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It is almost impossible to find water that hasn't been contaminated on our planet.  Air pollutants such as bacteria, smoke and chemicals contaminate rain fall.  Our soil is filled with pesticides, herbicides, fertilizers and other chemicals washed into our streams, rivers, lakes and wells.  In an attempt to clean our water we add chlorine, but chlorine and its by-products have been linked to some cancers, heart attacks, diabetics, kidney stones and inflammation.  Also much of our water is still going through lead pipes which can cause severe neurological damage.

We definitely have serious water contamination problems. Fortunately, you can do something about it.  There are ways to protect yourself form these problems.  Let's examine the various water purification methods available today.

Bottled Water
Bottled water companies, knowing of our water problems, have been responding to needs of those concerned.  In fact, in the last four years they have collectively sold over $1 billion worth of water. However, when buying bottled water be aware that the water only has to meet the same minimum standards of municipal tap water. Don't assume that bottled water is healthier than tap water.

Filtered Water
Carbon particles or solid block carbons are used as water filtering elements. Filtering water works well in removing pesticides (like DBCP), chlorine, suspended particles and "precipitated heavy metals."  Carbon filters are not effective at removing radioactive particles, nitrates or bacteria. In fact, bacteria from contaminated water colonize and grow between the carbon particles and eventually may be randomly released into the "filtered" water. Consequently, carbon filters should not be used with confidence on un-chlorinated water supplies, such as wells.

Carbon filter manufacturers normally specify how well the filter removes "precipitated heavy metals."  This refers to metals that are not "dissolved" in the water.  Unfortunately most heavy metals (lead, cadmium, barium, nickel, etc.) are in a dissolved state which carbon filters can not remove.

Filters also lose their effectiveness with continued use.  Most have capacity rating somewhere between 500 and 1,500 gallons; however, by the time they reach the point of needing a replacement cartridge they may only be removing a fraction of what they did when new.  Unfortunately, there is not a convenient method of determining exactly how much water has passed through the filter.

Reverse Osmosis (RO)
This process involves forcing contaminated water through a synthetic, semi-permeable membrane. RO is at its peak efficiency when the membrane is new, reducing certain contaminants by 70-90%.  The purity of the water depends on water source, fluctuating water pressure, age and subsequent breakdown of the RO membrane, and clogging of the membrane pores.  Bacteria growth on the membrane and chlorine eating away at the membrane can also be a problem.

RO systems use large amounts of water - anywhere from 3 to 20 gallons to get 1 gallon of treated water. Although the RO systems do not use electricity, they can be quite costly ($500-$850) and they require routine service, monitoring and replacement of the membrane periodically. Membrane replacement over a 3-5 year period can equal the cost of your initial investment.

Distillation
Distillation is a method where water is removed from the contaminants rather than trying to remove contaminants from the water.  Distillation involves boiling water, capturing the steam, cooling it and condensing it back to liquid form.  Materials that have a higher boiling point than water will not rise with the steam.  Most contaminates have a higher boiling point than water and therefore will not rise with the steam.  Chlorine, however, is one substance that has a lower boiling point than water.  It changes to a gas and can be carried into the"treated water" with the steam.  Fortunately, we can easily filter chlorine gases out through an inexpensive carbon filter within the distillation system.

Distilled water, filtered through a post carbon filter, is the purest water available.  It is the most consistent system that eliminates foreign particles, chemicals, minerals, bacteria or other contaminants. You have assurance of purity, health and peace of mind.

There seems to be a big controversy regarding drinking distilled water.  We often hear people say distilled water doesn't contain valuable minerals. This is true, distilled water doesn't contain any minerals, but are those minerals valuable if your body doesn't assimilate them?  Most inorganic minerals found in water can not be assimilated by human body.  These inorganic minerals are found in such trace amounts, you would need to drink 50 gallons of water for them to be of any significance.  It would be better to drink one glass of carrot juice or 2 ounces of wheat grass juice and receive the same nutritional benefits. Why gamble with your health by drinking water that might have beneficial minerals when there are so many unknowns in your water.

In Dr. N.W.Walker's book "Water Can Undermine Your Health", he recommended drinking only steamed distilled water.  He pointed out that beneficial minerals needed by your body are not "leached" out.   Only useless built-up mineral deposits forming kidney stones, arthritic spurring, joint thickening and possibly heart valve deposits and arterosclerosis are removed.

We would not recommend purchasing distilled water which has been stored long term in a plastic container.  Many plastics give off toxins such as methyl chloride, a carcinogen which can leach into the water. Glass bottles or stainless steel containers are recommended for storing distilled water.

The purest and healthiest water is distilled water, filtered through a post-carbon filter and stored in a glass or stainless steel container.  Distillation is the only technology that can effectively remove over 99% of the contaminates in the water consistently.