DEBRA'S ANSWER:

I have a medical-grade alkalizer that I got from Go Beyond Organic. It is a stand-alone unit that I pour my filtered water in.

I notice a huge difference in how my body feels drinking alkalized water. But I haven't experienced health improvements on the scale that are claimed by some sellers of alkaline water units. I just notice a difference when I am traveling and don't have my alkaline water with me.

I haven't compared all the alkaline water units yet, but chose this one because it has enough "power" to really charge the water.

Readers, please write in with information on the units you have or are considering and I'll compare them for you.

Debra :-)

DEBRA'S ANSWER:

The product description of this filter says "The bacteriostatic filter will retard the growth of bacteria within your shower head."

Bacteriostatic means that the material in the filter--KDF 55--retards bacteria growth but does not kill it or remove it. There is no added toxic bacteria-killing substance.

Debra :-)

DEBRA'S ANSWER:

I don't have first-hand experience with this, as we decided against using one. It's still chlorine, but made from salt instead of pouring it in the pool from a bottle.

We have a chlorine-free pool that uses hydrogen peroxide to keep the water sparkling clear.

Readers, anyone have experience with salt-water chlorinators?

Debra :-)

DEBRA'S ANSWER:

Reverse osmosis as a rule removes all types of particles, but not 100% of them. Most of them, but not all. Depends on the system. It makes the water more acidic.

In Nature, spring water contains lots of natural minerals because it has gone through the soil, where it picks up minerals. Rain water is "distilled" because it goes through a cycle of purifying evaporation from the earth and condensation in the cloud before it returns to earth. Historically, spring water has been valued to a point of being spiritually revered. Re cities without fluoride: San Jose, San Diego, New Orleans...for more you might try contacting Fluoride Action Network.

I do not use a reverse-osmosis filter. Mine removes fluoride, but leaves the minerals. For more information on my filter, contact Winston at Go Beyond Organic.

Debra :-)

DEBRA'S ANSWER:

My husband tells me that using the PVC pipe drain is standard procedure for the problem you describe and that it is necessary to completely handle the problem.

Though PVC is one of the most toxic plastics, it is commonly used underground. It will not pose a direct health danger to you or other living things in your immediate environment when buried underground (though it does cause environmental harm elsewhere when it is being manufactured, and it is not biodegradable).

Often we need to make trade-offs. My opinion is that in your case, it's more important to handle the mold problem in your house. It wasn't built correctly in the first place.

Debra :-)

DEBRA'S ANSWER:

Readers, anyone have any experience with this, or suggestions?

Here are my thoughts...

You say you've done "a lot of research" yet you mention only two companies, so I don't know what other systems you've looked in to.

I think you may need to go more in the direction of a specialized filter system rather than with a company that is selling filters for general use.

I searched on "remove arsenic in water" and came up with Carbtrol Arsenic Removal Systems. I have no experience with this system, but it looks like it should be able to do the job.

Here's an article on how the city of Phoenix removes arsenic from their water supply: GFH Media Removes Arsenic in Arizona Supply. Though this is a city application, it does show it can be done, and this same filter media can be used in a whole house system.

Here's another article about using plants to remove arsenic from well water: Life Saving Weed can Remove Arsenic from Water Supply.

This is what I found in just a few minutes of searching. Arsenic in well water is widespread and the technology exists to remove it. You just probably will need to look "outside the box", beyond standard water filter companies to find it.

This is the kind of problem I can help you sort out through a paid telephone consultation, and I could do more research on this. It's beyond the scope of this blog for me to spend the amount of research time it would take to find the answer for free.

As to the safety of arsenic in water, my educated guess is that it would probably accumulate in plants, so you would have high arsenic in the vegetables. Probably skin would absorb it, although it is a particle, so it wouldn't absorb as readily as a gas, such as chlorine.

Debra :-)

DEBRA'S ANSWER:

If it's chlorine and not chloramine, you can get any carbon "undersink" filter and install it wherever you can in the pipe that leads to the washing machine. You can buy these filters at any home improvement store.

Debra :-)

DEBRA'S ANSWER:

I went to the Crystal Quest website and looked at their countertop filter.

It has six stages of filtration:

1 - particle filter that removes suspended particles such as silt, sediment, cyst (Giardia, Cryptosporidium), sand, rust, dirt, and other un-dissolved matter.

2 and 3 - KDF made from copper and zinc, which instantly removes chlorine as well as heavy metals such as lead, mercury, copper, nickel, chromium, cadmium, aluminum, and other dissolved metals.

4 - ion exchange resins, reducing heavy metals such as lead, copper, aluminum, and water hardness.

5 - granulated activated carbon (GAC), which removes, again, chlorine (99.9%), chemicals linked to cancer (THM's, benzine) pesticides, herbicides, insecticides, volatile organic compounds (VOC's), PCB's, MTBE's and hundreds of other chemical contaminants (which may or may not be in your water).

6 - another particle filter

What is in your water that you are wanting to remove? Do you have chlorine or chloramine in your water? This will remove chlorine, but not chloramine. I'm also concerned about the copper in the KDF. Copper can cause severe imbalances in the body. I don't know how much copper might get into the water from the KDF. It is a heavy metal.

Debra :-)

DEBRA'S ANSWER:

I would suggest filling the bathtub with water from your shower, that way it runs through the shower filter you already have.

Lucky you, that you have chlorine.

