Contaminated Tap Water: What Should You Know?

Have you ever had a glass of water at a friend’s house and noticed that it tasted different from your own home’s water? There are several potential reasons for that, one of which is the contaminants lurking in it. What causes water contamination, what could this mean for your health, and how can you improve the quality of your tap water at home? 

What Causes Water Contamination?

There are various reasons why your tap water is contaminated. Let’s look at a few potential causes more closely.

The Makeup of the Ground

If the soil is contaminated, then the water coming from/going through it might also be contaminated. For example, rocks and soil can naturally contain arsenic and radon.

But just because it’s natural doesn’t mean it’s safe.

Manmade Pollutants

In addition to naturally occurring pollutants in nature, consider the contaminants that we add to the ground and water. Think of chemicals like fertilizers and pesticides. Even if you don’t personally use these on your property, other residents in your area might, which means they can end up in your tap water.

Old and Dirty Plumbing Systems

Do you know how old your city’s plumbing system is? It’s safe to assume that it’s… really, really old. And the water you drink (and bathe in) travels through it! Not only are these pipes dirty, but the metals they’re made of undergo a lot of wear and tear due to water constantly flowing through them. Guess where those metals can end up?

In your tap water.

City water systems try to counter this by adding chlorine to the water. However, then you’re drinking water with chlorine in it.

Your Proximity to Construction and Livestock

If you live near any sort of livestock or industrial farming, you might be looking at runoff from pesticides, fertilizers, and even animal waste. 

While construction sites usually have protocols for how they dispose of garbage, that doesn’t mean some of it isn’t eventually making its way into your tap water.

You don’t have to be living right next to a construction site or farm to feel the effects. Runoff can travel for miles. 

Plus, remember that there are plenty of water contaminants that we can’t even see. In fact, most of them are undetectable by the human eye. So, your water might look clean but actually be heavily polluted.

Is Contaminated Tap Water Really That Big of a Deal?

In short, yes. The ramifications of drinking polluted tap water can range from pesky to downright scary. Here are just a few examples:

• Hard water can leave you with dry skin and hair. It can also change the pH balance of your skin, making you more susceptible to bacteria and infections.

• Increased exposure to fluoride may be linked to a lower IQ. (Yes, a small amount of fluoride is good for your teeth.)

• Lead contamination in tap water can trigger symptoms like fatigue, high blood pressure, headaches, irritability, abdominal cramps, and problems with the kidneys, brain, and reproductive system.

• Estrogen in water can mess with the reproductive system and may be linked to a higher risk of cardiovascular diseases and breast and prostate cancer.

Maybe you boil your water to remove the contaminants, but this isn’t nearly as effective as people think. Plus, it’s certainly not the most practical or convenient approach.

Even bottled water is bad: Research has found that it’s basically the same as tap water, packaged in plastic with a hefty price tag! (Don’t even get us started on how bad all that plastic is for the environment—plastic, by the way, that ironically ends up in the water we drink as microplastics.)

There’s one other major approach many people take to tackling contaminated tap water, but there are a few important details you need to know before making a purchasing decision.

Water Purifiers: All Hype, or the Real Deal?

Maybe you’ve seen the water filters that attach to the kitchen faucet and common plastic pitcher filters. Or perhaps you’ve got one built into your refrigerator’s water dispenser. You don’t have to worry about contaminated tap water, then, right?

Well, unfortunately, you do.

Here’s the problem with run-of-the-mill water purifiers: The type of filtration they use, typically simple carbon filters, isn’t nearly effective enough to address the many contaminants that could be floating around in your drinking water. Furthermore, different types of contaminants require different types of filtration/purification to get the job done.

The Most Effective Kind of Water Purifier

What you need for the best defense against water pollutants is a multi-layer filtration system, beginning with reverse osmosis (RO). This is the gold standard in water purification, capable of removing up to 99.9% of the contaminants in your tap water, including PFAS, microplastics, heavy metals, and chemicals.

A dedicated volatile organic compound (VOC) filter is also a must. This eliminates chemicals, pharmaceutical contaminants, and antibiotics, which pitcher and refrigerator filters cannot remove.

UV-C purification further targets pathogens like viruses and bacteria.

How Sans Goes the Extra Mile

The Sans water purifier is designed with this exact filtration system, and it’s built with SmartPure technology that features a precise TDS sensor and digital display that monitors your water quality in real time. 

It automatically dispenses so that your pitcher is always full, and it instantly provides hot water. The countertop design requires no installation, and the glass pitcher is removable so you can take it with you around the house or place it in the fridge. Sans will alert you when it’s time to change the filters too—somewhere between 12 and 24 months.

For purified water on the go, try our self-cleaning water bottle!

Our water technology removes more contaminants than our competitors. This includes fluoride, chlorine, forever chemicals, microplastics, chromium, arsenic, lead, mercury, nitrate, TDS, and so much more. Now, you and your family can have peace of mind knowing that your tap water is safe for consumption.