Water Purification Technology: Different Methods, Different Results ...

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Water Purification Technology: Different Methods, Different Results
It seems like every time you turn your head someone is talkingabout our polluted environment and how it is effecting our food,air and water. Nothing has had a greater impact on protecting usfrom environmental contamination than water purificationtechnology. However, not all methods of water purification arecreated equally. Different methods produce different results. Sohow can you be sure to pick the method that is best suited to meetthe needs of you and your family?

In order to help answer that question, let's look at a briefdescription of some of the different methods of water purificationand their different results.


Chlorination

Chlorination is one of the oldest, and most widely-used watertreatment methods. 100 years ago, the discovery of chlorine as aneffective disinfectant meant that devastating, water-borne epidmicssuch as cholera and typhoid could finally be wiped out. But astimes have changed, so have our water purification needs. Thethreat of disease has been replaced by environmental toxins. Assuch, the need for disinfection has been replaced by the need forfiltration.

Furthermore, chlorine has now been identified as having its owntoxic properties, including releasing dangerous chloroform gas, andcausing leaching of lead when coming into contact with aging homeplumbing. Chlorine also fails to disinfect intestinal parasitessuch as cryptosporidium, and giardia, which can be especially toughon a child's developing intestinal tract.

As far as water purification technology goes, chlorination isdefinitely out-dated.

Bottled Water

No one knows what types of methods of water purification, if any,are used to produce bottled water. The government does not requirebottled water to be any cleaner than tap water. You basically haveto take the word of the bottled water company that you're gettingsafe, clean water.

Bottled water can also be expensive and results in an inordinateamount of environmental waste. Over 60,000,000 plastic bottles areproduced, transported and disposed of EVERY DAY in the U.S. alone!

Despite having some major drawbacks, this so-called waterpurification technology, continues to be popular with consumers.

Distillation

One of the methods of water purification that still enjoyswide-spread use is distillation. This is a complex process wherewater is passed over a hot coil, in order to create water vapor.This vapor is sent to a cooling chamber so that it condenses backinto liquid form. This process results in a separation betweenwater and inorganic substances like lead, calcium, magnesium etc.Bacteria are also destroyed.

Distillation is a water purification technology that was originallydeveloped for industrial use. But because of the increase in demandfor in-home water treatment, distillation companies took advantageof the marketing opportunity. However this process is not veryeffective removing organic chemicals, so a carbon filtration systemmust be added to make the water truly safe for drinking. Carbonfilters require regular changing since they can quickly becomebreeding grounds for bacterial growth.

While distilled water is safe, it isn't healthy, since it has beende-mineralized. This form of water purification technology is alsovery slow and costs approximately 20 - 26 cents per gallon. Add tothat the cost of the carbon filter and the result is an unwieldywater purification system.

Reverse Osmosis

Reverse osmosis is a fancy term to describe a process whereby wateris forced, by pressure, through a fine-porous membrane that trapsharmful contaminants. This is another water purification technologythat was designed to address industrial requirements and thenadapted for home use.

One result of using reverse osmosis in your home is that, likedistillation, it strips out much needed trace amounts of calcium,magnesium and potassium. Water processed by reverse osmosis is, infact, dead water. Minerals in water are Nature's way of protectingour health by preventing mineral deficiencies.

Reverse osmosis is a complex form of water purification technologythat also results in a lot of upkeep. Case in point: you can expectto pay around $800 just to get a replacement filter.

Multi-Stage Filtration

The multi-stage filtration process combines the most efficienttechnologies available, including mechanical filtration, absorptionand ion-exchange.

This advanced water purification technology works first to reducespecific contaminants like sediment, chlorine, lead and othersynthetic chemicals (e.g. herbicides and pesticides) while trappingchlorine resistant organisms and cysts like cryptosporidium andgiardia. Next, unlike other methods of water purification,multi-stage filtration works to enhance the natural mineral waterbalance of the water.

In-home multi-stage filtration systems come in the form of underand top-of-the-counter drinking water dispensers, shower filtersand whole-house water filters. These systems are generally easy toinstall and maintain.

Multi-stage filtration results in affordable, healthy,great-tasting water at a cost of under 10 cents a gallon.

Make no mistake about it. The demand for clean drinking water isn'tgoing to go away. With all the different methods of waterpurification available today, you need to know what kind of resultsyou can expect from investing in water purification technology.
By: Olivia Romero
Article Directory : http://www.articledashboard.com

Olivia Romero is dedicated advocate and researcher of healthy water purification technology. Visit www.cleancoolwater.com to read about the results and recommendations that she shares withinterested readers.
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