Debra :-)

DEBRA'S ANSWER:

Yes, it is contradictory to purify water using a partly plastic filter into a plastic pitcher. The plastic will leach into the water.

If you can't afford a whole house filter, at least get an undersink filter for your kitchen sink and a shower filter--big enough to actually do a good job at filtering the water.

Pur doesn't do much.

There's a whole chapter in my book Home Safe Home on how to choose a water filter.

Debra :-)

DEBRA'S ANSWER:

I'm not worried about this. The water is moving by so fast that any amount of plastic that would get into it would be negligible.

Debra :-)

DEBRA'S ANSWER:

Thanks for finding out the type of plastic used before posting your question.

I had a similar question last year at Q&A: Plastic Shower Hoses, but we didn't know the plastics used.

Vinyl is toxic and causes cancer and styrene is also a toxic plastic (think styrofoam cups and food service containers). It is known to leach into foods and beverages.

The vinyl will outgass a small amount in use and when not in use. This is a very small exposure but pretty toxic plastics.

Last time around with this question, a reader suggested getting a stainless steel hose. They carry them at plumbing supply stores.

Debra :-)

DEBRA'S ANSWER:

You know, I would like to know the answer to this as well.

For three months I stayed in a rented furnished apartment with a lease that wouldn't let me do anything without written permission, so I don't think they would approve an attached water filter. Smaller filters, like those that attach to faucets don't do much.
Then I stayed in a hotel for two weeks. Again, I don't think they would go for a water filter.

So I drank bottled water and was VERY happy to come home to my filtered shower water!

Readers, any suggestions for us?

Debra :-)

DEBRA'S ANSWER:

Choosing a lead-free faucet is a little more complex than choosing bronze over brass. There's a whole article that explains about lead in faucets very simply:

San Francisco Public Utilities Commission: Identifying & Purchasing Lead-Free Faucets.

A 1986 amendment to The Safe Drinking Water Act banned the use of lead solder in plumbing and called for “lead free” plumbing fixtures. A “lead-free” fixture was legally defined as one that had 8% or less lead in it (hardly "free" of lead).

NSF: Faucets says that federal law now requires faucets to meet the lead leaching requirements outlined in their NSF/ANSI Standard 61. This standard establishes guidelines for determining whether the faucet (or other product being tested) adds contaminants into the water as it passes through. "Under Section 9 of this standard, faucets and other endpoint devices are tested to ensure they do not leach more than 5 ppb of lead into drinking water." So if you get an NSF certified faucet, it may still leach 5 ppb of lead into the water that comes out of it. While this is much less lead than faucets sold prior to 1998,it is still not zero lead. You can view their list of faucets that meet this standard at: NSF Certified Faucets.

The bottom line is: A faucet labeled "lead-free" may still leach lead into your water.

Apparently there are some faucet manufacturers which now produce plastic faucets that have virtually zero lead. Other manufacturers are substituting other metals for the lead in the brass, inserting copper tubes inside the brass faucets, or applying special coatings on the inside of the faucets in order to minimize or eliminate lead leaching. However, I haven't been able to locate a list of these faucets. I did find one brand--Zeromix--that says their faucets are "entirely lead-free...Moreover the brass that we use contains no nickel and the faucets are made in such a way that no nickel comes in contact with your drinking water."

As for any product, read the label. Check the package for any indication that the plumbing fixtures might be have zero- or ultra low-lead levels. New faucets meeting the NSF 61 standard will have NSF 61/9 stamped on cardboard box.

If you have a whole house water filter or an undersink filter, it will NOT remove the lead added by your faucet because the faucet comes after the filter. This is where a pour-through filter can come in handy. The Berkey "travel" filter will remove some lead without adding plastic to the water.

How much of a problem is this? Well, first of all, there is NO safe level for lead. So any amouont reduced reduces your overall exposure. This is particularly important for children. Second, the amount of lead that leaches decreases tremendously in the first month of use (see Table 3 in Comparison of Lead Discharge From Conventional Leaded Brass Versus ANo-Lead@ Type Water Service Valves and Fittings. Faucets, I believe, are tested new. So that leaching of 5 ppb is probably more like 2 ppb or less after the first month of use. And 2 ppb, well that's 2 parts per billion, or two parts lead to one thousand million parts of water, about 2 drops of lead in 20 average-size bathtubs of water, if I've calculated this correctly. Not much.

For faucets, then:
* Best choice - zero lead faucet (if you can find and afford one)
* Next best choice - "lead-free" faucet that leaches less than 5 ppb lead
* Worst choice - a faucet made before 1998

Here are some ways to decrease your exposure to lead from faucets:

* Run the cold water tap in the morning for 30 seconds to a minute to flush out any water that sat in the pipes and fixtures all night. Also flush out the system if you have not used the tap for more than 6 hours, Do not use this flushed out water for drinking, cooking or for your pets.

* Run the cold water tap for 5 second before each use, if you use the tap infrequently throughout the day.

* Use only cold water for drinking and cooking. Hot water will leach more lead out of the system than cold water.

* If you have a faucet made before 1998, installing a new faucet would probably greatly reduce the amount of lead that is leaching, even if it isn't zero lead.

In addition, eating a diet high in vitamin C, iron, and calcium, and low in fat, may help reduce the harmful affects of lead in your body.

Debra :-)

DEBRA'S ANSWER:

I would choose the polyethylene. It is used in many food and water applications and does not leach toxic chemicals.

