Microbial Contamination

Microbial contaminants include various sorts of bacteria, parasites and cysts. If your water comes from a private well, the Environmental Protection Agency recommends regular testing for coli-form bacteria. Consumption of this type of bacteria causes flu-like symptoms. E-coli are the most common microbial contaminants, next to cysts.

Cysts are microbes in an early stage of development that are resistant to public and most private purification methods. UV, ozone and chemical disinfectants will not kill them. They can only be removed through filtration and that can only be done at home.

The EPA warns that cysts are one of the factors affecting the quality of water at any time and can even be a factor in bottled beverages. The illness that they cause can be fatal to the elderly, infants, toddlers and those with dysfunctional immune systems.

The best choice for the homeowner is to install a system that is certified to filter down to one micron or less.

Mineral Content and Heavy Metal Contamination

A high mineral content affects the taste and heavy metals affect the safety. These are factors affecting the quality of water for many industrial purposes.

For the homeowner, the primary concern is lead. It is one of the common contaminants that are not sufficiently reduced by public treatment facilities.

Reverse osmosis will reduce lead and other minerals. But, an ion exchange step will remove lead and copper, while balancing mineral content, which is a better choice. Ion exchange systems provide better lead reduction than reverse osmosis.

Chemical Contaminants

According to public safety advocates, there are 2400 different cancer-causing chemicals polluting pre-treated public water supplies. In other words, every time that you turn on a faucet, you may be increasing your cancer risk.

Most chemicals can be easily removed using granular carbon or other filtering media. Chlorine is a big problem that is easily removed with carbon filtration. Chlorination byproducts commonly referred to as THMs, require different filtering media.

Most household purifiers on the market reduce chlorine effectively, but they are ineffective against THMs.

Taste

Our bodies are programmed to prefer chilled or, at least, cooler beverages. It is a built-in defense mechanism. Chilled water is less likely to contain bacterial contaminants. They thrive in warmer water. Deep wells and underground springs are not a favored spot for bacteria to thrive.

You may prefer the taste of a bottled beverage because you keep it in the fridge, but pure-water is actually tasteless. An Ion exchange step helps improve taste. Carbon does, too. But, some hazardous factors affecting the quality of water are tasteless.

Look for a high quality multi-step purifier that removes many contaminants and improve taste simultaneously and you'll be better off.