Is Your Water Safe? The Dangers of Common Water Toxins & How to Avoid Them

As summer approaches and the weather warms up, it’s becoming more and more important to remember to stay hydrated.

The healthiest way to stay hydrated is by drinking plenty of water.

For most of us, we have the luxury of having drinking water pumped directly into our homes via wells or city water sources. However, while this water is ok to drink, it’s likely that the tap water you’re consuming has certain pollutants or minerals in it that you might not be aware of.

At Pure Modern Living, we believe in ensuring we consume the safest options when it comes to both food and beverages--and yes, this includes the water you drink at home.

What do you need to be on the lookout for in your homes tap water?

And, what can you do to ensure your water is purified to the best of your ability?

Keep reading to find out…

Common Pollutants in Tap Water

Before we talk about ways to ensure your water is safe, it’s important to discuss what actual toxins might be lurking in your water that you might currently be unaware of.

Here’s a quick list of common toxins that you can find in almost all tap water sources...

Chlorine

Chlorine is a disinfectant which is why it’s used in most cleaning processes.

While this might sound like a good thing (we all want to drink safe, clean water, right?) it actually can do more harm than good.

The reason...chlorine is a chemical that bonds with water. When it bonds it produces a poisonous chemical called hydrochloric acid.

Lead

Since the days of using lead-based products and paints, you’d imagine that ensuring lead doesn't end up in our drinking water (as we know the dangerous health complications of consuming such a metal) would be a top priority.

However, this is not the case, nor is it an easy problem to fix.

Lead ends up in our water due to corroded pipes underground. In order to fix the issue of lead ending up in our water sources, a city has to replace all the piping that’s causing the issue--a time consuming and expensive project.

Why is lead so dangerous?

Lead is toxic to every organ in the body and is especially dangerous to children. When consumed, it can quickly cause developmental issues, behavioral issues, growth defects, and even brain damage.

Even worse, lead is often contributed to autism, certain cancers, and reproductive problems in both grown men and women.

Mercury

Mercury is a byproduct of industrial practices. While it also occurs naturally in the world, the increase of mercury due to industrial runoff makes the toxin very dangerous in our water system.

When consumed in large quantities, mercury can cause brain damage, nerve damage, impairment of motor functions, headaches, tremors, mood swings, memory loss, and skin rashes.

Arsenic

Yes, you read that correctly. Arsenic is a toxin that is commonly found in city water sources.

Shocking, right?

While it might seem a bit crazy, arsenic is a chemical that is used in a large variety of industrial processes. When not contained correctly due to improper waste disposal, it leeches into our water sources and isn’t often treated.

While the amount of arsenic in your water isn’t enough to kill you, it can cause vomiting, stomach pain, and diarrhea--all very unpleasant side effects of simply drinking water.

Over the years, long-term exposure can lead to certain cancers. While this is extremely unlikely to happen, it’s still a possibility you should be aware of!

DDT

You’re probably familiar with the chemical DDT--an insecticide that was widely used in the agricultural industry until it was banned in the 70s due to health concerns.

While the USA has done a good job regulating this chemical, it is still widely used across the world.

Why is this a problem and how does it affect your drinking water?

Unfortunately, DDR molecules can travel a great distance and can be dumped on clean water sources via rain clouds.

This chemical, which has been proven to cause reproductive issues and liver damage, still ends up in our water sources, despite our best efforts to keep it out.

How to Ensure Your Drinking Water Remains Safe

The thought of how many chemicals may be lurking in your water can be unsettling. However, there are many simple things you can do to ensure your drinking water remains safe.

Here’s what we recommend…

Purchase a Water Testing Kit

You can easily test the quality of your water at home. All you have to do it invest in some quality test strips.

There are a variety of different test kits available. Our Alkalife Ph test kit enables you to test and track the Ph levels of water to ensure they are within normal limits.

Check them out here!

Invest in a Water Filtration System

Did you know that simple in-home water filtration systems can remove 99.9% of tap water impurities?

That’s right...for the low cost of a water filter, you can ensure your entire family has clean drinking water every single day!

Brita water filter containers have been around for a long time! If you haven’t tried one yet, we recommend you give this model a try…

Grab a Brita filter container here!

If you don’t like the idea of having to refill water jugs to ensure you have clean water, we recommend you give the faucet filter a try.

This nifty filter makes it easy to access clean filtered water for drinking, cooking, or even washing dishes!

Grab a faucet filter here!

Stock Up on Bottled Water While On The Go

Last but not least, it’s always a good idea to have clean drinking water accessible when you’re on the run.

Whether you’re on vacation or running around to your kid’s sports practices, keeping a case of chilled water in your car will ensure you have safe drinking water no matter where you are.

We offer a very large selection of bottled waters, so if you’re in need of stocking up, be sure to check out what we have in store!

Find your favorite drinking water here.

There are a lot of scary things floating around in our water sources.

The good news...you have the power to quickly and inexpensively ensure your water is safe to drink.

Cheers to having safe drinking water all summer long!