If you are going to use reverse osmosis, please add a bit of mineral-rich sea salt or Himilayan salt to the water to liven it up!

Debra :-)

DEBRA'S ANSWER:

You simply get a lab test from a reputable lab such as National Testing Laboratories.

In your case, since you have high levels of certain metals, you might want to test specifically for those metals. But you should also get a list of where else you might be exposed to those metals.

Debra :-)

DEBRA'S ANSWER:

I don't remember exactly how much I paid for my whole house water filter as it was about five years ago, but it was, I think, more than $5000. I don't know what the price is now.

I still recommend the filter I bought as the best I know of. I got it from Winston Kao at Go Beyond Organic. He's in Florida, not California.

With regard to your question about water picking up stuff from the pipes in the house, I've never heard of this being a problem. What's coming out of my tap is clearly filtered water. Water picking up stuff from pipes IS a problem with the water traveling through miles of pipe from the water treatment plant to an individual pipe. But the length of pipe is very short within a house by comparison.

If anyone has any additional data on water picking up contaminants from pipes in the home, please send it along.

Debra :-)

Debra :-)

DEBRA'S ANSWER:

There is no way to get around the problem of plastic leaching into the water if you buy water in plastic bottles. There are times when I, too, need to buy water in plastic bottles. And we just need to do it. Consider the options: no water leads to dehydration and death, bottled water gives some plastic leaching, tap water contains even more toxic chemicals. So do the best you can and use bottled water only when necessary to prevent dehydration.

Debra :-)

DEBRA'S ANSWER:

To find out what's in your water, call the Customer Service number on your water bill.

Yes, it's OK to use hot water through the filter.

I think it's best for a filter to be made from stainless steel rather than plastic.

Debra :-)

DEBRA'S ANSWER:

I can't tell you if it's only a matter of time before we find out something toxic about this new plastic. Considering the past performance of other plastics, there is some chance that this one may be found to have some toxic component, too.

It is being touted for it's durability, and that it doesn't contain bisphenol-a, but it's still a petrochemical product made from nonrenewable crude oil and it won't biodegrade.

It's currently being used for water bottles and for the container of the new model Vita-Mix. Glass would still be a better material for these uses.

If you want to be cautious, I'd say wait and see.

Debra :-)

DEBRA'S ANSWER:

You can see mine at At Home With Debra: My Chlorine-Free Swimming Pool.

Anyone have any experience with the systems she mentions?

Debra :-)

DEBRA'S ANSWER:

I don't have any experience with this, but am posting your question so you can get answers from others.

Readers?

Debra :-)

DEBRA'S ANSWER:

See Q&A: Nontoxic Garden Hose. Read the whole post. The next to the last paragraph explains about food grade hoses.

Debra :-)

DEBRA'S ANSWER:

Choosing a water filter is a fairly complex subject. I've been working on writing a special report on this, but in the meanwhile, there is an excellent chapter on choosing water filters in my book Home Safe Home. There are a few things about water not covered in that book and alkaline water is one of them.

There is a very good book called Reverse Aging which talks about the importance of keeping the body's pH in a more alkaline range for good health and says drinking alkaline water is a more effective way to do that than eating an alkaline diet. After reading that book, I purchased an alkaline water machine and have been happily drinking alkaline water ever since.

I got my machine from Go Beyond Organic. We pour the water into the top of the machine, and it places an electric charge in the water that "splits" the water into equal parts of water with an alkaline pH and water with an acid pH. The Kangen website has an excellent explanation of the uses of acid and alkaline water.

The health benefits of drinking alkaline water are well documented and well known in Japan. After a couple of years of drinking alkaline water almost exclusively (almost a gallon a day when I am at home) I can honestly say that my body is healthier and stronger (I didn't get that nasty flu that's been going around this year) and I do look young (people usually think I'm around 35 and are astonished to find out I'll be 53 in June). It didn't, however, magically lower my blood sugar in two weeks, but over time, my blood sugar is getting lower and lower after removing almost all carbs from my diet didn't work.

I do feel that alkaline water is "closer to natural water" than ordinary tap water or filtered water.

Now, about the Kangen water specifically. The website does not state (that I could find) how the toxic pollutants in the water are removed, but does say that the alkaline water is made with an ionic process. I can't evaluate a product for which no information is given. The website is only selling you on the fantastic health benefits.

As to what you should replace your R/O system with, well, I'm always recommending the system I have from Go Beyond Organic, because it is the best I know of for removing both chloramines and fluoride, the two most common water pollutants. And it leaves the beneficial minerals. If you want alkaline water, it can be made separately.

I have no experience with the Kangen filter, but I suspect that the combination filter/alkalizer doesn't work as well as my two separate units.

The price IS expensive, but as you all can see every week, even though I have some underlying body conditions I am working on healing, I am rarely sick and am very energetic and productive. So I consider anything I spend on water filtration equipment to be money well spent.

I'm here in San Francisco for a few months without my alkalizer and I miss it. The water has an aliveness that is missing from bottled water or tap water or filtered water. Alkaline water really is its own thing, and I believe it to be beneficial to health.

Debra :-)

DEBRA'S ANSWER:

The best bottled water I know of is Mountain Valley Spring Water, which can be delivered to your home (almost anywhere in America) in glass bottles.

There is a website called Fine Waters, which reviews and discusses the bottled waters of the world, but this is for "bottled water connoisseurs and their accompanying lifestyle". You can learn a lot about water, and particularly bottled water, from this site, but these bottled waters are more expensive than you would probably want for everyday use.

