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The
performance of a particular
water filtration product can
easily be verified by
reviewing the "Performance
Data Sheet", which lists all
of the contaminants the system
has been certified to remove
and to what degree.
The law in
California and several other
states requires that this
information be included as part of
the company's literature, as well
as the ongoing replacement
cartridge cost, and that a copy be
enclosed with each water
filtration device. By comparing
each product's contaminant
reduction capabilities, system
cost and ongoing cost per gallon,
it is easy to determine which
product is best for you.
It is also important to look at
the advantages or disadvantages of
other products or technologies
even though they are not leading
brands; such is the case with
reverse osmosis and distillation
systems. Although none of the
leading brands employ either of
these de-mineralizing techniques,
as their popularity has declined
in recent years, there is an
ongoing debate over the
healthfulness of de-mineralized
water vs. filtered water with
trace minerals.
While there are studies that argue
both sides of this debate, after
15 years of specialized study in
water quality and health, we feel
that the benefits of drinking
naturally balanced water with its
natural trace minerals, just makes
more sense.
From a non-scientific perspective,
the fact that nowhere on this
planet do we find naturally
occurring de-mineralized water
should tell us that we were not
meant to have it. In nature, all
fresh water contains traces of
natural minerals like calcium,
magnesium and potassium, which is
what our body is designed to run
on. All over the world and
throughout time, wherever you find
the most contaminant-free, mineral
rich water, you find the
healthiest, most vibrant
civilizations.
On a more scientific level, there
are several very credible research
reports and books that stress the
more recent opinion that long term
consumption of de-mineralized
water can in fact be dangerous.
Dr. Zolton Rona, author of "The
Joy of Health", states that "the
longer one consumes distilled
water, the more likely the
development of mineral
deficiencies and an acid state."
Dr. Paavo Airola, cancer expert
and author of "How to Get Well"
and "Cancer... Causes, Prevention
and Healing" also reports that
"long term consumption of
distilled water eventually results
in multiple mineral deficiencies."
Two very negative things happen
when we consume water that has
been stripped of its natural
minerals. First, because
de-mineralized water contains more
hydrogen it is an acid, with a pH
below seven. Any time we consume
an acid substance, our body will
pull minerals from our teeth and
bones to produce bicarbonate in
order to neutralize the acid.
Second, it has been proven that
when our body fluids become more
acid than alkaline the production
of free radicals increases,
causing increased cancer risks.
Many studies suggest that cancer
cells can only grow in an acid
environment. This theory seems to
be supported by the fact that the
areas where people live the
longest most disease free lives
are the areas that have the most
alkaline water, water with the
highest mineral content.
Reverse Osmosis and Distillation
were first developed over 40 years
ago for the printing and photo
processing industries, which
require mineral free water.
Because of the popularity and
demand for home water treatment
products, many companies have
marketed these products as
"state-of-the-art" drinking water
systems, which they simply are
not. Often these products are
marketed by using a demonstration
that measures the TDS (total
dissolved solids), and implies
that this measurement shows the
systems effectiveness at removing
contaminants.
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