3 Technologies that Make Water Safe to Drink at All Times

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While authorities take pride in the fact that America has one of the cleanest drinking waters in the world, the same agencies warn about the decaying infrastructure, the presence of bacteria in viruses in tap water, and the overall “concerning” water quality across the nation. Since nobody wants yet another Flint crisis to occur, more and more people are wondering about smart methods and technologies they can implement in their homes to use and drink clean, safe water at all times. 

Is Tap Water a Matter of Concern in America?

In short, yes, it is. Besides the mediatized Flint, Michigan water crisis, the United States faces water scarcity and drinking water pollution. According to the C.D.C., our tap water might contain legionella, giardia, cryptosporidium, E. coli, and other bacteria and viruses. In a world that is trying to handle a pandemic, waterborne pathogens should be non-existent. 

Besides microorganisms and pathogens, we have heavy metals in our water, together with PFAS compounds, agricultural and industrial runoff, pesticides, toxins, chemicals, and so forth. Water sanitation systems in cities and communities are doing their best to keep our drinking water safe. Nevertheless, let’s not forget that people relying on private wells (which the E.P.A does not regulate) have to test their water and treat it on their own to the best of their abilities. 

Can We Make Tap Water Safer to Use and Drink?

We owe technology a lot these days for keeping us safe from harm and making our lives more comfortable and healthier. People have always had the means to make their water safe for drinking, but some new technologies are significantly more efficient than others. 

Reverse Osmosis Technology and Applications

Reverse osmosis is not new tech, but it becomes more and more popular. A reverse osmosis water system pushes the incoming water through a membrane that separates clean water from the water containing some bacteria, some forever chemicals and contaminants, toxins, and so on.

When it comes to stripping the water from all its pollutants, reverse osmosis systems are still some of the best solutions out there. While they come with some environmental concerns, modern systems manage to use multiple stages of filtration and waste as little water as possible. 

Since they leave the water “empty” of all its components, including the healthy ones (minerals), R.O. systems come with a re-mineralization stage that puts back minerals in the water in healthy and balanced quantities. In other words, you can stop buying plastic bottled mineral water, as you can obtain it from the tap. 

Reverse osmosis technology is versatile enough to be present in many shapes and sizes when it comes to filtration systems. You can pick whole house R.O. systems, under-sink filters (the most popular), and even R.O. portable, countertop carafes for clean drinking water at all times. No matter how they implement reverse osmosis in massive or small devices, R.O. technology works the same. You can benefit from it as point-of-entry solutions or point-of-use ones. 

U.V. Filtration and Its Applications

If viruses and bacteria are of concern for your family (and they should be, even according to the C.D.C.), U.V. water filters are your other innovation tech for water safety. Unfortunately, ultraviolet filters only kill and inactivate microorganisms. They do not filter out chemicals, lead, copper, pesticides, and other pollutants you commonly find in your water. 

Since U.V. filters only attack microorganisms’ D.N.A., preventing them from reproducing and spreading diseases in the water, they work best together with reverse osmosis filters. You should install U.V. filters as point-of-entry devices, so they can disinfect the entirety of the water entering your home. 

Of course, you can disinfect your water by boiling it for at least one minute, but boiling has its limitations and does not remove all fungi, bacteria, viruses, and helminths we deal with in our drinking water. For this reason, especially if you have newborn babies, kids, elders, and immuno-compromised family members in the house, you should use U.V. filters with your other types of filtration systems. 

Water Distillation and Its Modern Applications

We spoke about boiling, but water distillation is probably one of the oldest and most efficient methods of sanitizing our drinking water. Distilling the water in the old fashion way is time-consuming and costly. Fortunately, today’s technology allows us to use home water distillers for all our needs. 

Water distillers remove most water impurities and minerals. They may leave the water a bit “flat-tasting,” but it is nonetheless healthy and safe to drink. 

Consumer-oriented water distillers are machines you can keep on your countertop (most of them look like coffee machines) and use according to your needs. In comparison to the more massive R.O. water filters, they are portable, so you can take them anywhere you want. 

Bottom Line

Luckily, for everyone, today’s tech allows us to make the best choices for our health and wellbeing. If you deal with contaminated, rusty, bad-smelling, and tasting water, you should test it and act accordingly. Water filters these days – no matter their size – employ versatile innovation technologies. You can now enjoy reverse osmosis in the shape of an elegant water filter pitcher and pure distilled water coming from a device that perfectly blends in your modern kitchen design.