Most Common Contaminants Found in Tap Water
It’s natural to assume the tap water from your kitchen sink is safe to drink. The truth is, EPA guidelines have limits, and your local water treatment facility can’t protect you from all potential hazards. This is doubly true for anyone using well water.
While the presence and volume of contaminants vary by region, water treatment facility, pipe material, mining activities, and more, a water purity test will often reveal at least one of the following.
Heavy Metals
A heavy metal is a particularly dense element. These metals are often toxic to the touch or when consumed, and even small amounts can have devastating consequences. It’s best to consult a professional to pair the best filtering solution to individual heavy metal contaminants.
Different metals have different ways of getting into your water, and exposure leads to varying symptoms in patients. We’ve included the most dangerous suspects, but there are too many heavy metals to analyze individually, and it always pays to have your water tested for the full spectrum.
Copper and Lead
Copper and lead particles often get into potable water enroute to your home or while moving through your system. Both metals used to be popular piping materials, and they linger in underserved municipalities and old construction. Copper toxicity can appear in yellowing skin, nausea, and other digestive tract problems. Lead poisoning symptoms range from difficulty concentrating and mood disorders to belly pain and muscle aches.
Arsenic
One of the deadliest substances on the planet, arsenic has a storied history as a tool of murder and mayhem. It’s also a natural element that can seep into groundwater, lakes, and streams. Symptoms of arsenic exposure include vomiting, diarrhea, and stomach pain. Long-term exposure may cause lesions and skin darkening.
Mercury
Another natural element, mercury can contaminate water through basic contact in the ground. It can also be discharged into lakes and rivers as an industrial or mining waste product. Mercury has a mix of symptoms. Exposure could lead to a cough, stomach issues and vomiting, bleeding gums, and difficulty breathing.
Chromium-6
Officially called hexavalent chromium, this element is another contaminant that can enter the water naturally or as an industrial waste product. Symptoms of exposure include irritation of the eye, ear, nose, and throat. Long-term exposure can lead to permanent damage to these areas and damage to organs like the liver and kidneys.
Nitrate
Nitrogen is a natural part of our environment, but concentrated nitrate poses a threat to infants and children. Methemoglobinemia compromises a baby’s red blood cells, reducing the blood’s ability to carry oxygen throughout the body and leading to suffocation.
Excess nitrate is most commonly found in agricultural regions where farmers use nonorganic or manure-based fertilizers. These flow into run-off and build up in groundwater. Ion exchange units, reverse osmosis, and distillation can all help protect a household’s drinking water.
Radon
Radon comes from the breakdown of natural radioactive materials like uranium, radium, and thorium. Those radioactive materials can also sneak into your water if your region has significant deposits, especially if there’s nearby mining activity.
Radon is a gas, and it can gradually fill your home with radioactive fumes through laundry machines, tap water, and dishwashers. Like all radioactive materials, it is a cancer risk. Homeowners’ best defense is usually a granular activated charcoal filter.
PFAS
Often referred to as “forever chemicals,” these toxic substances come from a huge range of commercial production processes, and they linger in ground water and human bodies for an extremely long time. This catch-all term includes thousands of individual toxins linked to health concerns like cancer, thyroid dysfunction, obesity, heart disease, and fertility problems.
Experts recommend choosing specialized filters that have been independently tested by third-party organizations like the National Sanitation Foundation, Water Quality Association, or International Association of Plumbing and Mechanical Officials.
Disinfection Byproducts
Tap water is treated to remove many impurities and kill dangerous pathogens before flowing out to the public. It is an important step for public safety, and most water treatment facilities use chemicals like chlorine and ammonia to fight natural bacteria. In certain circumstances, these essential disinfection chemicals can create chlorine or chloramine gas.
These gases can dissolve in the water and may be released as water flows out of taps, causing eye, skin, and throat irritation. These fumes can lead to serious medical conditions, but an active charcoal filter catches these threats before they leave your pipes.
Pharmaceuticals
There’s a good reason doctors have to go through so much training before prescribing medications. Unfortunately, your tap water may be tainted by chemicals from medicines prescribed or purchased over-the-counter for both humans and animals. These contaminants tend to enter the water cycle through human waste or when flushed down the toilet.
Currently, experts have no evidence of clear harm to consumers, but this issue is still being studied, and levels of pharmaceuticals in tap water are likely to rise since current water treatment facilities cannot entirely remove them. Fortunately, a study in Seoul showed granular activated charcoal filters stood up to this challenge.
Herbicides and Pesticides
It probably won’t surprise you to learn that toxic chemicals specifically designed to kill other organisms can hurt you if ingested. Pesticides and herbicides enter rivers, streams, and groundwater from all kinds of places, including farms, golf courses, and even sidewalks or lawns treated with pesticides.
Pesticide treatments for rats or roaches pose similar risks, especially around storm drains and sewers. Pesticides are some of the most dangerous drinking water contaminants because the EPA does not test for all of them. The good news is that, once again, a granular activated charcoal filter can pull them out before they reach your tap.
Call Daytona Benjamin Franklin for Safer Water
Call us today to find the ideal solution to your home’s water filtration needs. Our experienced professionals work with you every step of the way, from testing to identify contaminants to installing and maintaining targeted filters. Don’t wait to start your path to cleaner drinking water and a healthier home. The Daytona Benjamin Franklin Plumbing team has your back and respects your schedule. If there’s any delay it’s YOU we pay!
