If you're like me you probably place the health of your family and you at the top of your priority list. With the topic of environmental pollution appearing so often in the headlines its hard to ignore concerns about the quality of the air we breathe, the food we eat, and the water we drink.



There was a time when we poured ourselves a glass of water from our kitchen faucet and trusted that our local municipal water department was providing us with safe, potable water.

As we have all (including our municipalities) become more aware about environmental pollutants we realize that the conventional water purification method of adding chlorine and other chemicals to our water has some serious shortcomings.

Case in point, the Ralph Nader Research Institute reports that, "U.S. drinking water contains more than 2,100 toxic chemicals that can cause cancer." This information serves to illustrate the importance of knowing what is in our drinking water.

Chlorine has been the first choice as a water purifier because of its affordability and ready availability. And it does the job of purifying water. But along with removing impurities it also removes vital elements, such as Vitamin E and other indispensable fatty acids that are vital to our health.

If you have chlorinated water in your home you can probably attest to how dry your skin feels after bathing or showering. This is because chlorine strips the oils from your skin, leaving it dry and susceptible to premature aging.

Furthermore, as a water purifier, chlorine has been found to be ineffective in killing certain microorganisms, such as cryptosporidium and giardia.

Even more alarming is the fact that when the metal pipes in most home plumbing come in contact with chlorine, heavy metals can leech into the water that runs through the pipes.

The health effects of heavy metals on infants, children and pregnant women have become the focus of concern and research by the EPA and other governmental agencies. These studies are looking at high levels of lead and copper in drinking water and the potential adverse effects they can cause.

And lastly, chlorine has also been linked to asthma and other respiratory ailments.

It is evident that water purification is becoming an indispensable feature of every home. So it isn't surprising that some concerned consumers have turned to alternative water purifiers. One popular system that you're probably familiar with is reverse osmosis.

This water purification system does provide a clean, pleasant-tasting water. But, unfortunately, it strips out naturally-occurring minerals like potassium, magnesium and calcium, which are necessary for the body to work well and stay healthy. While this water is "pure," it contains little, if any, of the intended health benefits of drinking water.

Despite all this, the good news is that we are becoming smarter about acquiring clean, healthy drinking water. More and more consumers are educating themselves about water purifiers and are finding that they are very affordable, simple to install and easy to change and maintain.

And because these consumers are concerned with the health and well being of their families, they are taking the time to research and compare the benefits and drawbacks of various water purification systems.

If you decide to look into getting a water purifier, just keep in mind that no water purification method is 100% reliable and certain. That being said, however, some systems are better than others.

If you're not sure which water purifier is best for the needs of you and your family, just look for one that uses a multi-stage filtration. This will help protect against chlorine, lead and VOCs (volatile organic chemicals).

Doing your research will going a long way toward providing for the health and well-being of your family. Especially when you end up with the best water purifier you can get.

So take some time to compare water purification systems. You will find, like I did, that there are lots of second-rate products, some really good ones, and a small handful that blow the rest out of the water. (Sorry...I couldn't resist.)