Better Water Means Better Health

Yes, you do need to drink water every day, and lots of it. First, you need to replace what you lose through your breath, your sweat, and your urine. Beyond that, almost every chemical reaction in your body takes place in water. In the digestive process, pure water dilutes toxins and helps elimination.

Hydration is also essential for radiant skin. For centuries, cultures around the world have used saunas, sea soaks, and bathing rituals to maintain vibrant health, a sense of community, and youthful appearances. Internally, a lack of water makes the body tire more easily and makes the skin appear aged.

Does it matter what you drink? You bet it does.

Toxins in the Supply

The leading pollutants in our water supply get there either in rain water or in runoff from urban areas and agricultural land, according to the EPA. The most dangerous offenders are mercury and other metals.

You can add to this list of pollutants the many xenoestrogens (chemicals that act like estrogen in the body) that are altering the biological structure of frogs, alligators, and other aquatic life. Although this is certainly alarming news for the future of aquatic life, it also raises the alarm for the toxic quality of our seafood.

And what's more, mercury and xenoestrogens are just the tip of the iceberg. Tap water is tested for levels of literally scores of various contaminants. The problem is, if these levels of contaminants are exceeded, municipalities seldom take any drastic corrective action.

The use of chlorine in water treatment to reduce the risk of infectious disease may account for a substantial portion of the health risks associated with our nation's drinking water. Although many water treatment plants now use chloramine instead of chlorine, the new compound is not significantly safer since it has been shown to cause similar reactions to those of chlorine in many instances. Additionally, cysts of protozoa (Giardia) can live on even in treated water.

Additionally, tap water travels to you through pipes that may also add several toxins to your drinking water—such as lead, asbestos, copper, or PVC breakdown products. Decayed pipes may also have holes that allow such ground contaminants as pesticides, arsenic, and other chemicals to seep into the water or in which bacteria can proliferate.

All of this means that the so-called "safe" tap water you are drinking could contain a cocktail of chloramine, such toxic heavy metals as mercury and lead, and undesirable pathogens.

Water Solutions

First and foremost, you must protect your health and the health of your loved ones by using the cleanest water possible. Your best and safest solution is to filter your water before you drink it. Bottled water may seem like another good answer, but there are several problems with it. First of all, most plastic water bottles, whether the personal size or the big five-gallon carboys, can leach harmful compounds out of the plastic and into your water. Second, the plastic bottles themselves are a nightmare. Of the billions of bottles of water consumed in this country, most of the empties end up in a landfill somewhere. And we use millions of barrels of oil every year just to make the bottles. Finally, the quality of bottled water can vary tremendously, depending on where it comes from. Here's a quick rundown of the different ways bottled water is packaged and marketed:

• Well water comes from a hole drilled in the ground down to the underground water table.
• Artesian water is drawn from a well that has a water level above the underground water table.
• Sparkling water is usually water that has had carbon dioxide added to it after being drawn from its original source.
• Mineral water is water that contains at least 250 parts per million of total dissolved minerals and trace elements. To be true "mineral water," the minerals and trace elements must be present in the water at the source rather than being added.
• Purified water is basically processed or filtered water, which probably came from some municipal water supply. The original water has been filtered, ionized, or distilled before bottling.
• Spring water comes from an underground spring and must be collected at the spring or from a borehole that taps into the spring underground. This is the type I like most.

That leaves you with filtering as your best choice. Your options range all the way from very expensive whole-house filters down to portable ones that you can take to a restaurant or on a picnic.

• Most of the whole-house systems use what's known as a reverse osmosis system. This method is very effective—it's the one typically used in giant desalination plants—but it wastes about four out of every five gallons that come into your house.
• Countertop sytems range from high-quality machines with several chambers and UV disinfecting capability, such as the Sun-Pure Water Filtration System down to simple pitchers like the Brita. In general, here the less you pay the less effective the system is. Sun-Pure systems are available through several mail-order catalogs, and Brita pitchers can be found in many housewares stores and even in some hardware stores.
• A portable system allows you to get safe water wherever you are. A good place to start is to get a filter that is certified by NSF International. NSF certification requires a label with information about what gets filtered out, so you can check before you buy. In general, a charcoal filter is pretty good. A top-grade carbon filter is even better. My top choice today is the Seychelle Water Filtration Bottle. Thanks to its carbon filter, and its high-grade container that won't leach chemicals into the contents, this filter bottle does a superior job of removing 99.9 percent of all contaminants. The Seychelle bottle also saves money you'd otherwise spend on disposable bottles, which use resources and clog landfills.

Since we all rely on a common supply of water, the final thing we can do is encourage efforts to make our general water supply cleaner and safer by communicating your concerns to your representatives in the local, state, and federal governments. You should also support such non-profit organizations as the Water Quality Association (www.wqa.org) and the International Bottled Water Association.