We all know the importance of drinking water in our day to day to be properly hydrated, since not only are we what we eat, but we are also what we drink.
What not everyone knows is that not only is the amount of water to be ingested important, but also its quality, and what quality is the water we drink?
It could be said that water has good quality according to several factors:
- That it is not contaminated is essential, which means that it does not contain substances harmful to the organism. Many waters that come from deposits contain small amounts of metals, more chlorine than adequate, or even bacteria that are not beneficial for the proper functioning of the body.
- That the water is alkaline, that is, that it is charged with electrons (negative energy) and not with protons (positive energy), which would make the water acidic. Most of the water we consume is acidic, and yet it should be alkaline since, in addition to having minerals such as calcium or potassium, it has a pH higher than 7, which helps us to eliminate acids from the body.
Normally water is mineralized naturally when it precipitates to the surface. Therefore, this means that the elements it contains will depend on the area where it is located (soil composition, biomass, hydrological conditions …) and climatic conditions. Subsequently, in the stage of artificial water processing, certain elements are also incorporated, such as mineral nutrients (zinc, calcium, manganese, phosphate and sodium).
Although the filtration and disinfection processes eliminate a large part of the harmful agents that would be present in the water, there is a quantity that remains in the water that reaches our homes, as well as the presence of the same chemicals that are present in the water due this use in disinfection, which can also be harmful since they are used in a greater quantity than necessary.
The admissible impurities in the water to make it potable are regulated by Royal Decree 140/2003, which establishes the criteria for water to be of human consumption. This Decree lists the permitted values of “undesirable substances”. This means, of elements such as iron, ammonium, copper or barium, as well as other toxic substances such as cyanide, arsenic, chromium or nickel. What this means is that toxic substances are allowed to be present in the water we consume as long as they do not exceed the maximum values.
More and more doctors and scientists around the world are beginning to denounce the increasingly low quality of water, denouncing that it is often unstructured and contaminated even by the products used to purify it.
Therefore, there is a need to have a filtering process in each house so that these elements present in the “supposedly potable” water do not affect us.
When we use a filter, we not only notice the difference in taste, since it clearly shows the elimination of the taste of chlorine and other chemicals.
It is also avoided to ingest some bacteria that produce diseases and that have survived the treatment with chlorine. As well as other heavy metals such as lead present in the water.
There are many types of filters with different methods:
• Activated carbon filter
How it works: Charcoal with positive charge in the filter that attracts and traps many impurities, eliminating bad tastes and even chlorine.
• Cation exchange softener
How it works: “Softens” hard water by changing minerals with a strong positive charge to one with less charge, eliminating calcium, magnesium, barium and some other harmful ions.
• Distiller
How it works: Boils the water and recondenses the purified steam, eliminating heavy metals (chromium, copper, cadmium, lead, mercury, arsenic …)
• Inverse osmosis
How it works: A semipermeable membrane separates impurities from water, eliminating almost all contaminants (heavy metals and parasites)
• Ultraviolet disinfection
How it works: Ultraviolet light kills bacteria and other microorganisms like harmful parasites and viruses.