You body is designed to consume fresh, pure water. The water you are drinking, however, while it may not be making you ill immediately, more than likely has some interesting things in it.
What is in Your Water?
CONSUMER REPORTS WATER SOFTENERS
Bacteria such as e. coli, chlorine and other chemicals used to kill bacteria; chemicals from environmental pollutants; toxic heavy metals; water softeners; microorganisms such as Giardia and Cryptosporidium. All these things could be in your water, as well as organic chemicals such as solvents,and residues of other people's prescription medication.
One of the most crucial health improvements of modern society has been the creation of a constant supply of fresh water for the population. Underdeveloped nations struggle constantly with health problems caused by the lack of clean fresh water. In our society, we have complex systems to create a minimum standard of water quality. However, like many other examples today, the systems in place are designed to prevent acute illness, not promote health.
What Should You Do?
The quality of water coming out of your water cooler is important to examine strategically for several reasons. To start, you want to make sure you have a high quality water filter to purify the water you consume.
How Come?
1. A simple reason that is often overlooked is the water's taste. Your water from the tap likely just doesn't taste good. If your water tastes good, you will drink more of it, helping you stay well hydrated.
2. Another is to remove the chemicals and pollutants that you just wouldn't drink if they weren't hiding in your drinking water. You get exposed to enough chemicals throughout your day - you don't need to drink even more. The chemicals that we get exposed to on a daily basis accumulate in our bodies. It is critical for us balance our exposure to chemicals through the intake of nutrient rich foods, vitamins and anti-oxidants, and of course pure, clean water. Check out http://pollutioninpeople.org/results to find out how many chemical can be found inside of you!
3. And lastly, sometimes the modern systems we have today fail. The safeguards slip and the water in our water tank doesn't meet basic safety levels. A recent NY Times investigative article suggests one in five people have been exposed to water that doesn't even meet minimum water quality standards http://www.nytimes.com/2009/12/08/business/energy-environment/08water.html?_r=3
And often bottled water is no different. Even bottled water regularly fails to meet basic safety standards, and has been shown to be no cleaner than tap water. In fact, it often is tap water! The Natural Resources Defense Council did a four year study of bottled water, and came up with these interesting results: http://www.nrdc.org/water/drinking/bw/exesum.asp.
The good thing about focusing on building health instead of preventing sickness is that the times when you do slip up, So get a good filter and grab yourself a clean, pure glass!
What's in Your Water? Three Reasons to Keep Your Water Cooler Clean CONSUMER REPORTS WATER SOFTENERS