Debra :-)

DEBRA'S ANSWER:

Readers?

Debra :-)

DEBRA'S ANSWER:

Interesting question. I have no such data, but that would be a good study. Anyone have any info on this?

Debra :-)

DEBRA'S ANSWER:

The Berkey Water Filter we have been discussing elsewhere on this blog has a model with a stainless steel housing.

I just typed "stainless steel water filter" into my favorite search engine and got a whole list of filters with stainless steel housings.

Is the plastic harmful? It's generally thought that there isn't much leaching from the plastic and if there is, it is removed by the carbon in the filter. I don't know which plastic is used for water filters. But it's not the same as say, water sitting in a plastic bottle for an extended period of time on a shelf in a store and maybe out in the sun on a truck or in front of the store for sale. Water goes through filters pretty quickly.

Debra :-)

DEBRA'S ANSWER:

I don't know what type of plastic is used, however, I do know that hot water tends to release plastic, whether it is in a plastic cup, plastic food storage container, or a jacuzzi.

As to it remaining free of mold and bacteria, I'm assuming you are talking about a jacuzzi spa where you would leave the water in it, and not a jacuzzi bathtub that you would fill and empty with each use.

For the spa, you would need to maintain it as you would any spa, for bacteria will collect and mold will grow.

There are less toxic methods of controlling the water in spas without chlorine. You might want to look into those.

Debra :-)

DEBRA'S ANSWER:

I don't know the answer to this, but let's see if someone else does. Good question.

Debra :-)

DEBRA'S ANSWER:

Hmmmm...interesting. This is a free-standing unit that you pour water into, with a large filter. I would get the stainless steel rather than the plastic unit.

Readers, any experience with this?

Debra :-)

DEBRA'S ANSWER:

I took another look at the Berkey website and have a few more comments.

As with all water filters, you need to evaluate this in terms of what you want to remove from the water.

The Berkey is excellent at removing pathogenic bacteria, cysts and parasites with a ceramic filter that can be washed and reused. However, if you have municipal water, this should not be a concern for you (that's why they are adding the chlorine or chloramines).

It removes volatile chemicals such as herbicides, pesticides, organic solvents, VOCs and other petrochemicals with a carbon filter (which contains silver to inhibit bacteria) that MUST be replaced periodically or it will dump the pollutants removed back into the water (this is true for all carbon filters, not just this one).

It removes CHLORINE from the water but it does NOT remove CHLORAMINE. So if you are wanting to use this to remove pollutants from tap water, you need to know if you have chlorine or chloramine in your water. (I called them about this point specifically and they said, "it hasn't been tested for chloramines".)

The standard filter will not remove fluoride, but there are additional post filters that will significantly reduce fluoride.

The fact that this is a gravity-feed unit is a good thing because it gives more contact time to the water.

It would be great to have on hand for camping or as part of an emergency supply kit. It is an affordable option that is better than drinking tap water or bottled water.

Also, it removes pollutants while still leaving healthful minerals in the water, which I consider to be a plus.

So if you want an affordable filter, for drinking water only, and you have chlorine and not choloramines, this might be a good choice for you.

Debra :-)

DEBRA'S ANSWER:

Call the manufacturers if the information isn't on their website. They should be able to tell you.

Debra :-)

DEBRA'S ANSWER:

Pthalates are a plastic, so they would probably be removed by carbon.

Now this might be a good use for a canister-type carbon filter if you changed the filter media frequently, but they are all plastic, too.

Realistically, you probably can't remove it. Is it better not to drink pthalates? Yes. But in our modern world, it's not possible to be 100% nontoxic. It is possible to reduce our toxic exposure significantly enough to improve the health of our bodies.

I would put this way down at the bottom of the list of concerns and focus on eliminating toxic exposures that are more harmly and more easily removed. Then your body will be able to process what chemicals it is exposed to more effectively.

Debra :-)

DEBRA'S ANSWER:

Here's my understanding of stainless steel.

All stainless steel contains chromium and nickel and/or manganese, to varying degrees. Chromium and nickel are toxic metals.

Stainless steel has been used for years in all kinds of products. The only products I have heard any reports of leaching about are cookware and stainless steel water distillers.

Stainless steel cookware is of greatest concern because it is continuously being scratched with metal utensils and scoured with steel wool, thereby creating new fresh surfaces for these chemicals to leach from.

There is no such thing as a 100% nontoxic life. And it's not necessary. The human body has the ability to tolerate a certain amount of toxic substances and remove them from the body. The problem is that in today's world, we are exposed to more toxic substances than the body can process. Remember that old episode of "I Love Lucy" where she was working in a chocolae factory and she was fine until they speeded up the conveyer belt and she couldn't keep up? It's the same with our bodies. As long as the toxic chemicals come in at a rate it can handle, it will handle them--too many at once or too many over time, and everything goes whacko. What is necessary, and possible, is to reduce the amount of toxic substances to which we are exposure to an amount the body can handle. That's the goal.

Personally, I don't avoid every possible exposure. In my home, I make the least toxic choices all the time. My husband is about to paint several rooms in our house with low-VOC paint, and I'm going away for two weeks. But once I leave my house, I'm exposed to all kinds of things. I eat in restaurants, fly in airplanes, stay in hotel rooms, but I also spend time at the beach where the air is clean, and do other things to balance out those exposures.

