| Water
FAQ's
If you have
a question that is not answered below that pertains either to water
or an Aquasana product, you may Ask the Doctor
or email us at info@aquasanausa.com
For product
specific questions, check our Product
FAQs.
Question:
Is bottled water or filtered water better?
Answer: While much bottled water is of good quality, there
are little or no regulations or means of ensuring bottled water
quality... it is a self-policed industry for the most part. In contrast,
the home water treatment industry is very heavily regulated. Manufacturers
must do extensive testing and reporting to prove their products
effectiveness at providing quality water. Manufacturers are required
to supply "Performance Data Sheets" demonstrating the products ability
to remove certain contaminants; bottled water companies are not
required to demonstrate their waters quality. See Bottled Water, Is It Better?
Question:
What is TDS?
Answer: Total Dissolved Solids, the total measurement by
weight of all solids that are dissolved in water. The dissolved
solids in water are primarily calcium and magnesium and would not
be a measurement of contamination. Tests which measure the conductivity
of water (often used by companies selling reverse osmosis and distillation
system ) only give a rough estimate of dissolved solids, mostly
minerals, and do not show water quality. Implying that these
tests show water quality is highly misleading and should be considered
unethical.
Question:
Is Chlorine harmful?
Answer: Chlorine was first added to a community water system
in 1908 in Chicago and was instrumental in eliminating many types
of water-borne disease such as Cholera and Typhoid fever. Prior
to chlorination, many major cities had death tolls of 1 in 1000
people from Typhoid alone. Chlorine has been used to disinfect municipal
water for over 80 years and has had some positive effects on public
health. In the 1970's it was discovered that chlorine, when added
to water, forms Trihalomethanes (chlorinated by-products) by combining
with certain naturally occurring organic matter such as vegetation
and algae. In 1992 the American Journal of Public Health published
a report that showed a 15% to 35% increase in certain types of cancer
for people who consume chlorinated water. This report also stated
that much of these effects were due to showering in chlorinated
water. The National Cancer Institute estimates cancer risks for
people who consume chlorinated water to be up to 93% higher than
for people who do not. The effects of drinking chlorinated water
have been debated for decades. However, most experts now agree that
there are some significant risks related to consuming chlorine and
chlorinated by-products in drinking water.
Chlorine and Cancer
Question:
Why do some areas test negative for chlorine?
Answer: Virtually all city water systems contain some level
of chlorine. The level will vary based on outdoor temperature, the
season, distance from water utility and current usage. While chlorine
may sometimes be undetectable on a certain day with a standard OTO
test kit, that level can change dramatically day to day. Also some
cities use ammonia at certain times as a disinfectant in order to
reduce chlorination by products. Without chlorine the dangers of
water borne disease would be too significant. An undetectable chlorine
level, on a certain day, does not eliminate the need for an effective
home filtration system.
Question:
What do you do if you have water contaminated by radioactive matter?
Answer: Move! Radioactive water is not very common in this
country and is a more serious problem than should be dealt with
by a home water filtration system. Many people confuse the contaminant
"Radon" with radioactivity when in fact they are quite different.
Radon is produced from decaying Uranium ore and can be effectively
removed by carbon filtration.
Question:
What are VOCs?
Answer: Volatile Organic Chemicals are synthetic compounds
that turn into vapor at relatively low temperatures. VOCs typically
vaporize at a much lower temperature than water. Most synthetic
chemicals found in water, such as pesticides and herbicides, are
VOCs.
Question:
Do people on private wells need to use shower filters?
Answer: There are many health and cosmetic benefits to removing
chemicals and compounds from shower water, even on non-chlorinated
private wells. Virtually all ground water contains traces of some
chemical or chemicals that can be absorbed through the skin or inhaled.
Also the Aquasana shower filter system helps balance the waters
pH, which is also a very noticeable cosmetic benefit.
Question:
What is the best container for storing filtered water?
