Article Surfing Archive

The majority of the human body is comprised of water and human beings can live only a very short time without water.

Water is a chemical substance that is essential to all known forms of life. It covers 71% of Earth's surface. It is found in the oceans (saltwater) and polar ice caps, but it is also present as clouds, rain water, rivers, freshwater aquifers, lakes, airborne vapor and sea ice.

Water in these bodies perpetually moves through a cycle of evaporation, precipitation, and runoff to the sea. Clean water is essential to human life. In many parts of the world, it is in short supply. (Source: Wikipedia)

Of all the water in the world, only about 3% is drinkable by human beings. Of this small percentage, the majority is either wholly or partially polluted by natural or man made contaminants. The body requires H2O to survive but not the contaminants found in most drinking water.

What Are Your Choices For Drinking Water?

Most people in the United States face limited choices of drinking water. They can either drink tap water provided by the municipalities they live in or well water on their own land. Neither of these choices provides pure drinking water.

What Are the Different Types of Drinking Water?

Generally speaking there are three choices for drinking water available to the consumer:

* Tap Water (provided by local municipal water suppliers)
* Well Water (found in more rural areas of the country)
* Bottled Water (sold commercially throughout the country)

Tap Water:

Tap water comes from local rivers and streams and very often plants that recycle raw sewerage and other waste water. Because many rivers, streams and other groundwater sources are polluted by natural runoff and man made contaminants, and all waste water and raw sewerage contain high levels of bacteria, increasing levels of chlorine are required to kill bacterial and other harmful organisms.

Tap water is regulated by The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) an agency of the Federal Government but EPA regulations in no way require the elimination of contaminants. The EPA only sets minimum levels of contaminants (including chlorine) and the long term effects of these poisons on the human body are largely unknown. In addition chlorine adds unpleasant odors and taste to tap water.

Well Water:

Well water is subject to the same types of natural and man made pollution as tap water but it is unregulated. The Commonwealth of Virginia, for example, strongly recommends chlorination and dechlorination of owner's individual wells but mandatory compliance is not required. Well water is particularly subject to ground bacteria pollution through the wellhead itself. The use of chlorine adds unpleasant odors and taste to the well supplied drinking water.

Bottled Water:

Repackaged bottled water:

There are many types of bottled drinking water on the market today with the result that some are good, some are bad and some are useless when it comes to providing pure drinking water.

Some unethical suppliers merely take tap water and bottle the water in small packages. These bottlers are able to charge a premium for tap water but the levels of contaminants are the same as in tap water.

Spring water:

The source of some bottled water is spring water and this term implies a fresh mountain spring of wholesome drinking water. Springs however, are subject to the same types and levels of natural and man made contaminants as tap and well water and the consumer does not get the benefit of pure water.

Purified water:

Purified water is the only water that that one should drink for their health and the health of their family. There are two processes used in order to purify water: distillation and reverse osmosis.

Distillation is a process whereby water is turned to steam and condensed leaving behind all contaminants and bacteria. Many countries without natural source water and the Department of Defense use distillation to provide pure drinking water.

Reverse osmosis is a process where by water is filtered through a very small filter and contaminants are removed but bacteria and trace elements are left in the water.

Distillation removes the water from the contaminants while reverse osmosis merely filters the water without removing all bacteria and other material.

Many experts believe that distillation is the best way to create pure water.

Conclusion:

If you are an individual interested in maintaining a healthy lifestyle or a parent that is concerned about the health of your family, you should consider adding purified water to your diet.

No other water source provides the purity your body needs.