In a water bottle, the steel stays intact. There is nothing scratching it. It is less likely to leach for this reason.

I personally would use a stainless steel water bottle. I personally still use my stainless steel cookware on occasion, though I also have purchased and use other cookware. But when I use my stainless, I always use wooden utensils and wash it with a non-scratch pad, or simply soak it in water if necessary and then use a soft sponge.

It is important with any product to evaluate the exposure in the overall context of the condition of your body and the other toxic exposures you have, to find that balance for your own good health.

Debra :-)

DEBRA'S ANSWER:

As far as I know, neither GAC (granulated activated carbon) or KDF remove chloramines. What is needed is either "catalytic carbon" or "organic activated carbon" (made from coconut shell, not coal) to remove chloramines.

I haven't yet seen a shower filter that will remove chloramines, but this is certainly needed. If anyone knows of one, please let me know.

Debra :-)

DEBRA'S ANSWER:

I went through this several years ago. Fluoride is very difficult to remove and at the time I could not find and inexpensive filter that would remove it. I ended up getting an expensive whole house filter from
Go Beyond Organic which removes fluoride while retaining the minerals.

I would love to know about an inexpensive fluoride filter.

Readers?

Debra :-)

DEBRA'S ANSWER:

According to reusablebags.com

SIGG reusable bottles exceed FDA requirements and have been independently tested to prove 0.0% leaching, helping reduce your exposure to harmful chemicals like BPA (see Newsroom for more). The proprietary SIGG bottle lining is a water-based, non-toxic coating that is baked into the interior walls and remains flexible and crack resistant for the life of the bottle. The special SIGG lining is not plastic – it is a micro-thin epoxy. Due to the finish of the liner, there is much less chance for bacteria build-up with a SIGG as opposed to plastic containers. The liner is taste-neutral and resistant to fruit acids and energy drinks, ensuring that your drinks taste like your drinks every time.

Debra :-)

DEBRA'S ANSWER:

Carbon is the proper filter media to remove PVC, but I do see your problem with the bacteria growth. Find a good local independent dealer of water filters who is accustomed to dealing with the water in your area.. I know you can purchase a chlorinator or you may be able to run your water through an ultraviolet or ozone system first to kill the bacteria before it goes through the carbon.

Debra :-)

DEBRA'S ANSWER:

All the sources for everything I used in my green bathroom are listed in my e-book Debra's Guide to Creating a Green Bathroom. But I'll tell you my whole house water filter is from Go Beyond Organic. This removes chloramines and fluoride. And Go Beyond Organic is right in Pinellas County, Florida, where you are, and where I live, too. I am very happy with this filter.

With regards to the distillation and reverse osmosis, they do remove fluoride, but they are not the only methods. And distillation and reverse osmosis are not the healthiest waters to drink.

Debra :-)

DEBRA'S ANSWER:

I'm going to let some knowledgeable readers answer this.

Debra :-)

DEBRA'S ANSWER:

I think most hand-held shower handles have plastic hoses, but I don't know what type of plastic is used. If you can call the manufacturer of the brand you have, I can better answer your question.

Without testing the water that comes through, here's my logic. Since I know heat makes plastic outgas, a lot of the plasticizers that may be present probably have already been released because of the heat of the water. So it would be better to keep using your old one than to get a new one.

If the shower handle had a filter in it, and I think some of them do, I think it would be such a small amount of filter medium that it would do very little. However, since you have a whole-house filter and the filter in the shower handle wouldn't have to remove other pollutants, it may remove whatever plasticizers may be present.

It's really really important to remember with plastics that there is a wide wide variety of plastics with very different levels of toxicity. So it's really important to identify the type of plastic and not assume a danger where there may be none.

Find out the type of plastic and I'll help you sort this out.

Debra :-)

DEBRA'S ANSWER:

A chorinated pool is pretty toxic. Considering that it is not a good idea to shower in chlorinated water because the chlorine in tap water can be absorbed through the skin (a shower filter is recommended), it's even worse to swim in a chlorinated pool or soak in chloriated water in a spa because there is so much more chlorine.

I know what you mean about loving the water exercise! I used to go to water aerobics class, but then decided to get my own pool because I didn't want the chlorine exposure. You can take a look at my chlorine-free pool and read all the details at: My Chlorine-Free Swimming Pool.

If it's not practical to get your own pool, consider if the benefits of the exercide outweigh the exposure to the chlorine for you. Would exercising in a chlorinated pool or not exercising and avoiding chlorine lead to better health? And is there another option for exercise.

Also take a look at How to minimize risk from swimming in chlorinated pool.

Debra :-)

DEBRA'S ANSWER:

Readers? Any ideas?

Debra :-)

DEBRA'S ANSWER:

I'm not concerned about Teflon tape used on the connections leaching into the water into the barrel. If you want to, you can check the connections to make sure no tape is entering the barrel, or you could remove it entirely. We have Teflon tape on the fittings in our bathroom. It's pretty standard now to prevent drips. Does anyone know of an alternative?

Regarding the painted rain barrels...I don't think the paint would permeate the rain barrel and infiltrate the water. It would be best to use a nontoxic paint, but I don't know if any are available that will adhere to plastic and stand up to weather. Cute idea though.

Debra :-)

DEBRA'S ANSWER:

Thanks for forewarning the rest of us about this. I agree a tankless water heater is a great idea for the environment, but we shouldn't have to give up filtering out the chlorine.

