There are a lot of misleading claims about water filters. Many filters are marketed with general statements like “improves taste and odor”. But filter manufacturers don’t mention the specific amount of
pesticides or chloramines removed, for example. Government websites also tend to leave out important data on water contaminants — it’s not in their interest to point out the problems with municipal water. We’ve found the best reviews of water filters comes from independent experts.
The best books on water purification I’ve found are
The Drinking Water Book by Colin Ingram and
Don’t Drink The Water by Lono A’o. Ingram suggests that one should first discover which pollutant are in your local water supply. You can then customize your filtration by selecting filters that target those specific pollutants. For example, if are you in a region of the U.S. where radon and uranium is commonly found in the groundwater, choose specific filters to remove those radioactive pollutants.
There are many
sources of water contamination (see the graphic below), and sophisticated water purification is simply not possible on the massive scale that municipalities have to deal with.
Here’s the list of types of contaminants you want to remove from municipal tap water:
1. Organic compounds (Pesticides, Herbicides, Pharmaceuticals, Fuels, etc.)
2. Toxic metals (Lead, Mercury, Aluminum, Cadmium, Chromium, Copper, etc.)
3. Bacterial and viruses (Giardia, Cryptosporidium, etc.)
4. Radioactive substances (Radon and Uranium, etc.)
5. Additives (Chlorine and Chloramines, Fluoride, etc.)
Ingram’s book also contains a comprehensive collection of water filter reviews. He rates filter from “Acceptable” to “Excellent++”. Here are the ratings:
* Pitcher Filters (Acceptable)
* Faucet Filters (Acceptable)
* Countertop Filters (Good)
* Under-Sink Filters (Good to Very Good)
* Reverse Osmosis Countertop Purifiers (Good to Very Good)
* Reverse Osmosis Under-Sink Purifiers (Good to Very Good)
* Countertop Distillers (Excellent to Excellent++)
* Whole House Filters (no clear answer, but appears to be mostly “Very Good”)
Notably, all the pitcher-style filters and faucet-mounted filters get a rating of “Acceptable” (the lowest rating).
The Best Water Filters Of 2010Countertop Water Filters
Under-Sink Water Filters
Countertop Reverse Osmosis Purifiers
Under-Sink Reverse Osmosis Purifiers
Gravity-Fed Drip Filters
http://www.metaefficient.com/water-filters/best-water-filters.htmlThe Drinking Water Book: How to Eliminate Harmful Toxins from Your Water
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1587612577Don't Drink The Water (without reading this book) The essential Guide to Our Contaminated Drinking Water and What You Can Do About It
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/096288829X
Topic: Water Filters (The Best Water Filters Of 2010) (Read 2097 times)