Three Simple Steps to Clean, Safe Drinking Water

Last year, the United Nations reported that water-related diseases are responsible for 80 percent of illnesses and deaths in the developing world. But contaminated drinking water isn't a problem only among poorer nations.

"In some U.S. cities the drinking water is safe, but we found several cities with serious drinking-water problems," says Erik Olson, director of the Natural Resources Defense Council's drinking-water project and principal author of What's on Tap? a 2003 report covering that resource in 19 U.S. cities.

The best way to ensure clean and safe drinking water is to protect our watersheds, which act as natural filters absorbing chemicals, pollutants and sediments. In the meantime, a temporary solution is to filter the water in your home, which involves three simple steps:

1. Find out what contaminants are in your local water supply and your home's water (lead can leach from pipes).

2. Remove these contaminants through treatment or filtering.

3. Maintain equipment, changing filters regularly.

FIND OUT WHAT'S IN YOUR WATER

Read Your Water Utility Reports

All local water utilities are required to provide consumers with an annual consumer confidence or right-to-know report, which lists what EPA-regulated pollutants have been found exceeding EPA standards in their drinking water. Since "the reports are not easy to make sense out of," Olson says, NRDC has a guide to help consumers ferret out the information they need.

To get a copy of your report, call your local water utility or go to www.epa.gov/safewater/dwinfo.htm.

For NRDC's Making Sense Out of Drinking Water "Right to Know" reports, see www.safe-drinking-water.org/rtk.html.

Check for Lead in Your Building's Pipes

While lead, a neurotoxin, may not be present in your public water supply, it can enter your water through old pipes. Pregnant women and parents of young children should have their water tested for lead. (Tests run from free to $15. See "Testing Our Home's Water,")

For a list of state-certified lead-testing labs, see www.epa.gov/safewater/faq/sco.html, call the EPA's Safe Drinking Water Hotline at 800-426-4791 or contact your county health department.

If You Have a Private Well

If your water comes from a private well, the EPA recommends that you have it tested annually by a state-certified lab for nitrate and coliform bacteria. Test more often if contamination from industry or farms is possible. For more information, call the Water Systems Council hotline at 888-395-1033 or see www.wellcarehotline.org or your local health department.

FINDING FILTERS

In general, pregnant women, children, the elderly and people with weakened immune systems are more vulnerable to risks posed by contaminated water, even at levels approved by EPA limits, NRDC's report warns. Because there is currently no government certification program for water filters, Erik Olson recommends choosing a filter certified by the National Sanitation Foundation (NSF). Consumers should take the time to match filters to specific pollutants found in their water. "There is no device that will filter out all contaminants," says Cheryl Luptowski, a consumer affairs specialist with NSF.

To find a certified filter, go to www.nsf.org/Certified/DWTU or call NSF at 877-867-3435. For Consumer Reports January 2003 filter ratings, see www.consumer-reports.org.

8 COMMON WATER CONTAMINANTS

Trihalomethanes (THMs), a byproduct of chlorine treatment, are linked to cancer, miscarriages and birth defects, and are of highest concern in Boston, Houston, Los Angeles, Manchester, Newark, Philadelphia, Phoenix, San Diego, San Francisco, Seattle and Washington, D.C.

To reduce THMs, use NSF-certified carbon filters.

Arsenic, a poison that can also cause cancer, is found in all 50 states but with higher levels in the Southwest. There are two forms:

To reduce: for pentavalent arsenic, use NSF-certified carbon or reverse osmosis filters (see right); for trivalent arsenic, use distillation.

Perchlorate is a contaminant from rocket fuel that harms the thyroid and may cause cancer. Leakage from a Kerr-McGee plant in Nevada has reportedly contaminated the Colorado River, impacting drinking water in Los Angeles, San Diego, Phoenix and elsewhere. Currently, there is no EPA standard for perchlorate, which has shown up in California lettuce, but its risks are being assessed. To reduce: use reverse osmosis or distillation.

Lead, a heavy metal, can cause brain damage and developmental problems in children and adversely affect blood pressure, kidneys and red blood cells. Lead exceeds the national standard in Boston, Newark and Seattle and is of high concern in Baltimore, Los Angeles, Manchester, Philadelphia and Washington, D.C.

To reduce: use NSF-certified carbon filters, reverse osmosis or distillation.

Atrazine, a widely used pesticide, may cause hormone disruption (see "Taking Good Care: Get Well, Stay Well"), cancer, weight loss, muscular degeneration and cardiovascular damage. Found in all 50 states, it is most common in the Mississippi River Basin during spring runoff.

To reduce: use NSF-certified carbon filters or filters certified to reduce Volatile Organic Chemicals (VOCs).

Nitrate, from animal waste in dairies, on cattle farms and on feedlots, can cause "blue baby syndrome," which prevents blood from holding oxygen. It is more common in rural areas, and is of high concern in Fresno and Phoenix.

To reduce: use reverse osmosis.

Pathogens such as Cryptosporidium, E. coli and giardia, carried by animal and human waste, are linked to gastrointestinal illness. Crypto infection can be life-threatening for individuals with weakened immune systems and is of high concern in Boston, Detroit, Houston, Philadelphia, Seattle and Washington, D.C.

To reduce: use carbon filters that are NSF certified for cyst reduction, reverse osmosis or ultraviolet light systems (class A). Boiling water for one minute removes Crypto.

Methyl Tertiary-Butyl Ether (MTBE), a gasoline additive, leaks into groundwater from underground fuel storage, spills and storm-water runoff and may cause cancer.

To reduce: use NSF-certified carbon filters.

For more information, see NRDC's report, which lists over 30 drinking-water contaminants and their effects on health, at www.nrdc.org/water/drinking.

TYPES OF FILTERS AND OTHER TREATMENT METHODS

There are several types of water-treatment units, including carbon filters, reverse-osmosis filters, ultraviolet-light systems and distillers.

Carbon-filter models include carafes (pitchers), faucet-mounted models, undersink models (usually require a permanent connection to an existing pipe) and whole-house or point-of-entry systems (usually installed in the basement or outside). Carbon, a porous material, absorbs impurities as the water passes through.

Reverse-osmosis systems push water through a semi-permeable membrane, which acts as an extremely fine filter. However, they waste 4-9 gallons of water for every gallon filtered.

Ultraviolet light disinfects water, killing bacteria. Home units cost $700 and up for NSF-certified models. Use with carbon filter to remove other contaminants.

Distillers, probably the least practical home method, boil and condense water. While table-top units are available, distillers use lots of electricity, generate excess heat and require regular cleaning. Explore filters or other alternatives to remove your contaminant, or, in a pinch, buy distilled water.

MAINTAIN YOUR FILTER PROPERLY

Change the filter cartridge at least as often as recommended by the manufacturer. Improper maintenance allows bacteria and other contaminants to build up, and the filter may fail. The Centers for Disease Control recommend wearing gloves and washing hands after changing the filter cartridge—a task to be avoided by people with weakened immune systems. NSF-certified and recyclable filters are available from Terraflo (www.terraflo.com).