Top Contaminants That Can Be Removed By Water Filter Pitchers
When it comes to filtering water for household use, pitcher with water filters are becoming the most desirable option among homeowners. They are cheaper than most of the other forms of home filtration units. They are also portable which means you don’t have to bother so much about space. They operate on a very simple principle of absorption and deliver clean and healthy water without the use of chemicals or even electricity. You can find some good quality filters and jugs on bestwaterfilterpitcher.org
Water filter pitchers are quite effective for getting rid of various kinds of contaminants. While they may not be able to remove every single contaminant from water, they do a very good job at lowering the level of contamination. They not only remove debris and particulate contaminants, but can also get rid of chemical impurities like chlorine, THMs and VOCs as well.
You should know the types of contaminants water filter pitchers can remove effectively so that you can understand their scope of use. Below is a list of the types of impurities that carbon filter in water filter jugs will remove effectively.
Impurities that can be removed with water filter pitchers
Chlorine: one of the most notorious contaminants in the municipal water supply is chlorine. Although it is used as a disinfectant in filtration plants, it is not a chemical you would like in your cup. Chlorine has been connected to several diseases and also gives water an undesirable taste. Carbon filters in water filter pitchers can trap and remove most of the chlorine in drinking water thus effectively getting rid of the terrible taste and the associated health risks of having chlorine in your drinking water.
Trihalomethane compounds: these compounds are by-products of the treatment of water with chlorine in municipal treatment plants. THMs are formed when chlorine reacts with organic compounds already present in water source. Chloroform is a popular example of Trihalomethane compounds. Although THMs are considered harmless in small quantities, continuous exposure to these compounds has been linked to several illnesses. Thus, it is best to avoid them entirely as much as possible. Using a filtered pitcher is a very effective way to remove THM compounds from your source of rehydration.
Volatile Organic Chemicals: these are popular water contaminants that have been known to have some debilitating health effects especially when ingested by the elderly or by young children. VOCs are found in herbicides and pesticides and may find their way into the water we drink. Examples of Volatile organic chemicals include dichloromethane and benzene. These compounds have been linked to some forms of cancers and other harmful conditions. Water treatments at municipal plants don’t always get rid of VOCs. They may lower the level slightly but portable pitchers with filter can be great for reducing the level of contamination even further.
Giardia – this is a notorious biological contaminant that may persist in drinking water even after chlorine treatment. This is because they are spread in the form of cysts which can survive for up to 3 months even in harsh conditions. It is a protozoan which causes a disease known as GIardiasis. Symptoms of this illness include abdominal pain, weight loss, diarrhea, and vomiting, bloody stool and so on. Carbon filters in filtered pitchers can trap giardia cysts and prevent them from getting into our thirst quenchers.
Cryptosporidium : This is another protozoan parasite which can cause a gastrointestinal and respiratory condition called cryptosporidiosis. Symptoms include diarrhea and cough among others. Cryptosporidiosis is a potentially fatal condition especially for people with a weak immune system. The Cryptosporidium can be blocked and removed from your drinking glass by using a water filter pitcher.
Magnesium and calcium ions: Magnesium and calcium ions are not always particularly harmful to the human body, but they cause hardness of the water. This makes it harder for soap to lather which wastes water. It also causes damage to household appliances like water heaters and among other things. Filter pitchers especially the ones with cartridge filters have ion exchange resins that remove magnesium and calcium ions and replacing them with small quantities of sodium.
Note: the effectiveness of you filter pitcher to trap these contaminants may begin to reduce with time. Click here for some maintenance guidelines to keep your unit in an optimal working condition.
Conclusion
In addition to removing these contaminants, water filter pitchers especially those with cartridge filters instead of simple carbon filters can also introduce beneficial nutrients such as sodium into the your thirst quenchers in small amounts. This makes it cleaner and also healthier in the long run. They might not get rid of every single contaminant in your drinking cup but they will reduce the level of harmful impurities to a very low and potentially harmless point. Water filtered this way is also better testing especially since contaminants that affect the natural taste of water like Chlorine has been removed.
