One survey (conducted by a water filtration company) estimated that approximately 77% of Americans use a home water filtration system. The U.S. water purifier market (2021) is expected to grow by $5.85 billion annually. With such a large percentage of Americans using water filters[1], greater attention must be paid to the health problems that may arise from not replacing your water filter.
Types of Home Water Filtration Systems
The first four systems are considered to use point treatment systems because they process water in batches and transport it to a single faucet. In contrast, the entire housing system is considered an entry point treatment system, which typically handles most of the water entering the house.
Do you need a water filter?
Most people purchase water filters because they are concerned about taste or odor, or because they may contain harmful chemicals to health, such as lead.
The first step in determining whether a water filter is needed is to find a source of drinking water. If your drinking water comes from a medium to large public water supply system, you may not need a water filter. As I previously wrote, most large and medium-sized water supply systems meet EPA drinking water regulations very well. Most drinking water problems occur in small water supply systems and private wells.
If there is a taste or odor issue with your drinking water, is it a problem with your home plumbing or water company? If the problem only occurs on certain faucets, it may be your home pipeline; If this situation occurs throughout the entire family, it may be caused by your water company – please contact them or your local public health agency.
The good news is that these taste and odor issues usually do not cause health problems. However, no one likes to drink water with bad taste or odor, and water filters can be very helpful in solving these problems.
Some of the most common taste and odor issues in drinking water are:
- Metal odor – usually caused by leaching of iron or copper from pipelines
- Chlorine or “chemical” taste or odor – typically the interaction between chlorine and organic compounds in pipeline systems
- Sulfur or rotten egg odor – usually from naturally occurring hydrogen sulfide in groundwater
- Mouldy or fishy odor – usually caused by bacteria growing in sink drainage pipes, plants, animals, or naturally occurring bacteria in lakes and reservoirs
- Salty taste – usually caused by high levels of natural sodium, magnesium, or potassium.
The second reason people buy water filters is due to concerns about harmful chemicals. Although the EPA regulates 90 pollutants in public water supply systems, many people do not believe that their water can be safely consumed without filters. A survey report states that people believe that filtered water is healthier (42%) or more environmentally friendly (41%), or do not believe in the quality of water (37%).
health problem
Not replacing the water filter brings more health problems than it solves
This situation occurs because if the filter is not replaced regularly, harmful bacteria and other microorganisms will grow and multiply. When filters are clogged, they may be damaged, leading to a buildup of bacteria and chemicals entering your household water supply. Excessive growth of harmful bacteria can harm your health, leading to gastrointestinal problems, including vomiting and diarrhea.
Water filters can remove both good and bad chemicals
Water filters cannot distinguish between chemicals that are crucial to health (such as calcium, magnesium, iodine, and potassium) and harmful chemicals (such as lead and cadmium).
This is because using a water filter to remove chemicals is based on the pore size of the filter, which is the size of the small hole through which water passes. Imagine a filter or a leaking spoon. The smaller the pores, the smaller the pollutants they block. For example, an activated carbon filter with a microfiltration filter has a pore size of approximately 0.1 micrometers [2]; The pore size of the reverse osmosis filter is approximately 0.0001 micrometers, which can block chemicals smaller than carbon filters.
Filters can block all chemicals of similar size, whether they are crucial or harmful to health. This has become a problem in countries such as Israel, where seawater desalination is widely used as drinking water. Seawater desalination uses a reverse osmosis system to remove salt from water, but in addition to salt, it also removes four essential elements: fluoride, calcium, iodine, and magnesium. Due to the widespread use of seawater desalination, Israel pays special attention to iodine deficiency and magnesium deficiency in the population. Iodine deficiency may lead to thyroid dysfunction, while magnesium deficiency is related to heart disease and type 2 diabetes.
What do consumers want to do?
There is no answer as to whether a water filter should be purchased. This is a personal choice, depending on the specific situation of your family. The most important issues when studying household water filters are filter type, pore size, and specific pollutants removed.
The main types of water filters are:
Activated carbon – is the most common type due to its low cost and high adsorption rate. Suitable for removing lead, mercury, and chlorine, but cannot remove nitrate, arsenic, heavy metals, or many bacteria.
- Reverse osmosis – using pressure to remove impurities through a semi permeable membrane. Proficient in removing many chemicals and bacteria.
- Ultrafiltration – Similar to reverse osmosis, but does not require energy to work. It removes more chemicals than reverse osmosis.
- Water distillation – heating water to boiling point and then collecting water vapor during condensation. Suitable for removing most chemicals and bacteria.
- Ion exchange filters – use resins containing positively charged hydrogen ions to attract pollutants – for water softening (removing calcium, magnesium, and other minerals from water and replacing them with sodium).
- UV radiation – High intensity light can remove bacteria, but cannot remove chemicals.
If you are considering purchasing a water filter, you can use some excellent resources:
- For general information, please visit the CDC website
- Information on different types of water filters
- Product rating
- Product certification by the National Health Foundation (NSF), an independent organization that sets public health standards for products
If you have purchased a water filter or already have one, please remember to replace it!
Post time: Oct-17-2023