Answer: Glass is always best, however if glass is not practical,
then a high grade polycarbonate material is best. Clear plastic
bottles and pitchers with a #1 in the recycle triangle on the bottom,
like the bottles used by Evian and the higher quality bottled waters,
are the best option for water storage since they have been shown
to release the lowest levels of plastic component chemicals into
water. Translucent, colored or bottles with a number other than
1 on the bottom should be avoided because there is the possibility
of higher levels of chemicals leeching into the water from the plastic.
Question:
Do water treatment products require FDA approval?
Answer: No. However, the certifications which apply to the
Aquasana products require proof that all wet component materials
meet FDA requirements for food grade materials. The performance
claims of the Aquasana 4000 system have been validated and certified
by the California Department of Health Services and include toxicology
extraction tests to show no harmful release of any substance into
the filtered water.
Question:
Are whole house systems (P.O.E.- point-of-entry) better than counter-top
filters (P.O.U.- point-of-use)?
Answer: P.O.U. systems are by far the best way to ensure
the highest quality water since many water-borne contaminants come
from the plumbing in your house, especially lead and vinyl chloride
from the piping. By filtering water at the point-of-use you remove
contaminants just prior to consumption, eliminating the chance of
recontamination. Point-of-entry systems offer certain benefits but
do not replace the benefits of point-of-use filtration.
Question:
What are the benefits of magnetic water treatment?
Answer: While there are manufacturers that make beneficial
claims for magnetic water treatment, there are no credible studies
or documentation that magnetics offer any measurable benefits for
drinking water, consumers should beware of undocumented claims.
Question:
How do you know if there are contaminants in your water?
Answer: All public water systems contain some level of one
or more unhealthful chemicals. Regulations only require periodic
testing of about 90 chemicals. There are now more than 75,000 chemicals
used in our society with over 1000 new ones being developed each
year. Contaminant levels fluctuate throughout the year making it
impossible to know the actual level of contamination in a central
water system. So far over 2100 toxic chemicals have been detected
in America's water systems. The risk is high; the cost for a sure
solution is low, 9 cents per gallon with Aquasana.
See What's in my water?
Question:
Are some people more sensitive to chemicals in drinking water and
shower water than others?
Answer: Definitely, small children and the elderly are especially
more affected by contaminants in water due to a reduced capacity
to deal with toxins and an under-developed or less tolerant immune
system.
Question:
If my municipal water company's Annual Water Quality Report shows
that it meets all EPA guidelines, does that mean its safe?
Answer: On October 1st 1999 a new federal law went into effect
that requires water utilities to send each customer a detailed report
showing what is in their water, appropriately called "The Right
To Know Amendment." The most important thing to remember is that
no matter how insistent these reports are that "contaminants in
your water do not necessarily pose a health risk", any level of
contamination in our drinking water does in fact represent a danger
to our health. Of the over 75,000 toxic chemicals used in our society,
the EPA has only set standards (MCLs) for about 90, and those 90
Maximum Contaminant Levels are not necessarily set on "health effects."
The EPA considers limited health studies based on consumption of
one certain chemical by a 175 lb. adult when setting these standards.
No consideration is given to the effects on small children or the
combined effects of two or more contaminants, which some studies
show are magnified by as much as 1000 times. Water utilities are
only required to test for the 90 contaminants that the EPA has set
standards for.
Nobody knows
how many toxic chemicals may actually be in tap water. According
to the Ralph Nader Research Group, after reviewing thousands of
pages of EPA documents acquired through the Freedom of Information
Act, more than 2100 toxic chemicals have already been detected in
U.S. water supplies. Virtually all public water systems have some
level of contamination. The water utilities are usually quick to
point out that the chemicals found in their water are "below EPA's
Maximum Levels", and in most cases they are. The fact is that even
the smallest trace of a toxic chemical causes damage and science
is just now starting to realize to what extent. In a recent report
from the National Cancer Institute to the Surgeon General it was
stated that "No level of exposure to a chemical carcinogen should
be considered toxicologically insignificant to humans," and we are
learning the hard way the truth of this statement.
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