In a perfect world, you turn on the tap and accept that the water coming out is safe to drink. In a modern country, like Australia, that seems like a reasonable claim. However, there are still approximately two billion people without access to safe sanitation facilities.
It doesn’t just cause you to question the quality of your tap water, it will make you wonder how these people can survive.
Is Tap Water Safe?
If you speak to many experts you’ll be told that the tap water is safe to drink. All public water in Australia goes through the public water treatment centers. These have massive filters that remove debris, controls for the levels of minerals, and they add chlorine to kill bacteria. In many areas, they also add fluoride.
The standards they adhere to are set by the government and are considered safe for adults and children to drink.
It should be noted that the standards do not allow for infants and babies.
However, research suggests that fluoride may do more harm than good. It s added to strengthen teeth and bones. But, it has also been linked with an increased risk of cancer.
Alongside this, chlorine is a nerve gas, used in the World wars. Although in very small does in the water supply, it can affect people with allergens.
In addition, the water leaving the treatment plant is not necessarily the same quality as that arriving at your tap. It has traveled through hundreds of miles of pipes. This provides the opportunity for it to be contaminated by land pollutions, such as run-off from farmer’s fields and chemicals from factories.
This is the reason that many people want to know about the best water filters available and have them installed in their homes.
A water filter ensures that the water coming from your tap is of a set quality. They are surprisingly easy to install and need minimal maintenance. In return they don’t just give you high-quality water, they give you peace of mind.
How To Tell The Quality Of Your Tap Water
If you want to know what’s in your water you will need to get a water testing kit. While the familiar aroma of water actually tells you there is chlorine present, t won’t tell the level of chlorine or what other minerals and contaminants are in the water.
The only way to know for certain is to do a water test. This will allow you to identify all the ingredients of your water and decide if that is what you want to be drinking.
You may find it interesting to do the water test before you have a water filter fitted and then do it again after, this will show you the difference in water quality.
Don’t forget, there is an array of water filters to choose from, allowing you to control what is in your water, and what isn’t. That has to be a better option than leaving it to the treatment center and hoping it makes it to you in the same condition.
