If you are health conscious like me you know that drinking more water is good for you. The problem is, without using the right drinking water filters, you will be drinking more germs, radon, heavy metals (think lead), weed and insect killers, and chemicals like benzene and chlorine.

Not only can these contaminants be in your cold, clear tap water, they can also be in your coffee, in your tomato soup, and in your jello. By not using a proper drinking water filter system you and your family could be at risk from these unseen hazards.

The risks are there, but are the threats to your health serious enough to take action'  Here are 5 things to consider:

1. Health Problems - Depending on the source of the contaminants and levels present, a host of health problems have been attributed to poor quality drinking water.  Among them: cancer, circulatory problems, nervous system problems, blood problems, organ damage, reproductive problems, and bone disease.  Infants, children, the elderly, and those with compromised immune systems are especially at risk.

2. Consumer Confidence Report (CCR) - Your municipal water service may be doing a good job of removing most of these contaminants.  But how good a job'  You can check it out by looking up the annual Consumer Confidence Report (CCR) that the EPA requires for your area.  The CCR is your local water quality report on over 80 EPA drinking water health standards.  However, the CCR does not offer information about the water coming out of YOUR tap.

3. Ground Water Quality - If you get your water from a common or household well that is not treated, you should investigate the quality of your ground water by checking with your health department or local water system.  Ground water quality is impacted by runoffs from landfills, discharges of waste chemicals, emissions of natural deposits, septic tank leaching, and the use of herbicides and pesticides.

4. Test Tap Water - Whether from a community supply or local well, you should have your tap water tested regularly by a certified lab.  And while the water coming into your home may test OK, the household plumbing may have corroded, which could introduce lead pollutants at the tap.

5. Bottled Water - If you are not satisfied with your household drinking water quality, you can always buy bottled water, right? It's convenient, but bottled water may not offer the benefits you are looking for.  In their Bottled Water Basics publication the EPA says, "Know what you are buying. Bottled water is much more expensive, per gallon, than tap water. Because of this, consider whether you are buying it as a healthy alternative to bottled beverages, for its taste, or for other reasons."

Do yourself a favor and investigate the benefits of drinking water filters. Spend some time comparing the many drinking water filter options.  After you do, you'll discover like I did that there are many mediocre water filtration products out there, and only very few truly get the job done.