxins that remain present in water (even if just at low levels).
In one study, it was found that reverse osmosis and two-stage filters, installed under the sink, were capable of removing almost all the PFAs evaluated.
Postmus, an organization that provides accreditation for a range of products including water filters, recommends three types of water filters for treating PFAs in the water supply: activated carbon, ion exchange, and reverse osmosis.
Although filters can help remove potentially harmful trace material from water, they also strip beneficial minerals from the supply.
Minerals including magnesium, calcium, iron, and manganese are usually stripped from the water by the process of filtration.
Reverse osmosis filters are so effective at removing everything from water, that they are sometimes sold with remineralization cartridges.
These cartridges are supposed to help add the lost, beneficial minerals back into the filtered water, before it hits the tap.
However, it's also true that we should really get the majority of these beneficial minerals from a varied, nutritious diet.
It's important to bear in mind that with this system, cartridges must be regularly replaced. Their sponge-like carbon filters have been shown to harbor very high levels of bacteria within one month of being past their due change.
These kinds of filters must be maintained properly, to avoid negating their benefits. It's also advised to flush your water filter for at least 10 seconds before drinking from it first thing in the morning, to remove any overnight bacteria buildup.
If you feel your tap water isn't up to scratch, do your research about filter maintenance and cost. That way, you can decide which water filtration system would be best for your home.
Sources: (BBC Future) (Health.com) (Metro.co.uk) (NPR)
Is filtered water really better than tap?
Perception versus reality
HEALTH Hydration
Can you tell the difference between filtered water and tap water? Some people swear they can. Why? A distinct taste of 'chemicals' or an odor that some find offensive. For others, their filter use is connected to a perception of bacteria or other nasties in their local supply. It's unsurprising, then, that water filters have never been more popular. But are they really necessary? They tend to strip water of its minerals, which are vital compounds the body needs to be and stay hydrated.
Curious? Click on to learn if filtered water really is better than tap.