This wouldn't be a problem for those of us with whole-house water filters, but I understand you want a chlorine filter that can fit on your showerhead.

Readers, anyone with experience or knowledge about this?

Debra :-)

DEBRA'S ANSWER:

I was told there is something you can use to neutralize the chlorine in bath water, but it's been many years and I don't remember what it is. Does anyone know? I was so discouraged at the thought of having to dechlorinate my bath water tub by tub, that my father and I invented the first shower filter in...1979 I think it was.

SHower filters don't cost $700. Green Nest has a whole selection of them for $24.95-$54.95.

Debra :-)

DEBRA'S ANSWER:

Well, Jessica, I understand your bewilderment. There is a lot of information to understand and apply in making decisions about water filters. I'm working on writing a guide to water filters just to address this, but in the meanwhile I will attempt to answer your questions. There's also a whole chapter about choosing water filters in Home Safe Home.

1. There is not ONE particular type of water filter that I recommend because each source of water needs to have the type of filter appropriate to it, depending on the pollutants that need to be removed. So you need to find out, number one, what is in your water, and then match the appropriate filter to it.

2. Water filters have changed a lot in the past few years and I need to review what is currently available (thus the aforementioned guide). But that takes time. It's a big project that I need to work in between everything else I am doing. A fair price could be a wide range, depending on what you are buying and the size of the filter--how much water is being filtered.

3. Water ionizers do not filter water. They split the water molecule to make two batches of water--one "acid" and the other "alkaline." I don't consider them to be dangerous. My understanding is that the alkaline water is more "alive" and closer to water in it's natural state than tap water is.

4. I haven't done an environmental analysis on the different types of water filters. Offhand I would say a distiller uses electricity, reverse osmosis wastes water, and a carbon filter doesn't do either.

Since choosing a water filter is a very individual decision, I can best help by discussing your needs and options in a telephone consultation.

Debra :-)

DEBRA'S ANSWER:

These are good questions.

You are already doing everything I know to recommend, but perhaps my readers have some ideas.

Readers?

Debra :-)

DEBRA'S ANSWER:

Water and water filters is a big subject, but I am going to give you some simple answers here.

I do filter the water in my home. I have a whole house filter that I purchased from Go Beyond Organic. It was the right filter for my house because my tap water has chloramines, fluoride, and a lot of sediment.

If you don't have fluoride in your water, you probably only need a water filter which removes either chlorine or chloramines, whichever is in your water.

If the only water you want to filter is at the kitchen sink, it doesn't matter if you use a point-of-use filter or a whole house filter in terms of water quality. I would probably use a point-of-use filter. But if you want to filter all the water in your house, it is more convenient to have a whole house filter. Read more about this at Q&A: Whole-House vs Point-of-Use Water Filters

There is a whole chapter on choosing water filters in my book Home Safe Home.

Debra :-)

DEBRA'S ANSWER:

Here's an excerpt from my book Home Safe Home about water softeners:

Water softeners do nothing to purify water, they simply make hard water softer.

“Hard water” is cold water that contains more than 3.5 grains per gallon (gpg) of calcium or magnesium ions. These calcium or magnesium compounds can become separated from the water and adhere to piping and appliances. In addition to being intrusive and difficult to remove, lime and scale buildup can also damage appliances such as hot water heaters, washers, and coffee machines. These minerals also make it more difficult for soap to dissolve. Water softeners are necessary in hard-water areas when using soap to clean and to prevent soapy deposits in bathtubs and sinks and soap-scum that dulls laundry.

“Soft water” contains less than 3.5 gpg of calcium or magnesium ions and is preferred for all household water uses.

Most water softeners work by adding some type of salt to the water, which exchanges the "hard" calcium and magnesium ions in water for "soft" sodium ions, so actually any salt will do. You can add it yourself to your laundry—sodium bicarbonate (baking soda) is fine. Just add enough so that the water feels "slippery." In hard water areas, whole-house water softeners are often used which add the salt to the water at the point of entry, thereby increasing the salt content of all the water coming from every faucet all over the house.

If you live in a hard water area, have a water softener, and are concerned about the salt content of your softened water, you can choose potassium over sodium, or install a reverse osmosis water filter to remove the sodium.

There are also water conditioners that work without salt. One method produces soft water without salt by catalytic action, which brings the water into electrochemical balance. Another crystalizes the calcium so it doesn't adhere.

Debra :-)

DEBRA'S ANSWER:

I already answered the question of toxic plastic water bottles in the question Toxic Plastic Water Bottles.

The safest way to drink water that I know of is to purchase your own water filter. I'm working on a guide to choosing the right water filter for you, but until that's done, take a look at Water Filter Basics and the search results for water filters on Debra's List.

Debra :-)

DEBRA'S ANSWER:

As far as I know, there is NO point-of-use shower filter that removes chloramines. I wish there were, but there isn't.

It's great that you know your water contains chloramines and you are looking for the correct filter. Many people are confused between chlorine and chloramine. For many years chlorine was used to disinfect tap water, and that was easily removed with a good carbon or KDF filter. Now, many communities are switching to chloramines--a combination of chlorine and ammonia--which is NOT removed by standard carbon filters.

Since I have chloramines in my tap water, I did some research to find out how to remove them. Regular carbon and KDF will NOT remove chloramines. A special type of "catalytic carbon" has been developed especially to remove chloramines. This is the only thing I know of that will remove it.

