Water Filtration and Shower Water Filters

Water Filters

If you have immune system concerns, you should pay special attention to the substances you ingest, particularly water. Some estimates have placed drinking water towards the top of the list in terms of environmental concerns posing a hazard to the health of the general population. Many sources of drinking water have been polluted by a wide range of contaminants. The most common among these is bacterial and microbial content. Having your water treated by municipal filtration systems doesn't necessarily mean your water is safe from these threats. There have been recent documented cases of serious outbreaks of disease caused by Cryptosporidium in several large cities in the last couple of years alone. It is incumbent upon the individual with special vulnerabilities to protect their own health; it is long past the time when reliance on governmental entities to treat and/or monitor our water quality was a sufficient precaution against serious health risks.
People with immune systems that are weakened by AIDS, chemotherapy or transplant medications are more vulnerable to microbial contaminants in drinking water such as Cryptosporidium. Cryptosporidium is a microscopic parasite that lives in the intestine of infected animals and humans. It passes in the stool in its dormant oocyst form. The oocyst is protected by an outer shell that allows it to survive outside the body for long periods of time and makes it very resistant to chlorine-based disinfectants. It occurs mainly in surface water sources, such as lakes, streams and rivers. In healthy adults, Cryptosporidium can cause illness, but for people with weakened immune systems, it can cause severe illness and even death. Those who wish to take extra measures to avoid waterborne cryptosporidiosis can bring their drinking water to a boil for a full minute. Boiling water is the most effective way of killing Cryptosporidium. As an alternative to boiling water, people may take the following measures: Use a point-of-use filter Consider using point-of-use (personal use, end-of-tap, under sink) filters that remove particles one micrometer or less in diameter. Filters that use reverse osmosis, those labeled as "absolute one micron filters," or those labeled as certified by an American National Standards Institute (ANSI) - accredited organization to ANSI/NSF Standard 53 for "Cyst Removal" provide the greatest assurance of removing Cryptosporidium. As with all filters, follow the manufacturer's instructions for filter use and replacement.
You can use bottled water; however there is little assurance that the bottler has taken the necessary precautions to treat water adequately. One blind study of a number of bottled water companies found several instances where the water in the bottle was exactly the same as tap water. Check the label or call the bottler to find out how bottled water is treated, although quality can vary from bottle to bottle even with the bottler's assurance in hand. The following bottled water treatments protect against Cryptosporidium: reverse osmosis, distillation, ultraviolet light, or filtration with an absolute one micron filter. Bottled waters derived from protected well and spring water sources are less likely to be contaminated by Cryptosporidium than those containing untreated municipal drinking water from less protected sources such as rivers and lakes. If you have a contaminated private well, have special health needs, or in an emergency situation such as a flood, boil water for one minute to kill microbes (or three minutes at altitudes greater than one mile) and place in a clean, covered container. In these cases, any bottled water is better than the contaminated water supply.
Those who choose to take these precautions should remember that they can be exposed to waterborne pathogens through water used for brushing teeth, making ice cubes, and washing fruits and vegetables - not just through water they drink. Though less of a threat to compromised immune systems, bathing and shower water can be a concern as well. Although shower filters, at best, only take out chlorine and volatile organic compounds (VOCS), these can introduce sufficient hazards to bathing water to cause serious illness to those with vulnerable immune systems. It is advisable to use a shower filter that contains both KDF and GAC media in order to address the most contaminants possible. Unfortunately, usual carbon block and most GAC do not tolerate hot water well and this limits the efficiency of these systems. We recommend using your shower filter to fill the bathtub as well. It is the easiest way to get good quality bathing water as systems made specifically for tub faucets are the least efficient of all.
Another concern is the use of reverse osmosis systems. While you can get highly purified water with these systems, the product is basically inert and contains no natural mineral content. Increasingly, the water quality and health literature suggest that natural mineral content is one of the most healthful aspects of drinking water and should be retained. People with immune disorders probably benefit as much or more form these minerals and every effort should be made to utilize fully mineralized water for drinking. A high quality carbon block filter or ultra violet treatment gives the best filtration while keeping minerals in the water.
A water filter is composed of a screen with many microscopic holes. The smaller the holes, the more particulates the filter can remove. Filter holes are measured in microns. (The period at the end of this sentence is 500 microns.) When considering filter size, look for an absolute (the largest hole), not a nominal (the average hole), rating. EPA and CDC recommend an absolute one micron filter (or one labeled for cyst removal) to remove Cryptosporidium. Some contaminants and their size in microns:
Guardia lamblia - 8 to 12 microns; Cryptosporidium parvum - 4 to 6 microns; Bacteria (such as E. coli and salmonella) - 0.2 to 4 microns; Viruses - 0.004 to 0.1 microns (Generally, only a few filters, such as ultrafilters and reverse osmosis, have holes small enough to assure removal of all viruses. However, viruses can be killed using a disinfectant).
These are some of the issues to take into consideration when planning to address water quality at your point of use. It is highly advisable to get a water quality report from your local water system. They are required by law to provide this information. You can find many of these reports online as well. It is important to note that the standards established are not necessarily highly correlated with the threshold for health risks. In many cases, we don't know what safe amounts of these substances actually are. So, if there is any detectable presence of certain contaminants, beware in advance.

Shower Water Filters

Shower water filters are an essential component to any complete home water filtration system. A shower water filter allows you to enjoy a warm and relaxing shower, without the potential risk of exposure to harmful elements found in standard tap water. Chlorine is one of the biggest problems found in normal tap water. If your body is continually exposed to chlorine during a shower, it can lead to problems such as dry skin, irritated eyes or color distortion of the hair. This is due to the fact that chlorine strips the natural protective oils from the skin and hair, which leads to the excess dryness. If the chlorine is filtered out of the water, the skin and hair will greatly benefit. Removing chlorine can also be beneficial for individuals suffering from asthma and allergy sufferers, as inhalation of chlorine vapors can complicate those conditions. Showering with unfiltered tap water can be compared to spending ten to twenty minutes in an extremely chlorinated pool everyday. The most well-known shower water filter is the Aquasana Shower Filter, which retails for sixty to eighty dollars, depending on where it is purchased.
Shower waters filters can be easily installed in a few minutes. Once the water filter is properly installed, it provides healthy, chemical free water for showering. The best feature of the shower filter is its efficiency in removing chlorine from the water. It also greatly reduces harmful VOCs, which are the same harmful substances found in paints and pesticides. The filter also enhances the pH balance, which creates an overall healthier showering environment.
Most shower filters have an average life span of six months or ten thousand gallons. The filter can handle operating temperatures of 115 degrees, which is more than ample, as most average shower temperatures are 100 degrees. The filter fits well on the head of the shower. Most filters use two stages to purify the tap water. The first stage of the filter system removes all chlorine and improves the pH balance. The shower filter system brings the pH of the water to 7.5. This is accomplished by using a natural copper and zinc mineral media, which is called KDF-55D. KDF-55D removes any acidic components in the water, while retaining helpful trace minerals. The second stage of the filtering process employs a carbonized coconut shell media, which is responsible for the task of removing any synthetic chemicals and VOCs.
Most shower filters come with an adjustable pressure shower head which prevents any loss of water pressure. The filter systems are also compatible with most standard shower heads and hand held shower heads. In addition to providing health benefits, shower water filters also remove limestone, marble and other hard metals from the tap water. This helps to prevent scaling and hard water deposits in the shower or bathtub.