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🚰 Is your drinking water safe?

🚰 Is your drinking water safe?

A deep dive on water quality and how it can impact our health

HealthHack
February 25, 2024

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Happy Sunday!

Today, we’re diving into water quality, its health impacts, and ways to potentially improve the quality of your water.

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📊 HealthHack Poll of the Week 📊

Last week, we asked how you felt about aromatherapy and essential oils, and the most votes went to:

Interesting, but I'm on the fence 🤔

This week before our deep dive, we’d love to know:

How concerned are you about your water quality?

Cast your vote for your top choice, and drop a comment in the “Additional Feedback” box on the poll page to share more!

The Surprising Impact of Water Quality on Your Health 🚰

Water, the elixir of life, is fundamental to human health.

However, the quality of the water we consume and expose ourselves to can significantly affect our health.

In this deep dive, we look at the intricate relationship between water quality and health, examining its effects, concerns, and solutions.

Should you be worried about water quality?

In the United States, water quality concerns extend beyond visibly dirty, polluted water sources.

Heavy metals like lead, arsenic, and mercury can be present in our water supplies, and accumulate in the body over time.

While not an instant issue, over time, this can lead to a host of health issues, developmental delays, neurological disorders, and cardiovascular problems.

Additionally…

Microbial pathogens, though less common, can still contaminate water supplies, leading to outbreaks of gastrointestinal illnesses.

And chemical pollutants from industrial activities, pesticides, and pharmaceuticals may contribute to hormone disruption, cancer, and reproductive issues.

Clearly, there’s a lot more to water quality than how it looks.

According to the CDC, community water systems use a variety of water treatment methods to provide safe drinking water.

Problems occur, however, when waste and sewage water enter our pipelines, either through broken water lines or if a septic system is located too close to a drinking water well.

And chlorine – which plays a crucial role in water treatment – can cause pipes to corrode over time, releasing iron and lead into the water supply.

Plus, there’s the issue of microplastics from bottled water.

Bottled water has its own potential issues, too.

Depending on the source, it may not necessarily be safer or purer than tap water.

When exposed to heat, plastic bottles may leach chemicals like BPA into the water…

Which has been linked to reproductive, immunity, and neurological problems.

So, how can we tell if our drinking water is safe?

Many pollutants are detectable only through testing, so a home test kit can be a great place to start.

You can get these easily at hardware stores or online, and they don’t cost a lot of money.

Another great choice is to check out a local water quality report.

This website lets you enter your zipcode and gives you a highly-detailed report on water quality where you live.

Staying informed about local water issues and testing your water regularly can help keep your water safe.

Most importantly, what can we do to improve drinking water quality?

By implementing a few simple, science-backed strategies, we can take proactive steps to make sure we’re getting safe, clean drinking water at home.

Use a Water Filter: These are tested and proven to work! Investing in a quality water filter certified to remove specific contaminants can significantly improve drinking water quality.
- Look for filters that target common pollutants like lead, chlorine, and microbial pathogens.
- This 2-minute video is a great guide on some of the most effective filters on the market.

Regular Maintenance: Ensure that home plumbing fixtures and filtration systems are properly maintained to prevent bacterial growth and maintain optimal performance.
- Replace filter cartridges as recommended by manufacturers to effectively remove contaminants over time.

Test Water Quality: Periodically test your drinking water for contaminants using DIY test kits or professional laboratory analysis.
- Regular testing can identify potential issues early and inform appropriate mitigation strategies.

Consider Source Water Quality: Be mindful of the source of your drinking water.
- If relying on well water, regularly test for contaminants such as arsenic and nitrates that may be present due to geological or agricultural factors.