Published: January 23, 2008 08:07 pm            

High quality H2O: It's at your fingertips

JOPLIN, Mo. — Water helps flush the toxins out, keep nutrients in and regulate the body’s temperature.

It’s one of life’s basic necessities, but not all water is created equal.

Some people don’t like the taste of tap water, or worry about trace amounts of undesirable elements contained within it.

Over the past several years, the popularity of household water-purification systems has been on the rise, and manufacturers are responding by creating consumer-friendly units in an effort to provide a cost-effective alternative to bottled water.

Eddie Maxwell, a sales associate for Lowe’s Home Improvement in Joplin, believes that water-filtration systems are a necessary and beneficial “long-term investment.”

“You can really taste the difference,” said Maxwell. “It’s doggone good water when it comes out.”

Types of systems

There are three types of water filtration systems that may be purchased, based on your budget and desired amount of use.

The units themselves cost anywhere from $25 to $200, depending on the model. But price doesn’t necessarily mean a superior product.

The least expensive option are filtering pitchers. The most popular are manufactured by Brita and Pur. They use a small filter, which strains harmful or unpleasant particles out of the water. The rushing water powers through the filter and results in a more smooth, enjoyable taste. The downside to these pitchers, however, is the fact that it takes nearly 15 minutes to produce a full pitcher using the gravity method and the capacity of the pitchers ranges from just eight to 10 cups.

Households seeking a steady supply of filtered water for drinking or cooking can invest in a faucet-mounted filtering system. The horizontal or vertical design takes up fewer inches of kitchen space than a pitcher and can be swiveled out of the way when doing tasks that do not require filtered water, such as washing the dishes.

For consumers who have little kitchen space or would prefer an inconspicuous device, manufacturers have developed an under-the-sink version of the faucet mount. In addition to the general tap-water faucet, the filter attaches to a cold water pipe and a separate, smaller faucet delivers the newly filtered water. Reviews contend that these models get better water flow and only need the filter changed every six months rather than the three to five months for other systems.

Health benefits

In addition to home filtration systems, Suzanne’s Natural Foods in Joplin sells Kangen Water — a purified water that is also alkalized.

“Our bodies are full of acid from the food we eat, pollution and stress,” said owner Suzanne Nelson. “Alkalized water, like Kangen, helps to neutralize the acid and enables the body to better eliminate those harmful toxins.”

In addition to being an investment in the overall taste and quality of tap water, filtration systems may prove to be an investment in our immune systems as well.

“We’ve seen an improvement in overall health, increases in energy levels and better results in weight loss,” said Nelson of drinking filtered water.

Brita manufacturers attribute other impurities in the water to particles of lead and copper that can be traced to common household plumbing. Also, some municipalities introduce chlorine as a disinfectant; although not distributed in dangerous amounts, it has been known to impair taste and odor.

“The majority of (filtration systems) filter out chlorine taste, sand salt, harmful enzymes, trace lead and other impurities,” Maxwell said.

Any way you look at it, the concept is pretty simple: Pure water is better for the body.

“When we drink unfiltered water, we give our bodies a little something extra to eliminate,” said Nelson. “It has to work harder to eliminate those harmful elements in addition to the other substances we ingest like fats, alcohol and tobacco. And that’s asking a lot from our bodies.”



Valerie Melton wries for The Joplin (Mo.) Globe.

        

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