Q & A - Is Tap Water Safe?

Is tap water safe? This is an important question because according to a large US dietary and nutritional survey, 75% of us drink 4 cups of tap water every day.

So if it isn’t safe, than you’re exposed daily to toxic chemicals that can make you sick. These toxic water contaminants include pesticides, disinfection byproducts, industrial chemicals and emerging contaminants (like BPA, phthalates and PFAS).

And according to a 2017 report by the National Resource Defense Council, 77 million Americans get their tap water from community water systems that had one or more drinking water safety violations in 2015. That means 25% of Americans are drinking water that doesn’t meet Safe Drinking Water Act standards. 

There are a variety of reasons why tap water isn’t safe. Toxic substances easily enter the source of your drinking water (rivers, creeks and wells) from industries, urban runoff and agriculture. Of the 1,000 or so chemicals that could be in the source of your tap water, only about 100 are regulated by the EPA.

And many of water contaminants, whether regulated or not, aren’t adequately removed from source water by community water systems. In fact, a 2016 nationwide water sample study found out just how inadequate they are.

The researchers tested source water and found an average of 148 contaminants in their samples. They then took samples after the same source water was treated by water suppliers. Even after treatment, 121 contaminants were detected in the drinking water.

Plus, the process of cleaning up source water to make it drinkable also contaminates water with dangerous chemicals called disinfection byproducts.

So in general it's prudent to assume tap water isn’t safe to drink unless you filter it first. To find out if the tap water you drink is safe and find the right water filter just head on over to this article – How To Tell If You’re Drinking Contaminated Water.

Devote a half an hour to following the steps to find out what’s in your tap water. You'll also find info and links to help you choose the right water filter.