
You and your home deserve a safe and clean water supply. Unfortunately, most homes receive contaminated or poor-quality water. Did you notice the color of your tap water? If it dispenses yellow-colored water, you can be sure that it contains contaminants and toxins. Even pipes emitting foul smell also hint at this hidden issue. Because these are not visible, you can continue to consume the dirty water without realizing its health impact. Children, teens, and older adults are highly vulnerable. To avoid this situation, have your water tested by a local water treatment company.
Someone like HQ Water Solutions in Lancaster can be approached for this. They can identify hidden dangers in your water and recommend the correct filtration or treatment solution. Without proper testing, you could unknowingly use water contaminated with chemical pesticides and other harmful substances, putting your kidneys, hormones, and overall health at risk. Here is a quick glimpse into the types of unwanted substances that can be sneaking into the water and affecting your health and that of your home silently.
Aluminum
It can enter tap water through the soil. Aluminum sulfate is the most common contaminant that is found in the water supply. The reason is its use in water treatment facilities for handling wastewater.
Trace amounts often get mixed with the drinking water. The appearance of white-colored gelatinous deposits in the pipes can be a hint of the presence of alum. While this contaminant doesn’t immediately cause any significant health setback, someone on dialysis must be careful. According to the Environmental Protection Agency, one liter of drinking water can contain no more than about 0.05 mg of aluminum. The best way to treat such water can be water softeners and reverse osmosis filtration systems. Ion exchange resins can remove hardness from water, while reverse osmosis (RO) systems can eliminate up to 98% of aluminum.
Arsenic
The source of this contaminant is the earth’s natural deposits. Hence, it can easily leach into tap water, mainly due to industrial activities related to semiconductor, petroleum, and coal plants. All these can elevate the level of arsenic in the water. It’s not a safe compound. You can contract skin, lung, bladder, prostate, kidney, and liver cancer. At the same time, your hormones, heart health, and nervous system can also be at risk. Experts warn that even a small amount of arsenic in the water can cause poisoning.
While the law mandates that facilities must use efficient water systems to control arsenic levels, homeowners can also invest in Reverse Osmosis Systems to obtain arsenic-free water.
Chromium
Like arsenic, this element is also found in the earth’s crust and makes its way into tap water through industrial processes, such as leather tanning, electroplating, and textile production. Exposure to hexavalent chromium and other chromium forms can pose tremendous health risks, including lung cancer, breathing problems, and more. Per one liter of water, only 0.1 mg of chromium is considered safe. Again, the best methods for purifying water of this element are reverse osmosis and ion exchange.
These are just a few examples. Safe drinking water must be free of all potentially harmful substances, such as copper, fluoride, mercury, and lead. Only a certified water treatment company can help with this.