Now about the vitamin C filters. I took a look at them on various websites. Most of them claim to remove chloramines. One website offers some "research" articles, but they cover only chlorine. And since KDF only removes chlorine, the KDF/Vitamin C combo still would only remove chlorine.

A page from the Organic Matter blog has a long discussion on Vitamin C shower filters. In it, the blog owner states that he tested one of the vitamin C shower filters and found 99% chlorine removal but "Unfortunately, there isn't a shower filter in the world that can effectively remove anything but chlorine from your shower. No matter what they may claim. The water that flows through a shower filter is moving far too fast to be filtered with any significance."

I'm inclined to agree with him. I haven't found any evidence of chloramine removal from these filters.

I suspect what is happening is that somewhere along the line some marketing person who didn't know the difference made this claim and it just got passed along.

If you want to remove chloramines from your shower water (and I suggest you do), the only option I know of at this time are whole-house units containing the correct catalytic carbon, such as the unit I have in my own home that I purchased from Go Beyond Organic.

For those of you who who want to remove chlorine from your water, I see no reason not to use a vitamin C filter. They contain phyramceutical grade Vitamin C, which forms a chemical reaction with the chlorine to neutralize it. The effectiveness of Vitamin C as a dechlorination agent has been proven by the EPA. As a filter media, it is natural and biodegradable, low tech, and provides nutrition to skin and hair in addition to removing chlorine. There are several available on the internet. The units at www.vitashowercorp.com seem to contain the most vitamin C, so it will last longer than others.

Debra :-)

DEBRA'S ANSWER:

I think the answer to this question is no.

I looked at the price of Brita pitchers and they range in price from $10-$35. There just aren't water filters in that price range that are very effective.

There are really two major concerns about Brita pitchers. I'm going to give you the data I was able to get so you can make your own decision.

First, you were concerned about the plastic. In answer to another question about Toxic Plastic Water Bottles, the plastic in question was polycarbonate. I called Brita and they told me that the plastic used to make Brita pitchers is either styrene acrilonytrile or styrene methyl metacrylate. These plastics are entirely different, and I don't think they are safer. I've included some links at the end of this answer that talk about the health effects of styrene, but what I've learned over the years is that when you combine chemicals, their health effects change--for better or worse. I wasn't able to find anything on the health effects of these specific chemicals. And the form of the plastic also affects how much it will leach. We know styrene leaches from styrene foam cups and fast food containers. Does it leach from a hard plastic water pitcher? I don't know. Tests probably have never been done. My educated guess is that some kind of plastic is leaching from the container.

My other concern about these pitchers is whether or not they are removing pollutants from the water. They remove chlorine, but do not remove chloramine. So you need to find out if you have chlorine or chloramine in your water. If it's chloramine, it's not removing it. Most communities now have chloramine, so check and find out.

Brita filters are designed to remove lead, chlorine, mercury, and sediment. That's it. If you don't have these in your water, there's no point in using one.

But there is so little filter media that you have to change the filter every forty gallons. In my household, that's about once a month. My concern is that if you don't change the cartridge, the pollutants get released back into your drinking water when the cartridge is full. So it's very very very important to change the cartridge.

Since I can't offer you an alternative in the same price range, here are some tips on how to get the best performance from your Brita.

• Make sure the filter is actually removing the pollutants that are in your water. If not, don't use it.
• Keep the pitcher refrigerated. Don't leave it in the sun. Heat increases leaching of plastic into the water.
• Calculate the amount of water your family actually drinks and how many days it takes for them to drink 40 gallons. Mark the date on your calendar and absolutely change it on or preferably before that date.

If you use it correctly, a Brita pitcher is probably better than drinking tap water, IF it is removing the pollutants present in your water. But it would be better to get a better filter.

CHEC Styrene Chemical Profile

EPA Technical Fact Sheet on: STYRENE

Our Stolen Future: Some styrene oligomers are estrogenic bind with estrogen receptor

Debra :-)

DEBRA'S ANSWER:

I don't know of a shower filter that filters chloramine. Chlorine can be removed by any filter that contains KDF or activated carbon, but chloramine is an entirely different chemical and cannot be removed by carbon.

Here's an excerpt from my book Home Safe Home about chloramines:

The standard disinfectant used to be chlorine, but it is fast being replaced by chloramine. A major problem with chlorine is that when it combines with the natural organic matter in water such as dead leave and humus in soil, silt, and mud, it forms trihalomethanes, or THMs, the most common of which is chloroform. According to the EPA, trihalomethanes were present in virtually all chlorinated water supplies in the United States. Chloroform can cause liver and kidney damage and central nervous system depression, and is a suspected human carcinogen. According to the EPA, trihalomethanes were present in virtually all chlorinated water supplies in the United States.

For this reason, and others, chlorine is now being replaced by chloramines. If your water is not yet treated with chloramines, it probably soon will be. Chloramine is made by combining chlorine and ammonia. In addition to producing substantially lower concentrations of byproducts in the distribution system, chloramine is more stable, so it’s disinfectant benefits extend further throughout the system. Customers also like it because there is less of a chlorine taste and odor.

Though chloramines in tap water are present in very small amounts, it does come with a warning. One such warning, in a specific county, reads: "All tap water...is now being treated with chloramines not chlorine which are toxic to fish, shellfish, reptiles, and amphibians." Bottles of chlorine bleach and household ammonia also warn not to mix these two chemicals, because the resulting fumes can be deadly.

