Water is essential for life and since the body is made with over 10 gallons of it, drinking clean water is vital to your health. Unfortunately, many people’s water drinking habits go unquestioned and it may be a complete surprise that some water is quite unhealthy.

Case Study #1: Unhealthy Water Perceptions

You see them available almost anywhere you go: plastic bottles containing filtered, spring, or mineral water. Regardless of the type of water found inside, drinking bottled water has been on the rise for the past decade.

Research by Miguel F. Doria from the Centre for Environmental Risk in Norwich found that some people believe that drinking bottled water is a way to improve their health. 

Further research published by the AGU Journal also suggest that people are buying bottled water to avoid the risks of contaminants in tap water (see Case Study #2 for more details).

When water bottle companies became popular in the 1970s, they used celebrities to endorse their products to make it trendy and attractive. On top of the perception that tap water is unsafe, this may be creating a dependency to obtain clean water from profit-driven bottling companies.

Case Study #2: Unhealthy & Dangerous Water Companies 

It was in the early 2000s that controversy over water bottle companies began to surface to the public’s eye. When the former CEO of Nestle, Peter Brabek, made a comment saying that water is not a human right but instead a foodstuff commodity to be sold, it sparked a lot of anger.

 The fact that water bottle companies are focused on driving profits instead of sustainable, and healthy drinking water is frightening. In 2013 are massive safety scandal erupted in China because Nongfu Spring, one of China’s leading water bottle suppliers, were using water sources with higher than normal levels of arsenic (of course, our Aquaperform system is NSF-certified to remove Arsenic V). 

North American companies have also had similar issues with recalls occurring at a manufacturing facility in Pennsylvania due to an E. coli outbreak. Here’s the complete list of brands that were recalled:

• Superchill
• Morning Fresh
• Acadia
• Niagara
• Acme
• Best Yet
• 7-11
• Big Y
• Nature’s Place
• Pricerite
• Wegman’s
• Shaws
• Shoprite
• Western Beef Blue

Case Study #3: Unhealthy Chemicals in Water

You are what you drink, literally. Since water makes up most of the human body it is important to consume healthy amounts on a daily basis. Unfortunately, some of the chemicals being added to our water can have both short term and long term consequences. 

Here are a few of the chemicals that might be in your water and the effects it has on your body:

1. Phthalate. Plastic (PET) water bottles have been approved by the FDA and other health administrations world wide. In 2001, a study uncovered traces of phthalate, a chemical used to make plastic more flexible. In the human body, phthalate can act as a hormone (a.k.a. Endocrine disruptor) and has been documented to cause puberty at a younger age.
   
   
2. Bisphenol-A. This is another chemical found in plastic and has undergone extensive research due to alarming correlations of BPA and its negative effects on human health. Similar to phthalata, BPA can act as a hormone and change the normal functioning of the human body. BPA has been noted to cause developmental effects that are irreversible (e.g. tumors).
   
   
3. Lead. If you’re unfamiliar with the water contaminant incident in Flint, Michigan, it was due to lead. Many old pipes have been made from lead and over time, this chemical can leak into sources of water. Exposure to lead has been linked to autism, cancer, and reproductive issues in men and women. Multipure drinking water systems are certified to remove over 99% of lead from your drinking water, and are tested at levels above the concentrations found in Flint’s tap water. 

Conclusion: Healthy Water Alternatives

To avoid consuming unhealthy water, that may have harmful chemicals affecting your body over time, installing a safe water filtration system can help.

Multipure’s Drinking Water Systems are designed to convert your tap water into safe and healthy water for you and your family. They are dedicated to providing you quality water and have received numerous NSF certifications to ensure that contaminants are removed before you take a drink.

We have a saying at Vortex Pure Water: if your water isn't filtered, you're the filter!