Nobody wants to consume water that is contaminated. Alas, keeping water entirely clear from contamination is not necessarily an easy process. In most instances, the presence of small amounts of foreign substances will not cause a health risk. However, you should still ensure that you are paying attention to the contents of your local water supply.
Providing water that is safe to consume can be a challenging task. This is because numerous different substances and compounds will find their way into water supplies, and these can be incredibly difficult to remove. Within this article, I will outline four of the main types of water contaminants that can be found in drinking water. If you believe that you have consumed contaminated water and want to seek legal advice, visit TruLaw.com.
Defining Contaminants
The presence of small amounts of foreign substances is not always a problem. This is because many of the substances that can be found whiten drinking water are harmless when present at low levels. In fact, certain minerals within the water are highly beneficial. However, in most instances, drinking large amounts of contaminated water will cause health problems and can lead to waterborne diseases is the amount of harmful substances present is high.
The Safe Drinking Water Act has defined the term “continent” as referring to any chemical, biological, radiological, or physical matter in water. Thus, a contaminant can be defined as anything present within drinking water that is not a water molecule. The main contaminants within drinking water are as follows:
- Physical contaminants that impact the appearance of the water. A common example of a physical containment is organic material such as algae.
- Chemical substances including nitrogen, bleach, salts, metals, toxins, and pesticides can also be commonly found within water supplies. Some of these chemicals may be natural while others are man-made.
- Biological contamination is caused by parasites and other living organisms such as viruses, bacteria, and protozoans. These organisms are commonly referred to as microbiological contaminants and microbes.
- Radiological contaminants are chemicals that emit radiation. Examples of these include plutonium, uranium, and caesium.
Should I Be Concerned About Contaminants In Water?
As mentioned, drinking water can be contaminated by numerous different substances. The vast majority of this contamination can be removed entirely using a water purification system. Also, it is worth noting that is a substance is considered to be a health risk, it will be regulated by local authorities who will pose a limit on how much contaminant can be contained in the water supply before it is considered to be unsafe.
Your water authority will be able to provide you with further information in regard to water regulation in your local area. You should contact them if you are concerned that there are any contaminants in your water supply that may be causing illness within your household.
Purchasing a filtration system is relatively cheap. Thus, you will be able to regulate your water supply by filtering your drinking water from the comfort of your own home.
How Do I Take Matters Into My Own Hands?
The easiest means of purifying your water supply is by installing a water purification system. This way, you will be able to ensure that you have access to clean drinking water at all times. Installing a water purification system easily removed a large number of impurities including bacteria, chlorine, odors, viruses, and heavy metals.
As the numerous types of contaminants will have different properties, you may wish to implement a number of filtration methods including carbon filtration, reverse osmosis, and mechanical filtration. In order to remove all substances from the water, you will need to implement them all. Thus, to be extra-safe, you should purchase a multi-step water purification system.
Conclusion
To conclude, this article has outlined the main types of contaminants that are commonly found in drinking water supplies. In order to ensure that you are removing these substances from your water supply, you should ensure that you have a multi-step water filtration system in your household. This way, you will be able to safely enjoy water straight from the tap.
It is worth noting that consuming these contaminants in small amounts is not necessarily a health risk. It is only when they are present in abundance that you will become seriously unwell with a water-borne disease. However, it is always advisable to filter your water regardless when drinking water from the tap.
You can also contact your local water board to ascertain how water is filtered in your local area. I hope that you have found this article to be insightful and informative. Thank you for reading.