Debra :-)

DEBRA'S ANSWER:

Thanks for alerting everyone about this.

Debra :-)

DEBRA'S ANSWER:

You're question poses one of those common dilemmas that often come up when choosing nontoxic products: Who do we believe and how do we choose?

I went to the website with "a ton of real, scientifically verifiable information" on BPA. The purpose of that website seemed to be to prove that BPA is safe.

I also went to the website maintained by the authors of Our Stolen Future: How We Are Threatening Our Fertility, Intelligence and Survival, who are continuously searching the scientific literature for information on endochrine disruptors. The Our Stolen Future page on bisphenol-a gives a whole page of links to scientific studies that show that BPA damages the endocrine system in a variety of ways.

My position is always "better safe than sorry," particularly when there are other options.

You ask if there is a level of leaching that may be acceptable. To who? A healthy male? A woman? A child? The elderly? And how would you know how much leaching has occurred in the water? It could easily vary from day to day depending on how long the water had been in the bottle, whether or not the sun was shining on the bottle in the delivery truck, and a variety of other factors.

I'm concerned enough about the possible danger of BPA that I am no longer purchasing bottled water in plastic bottles.

My best recommendation is to get a good water filter that is right for your water and filter your water at home. That way there is no questionable leaching at all. Even though this may be expensive, it is one of the best investments you can make in your health and will save thousands of dollars in medical expenses in the long run.

It's also important to remember that we constantly are making trade-offs in order to get the best benefits. If your choice was to drink this pure water in the polycarbonate bottle or drink tap water, I would say drink the pure water in the polycarbonate bottle. If you had the choice to purchase your own water filter, I would say that it would be better still. If the choice was drink tap water or no water at all, I would say drink the tap water.

For those of you who carry or purchase water in the small, single-serving polycarbonate bottles, you can purchase plastic-free refillable bottles.

It's a good idea, particularly in the summertime, to carry clean water with you, as your body needs water throughout the day for good health. The Mayo Clinic suggests you divide your weight in half and drink that many ounces of water every day. So if you weigh 128 pounds, that would be 64 ounces or 8 8-ounce glasses of water per day. It's better to carry your own clean water in a safe container than drink tap water or water in a plastic bottle.

Debra :-)

DEBRA'S ANSWER:

Hmmmmm....you're the first person who has brought this up. I haven't noticed a problem. I've had a whole house filter for almost three years in Clearwater FL.

Let's just look for a moment at how the water is distributed throughout a house. Basically you want it in the kitchen for drinking/cooking and in the bathroom for bathing. It's a bonus that you can brush your teeth in clean water and in my case have better water for clothes washing, which makes the clothes softer and uses less soap and I don't have to use a softener.

If you were to install point-of-use, you would probably have one in the kitchen and on the shower.

1. There is no point-of-use shower filter that will remove fluoride from the water. Fluoride can be absorbed though the skin. I'm also not aware of a point-of-use shower filter that removes chloramines.
2. By the time you get the hot water from the hot water heater through to the shower, the water that has been sitting in the pipes is long gone.
3. You could get an "instant water heater" that has no tank.
4. You could put a "polishing" filter on the kitchen drinking water.

Debra :-)

DEBRA'S ANSWER:

This is a big question. There is a whole chapter on choosing water filters in Home Safe Home, and I'm also in the process of writing a how-to guide for the website.

Here's a simple place to start.

Most water filter advertisements say they remove a whole long list of pollutants. But what is more important to know is what pollutants do you want to remove from your water?

The first thing to look at are two key pollutants: chlorine and fluoride.

In the past, the standard disinfectant was chlorine, but it is fast being replaced by chloramine. Chlorine combines with the natural organic matter in water such as dead leave and humus in soil, silt, and mud, to forms trihalomethanes, or THMs, the most common of which is chloroform. According to the EPA, trihalomethanes were present in virtually all chlorinated water supplies in the United States.

So chlorine is now being replaced by chloramines. If your water is not yet treated with chloramines, it probably soon will be. Chloramine is made by combining chlorine and ammonia. In addition to producing substantially lower concentrations of byproducts in the distribution system, chloramine is more stable, so it’s disinfectant benefits extend further throughout the system. Customers also like it because there is less of a chlorine taste and odor.

A water filter that removes chlorine, however, will not remove chloramines, and vice versa. So the first thing to find out is:
1 do you have chlorine or chloramines in your tap water, and
2 does the filter under consideration remove chlorine or chloramines?

Choose a filter that removes the type of chlorine that is in your water.

Then, go through the same process with fluoride. Fluoride is added to many water supplies as a public service to reduce dental cavities in children. Fluoride does help reduce cavities, at the right dose and administered in the proper way. In tap water, however, it is a pollutant. Using fluoridated water for drinking, cooking and bathing can quickly result in a dose that exceeds the optimum level, leading to a long list of health problems.

So find out:
1 does your tap water contain fluoride, and
2 does the filter under consideration remove fluoride?

Then choose a filter that removes fluoride if it is present in your water.

Beyond chlorine/chloramine and fluoride, you need to find out if there are any particular chemicals you need to remove from your water that are specific to where you live. You probably need to filter out lead that may be entering your tap water from the pipes, or you may need to handle pesticide runoff, or something specific like that.

Asking these questions is a good place to start.

Debra :-)