WHY FILTER YOUR WATER?
In 2014 the drinking water for the city of Flint, Michigan was found to be contaminated with lead and possibly Legionella bacteria.
How did Flint happen?
Doesn't the 1974 Safe Drinking Water Act and EPA standards protect my family's drinking water?
Not really...
Almost half of water-borne outbreaks tracked by the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) are due to chemicals or toxins.
CDC Morbidity & Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR); November 10, 2017 / 66(44);1216–1221
Maybe because...
Municipal water treatment facilities focus primarily on microbial threats.
That means chemical contaminants can end up in your tap water.
Some things that may be in your water besides water...
BAD TASTE & SMELL
Poor tasting / smelling water can be due to a variety of factors and contaminants. Let us help you TRUST YOUR WATER AGAIN. You won't believe the difference!
DISINFECTANTS & DISINFECTION BYPRODUCTS (like chlorine)
Water is treated with disinfectants like chlorine and chloramine to kill microbes, but they leave behind harmful byproducts that cause skin and/or eye irritation during bathing. 600+ disinfection byproducts have been identified from chlorinated tap water.
HERBICIDES & PESTICIDES
Common sources include fertilizers, weed killers, insecticides, domesticated animal waste and farming operations.
HEAVY METALS
Heavy metals like LEAD, arsenic, CHROMIUM-6 and mercury are human carcinogens. Some sources include plumbing infrastructure (e.g. old homes), refineries, coal plants, wood preservation, fertilizers, insecticides, herbicides, etc.
PFAS Per and polyfluoroalkyl substances
Includes 1000+ compounds known as "forever chemicals" as they don't naturally breakdown and build up in tissues/organs over time. Linked to developmental, immune, metabolic, and endocrine system disorders.
FLUORIDE
Fluoridation of drinking water is hotly debated fueled by health, political and ethical factors, but many want to remove it for health reasons.
MICROPLASTICS
Small pieces of plastic (<0.2 inches) synthesized for use in many products and industrial processes, or they can form naturally as larger pieces of plastic debris breakdown. Not removed by wastewater treatment
BACTERIA like E. coli
E. coli bacteria are present in the digestive tracts and feces of animals. Water pollution by fecal contamination can be treated with disinfectants, like chlorine, to kill the bacteria. Municipalities test for the presence of these bacteria and are required to notify you if the water is not safe typically through issuance of a “boil alert” or other public notification.
VOCs Volatile Organic Chemicals
Common ground-water contaminants through spills, leaks or inappropriate disposal. EPA estimates 20% of the nation’s water supplies contain VOCs. Class of chemicals that vaporize easily found in paints, dry cleaning agents, solvents, gasoline, refrigerants...
PARASITES like Giardia and Cryptosporidium
Microorganisms that contain cysts allowing them to survive for long periods of time in the environment and make them resistant to common disinfectants. From a variety of animals, they are readily distributed through feces-contaminated soil and waterways.
NITRATES
Sources include fertilizer, septic systems & animal waste. Contamination occurs from runoff or leakage of fertilized soil, wastewater, landfills, animal feedlots and urban drainage. Consuming high levels of nitrate can affect how blood carries oxygen. Especially dangerous in babies where it can cause “blue baby syndrome”.
HYDROGEN SULFIDE
Gas easily identified by the “rotten egg” smell. It is produced by bacteria that breakdown organic material or through industrial activities such as petroleum/natural gas drilling and refining, wastewater treatment, paper mills, etc.
Can't I just buy bottled water?
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An average family of four uses 650 water bottles every year.
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Less than 15% of plastic bottles are recycled. (or said another way: 85% of bottles end up in landfills and waterways.)
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Over 50 million barrels of oil annually are required to satisfy US demand for bottled water.
Bottled Water Is Not The Answer!
Bottled water is not sustainable.
Bottled water is expensive (to produce, to purchase and clean up)!
Bottled water may not be healthful.