Healthy Begins Here

by Janelle Sorensen, Chief Communications Officer, Healthy Child Healthy World

Healthy Child Healthy World receives a lot of questions from people wondering which water filter they should buy. It’s a tough question to answer because drinking water quality varies from place to place, depending on the condition of the source water from which it is drawn and the treatment it receives. It also matters what types of pipes lead up to your home, what kind of pipes and solder are used inside your home, and even what kind of faucets and fixtures you have installed.

Talk about confusing! Every individual faucet releases a distinct glass of water.

Here are 5 steps to help you navigate these muddy waters and find a clear solution for a filtering system.

Step 1: Assess.

If you don’t know what’s in your water, you don’t know what needs filtering out.

• If you rely on a public water utility, you can check the Consumer Confidence Report – which is an annual report that lists the chemicals they test for in your water, as well as how your water is treated. You can also visit the Environmental Working Group’s Tap Water Database and enter your zip code to see what’s been found in your water.
• If you have a private well, it’s up to you to figure out what contaminants might be lurking. Start by calling your local health department, as well as scoping out your neighborhood (look for any potential sources of contamination like pesticides or animal waste from farms, heavy metals and chemicals from mines, industrial effluent, landfills, etc).

Step 2: Test.

Decide if you can use a do-it-yourself kit or if you’ll need to hire a professional to test your water. DIY testing kits that can be found at home improvement and hardware stores are adequate for identifying the presence of some of the most common contaminants. If you’re testing for something more obscure, or a wide range of contaminants, you may need a professional’s help. Again, you can call your local public health or environmental quality offices for guidance or you can check with a state certified laboratory.

Private well owners should test their water at least annually. Some should test more often if there are significant potential changes in water quality (like the seasonal applications of pesticides and fertilizers).

Everyone should test for lead, as it can be present in pipes, solder, and even fixtures. Until you test for lead, let your water run for a minute or two each morning to flush out the water that’s been sitting in the pipes overnight. Use that water for your houseplants.

Click through to read the other three steps on HealthyChild.org!