Charles Strand is Founder and President of Sun Water Systems, Inc and is one of the leading experts on the need for and benefits of "healthy water". For product specific questions, check our Product FAQs
What is the healthiest water; tap, bottled, Reverse Osmosis, Distilled, filtered? Learn The Facts!
1. How do you know if you need a water filter? Jennifer B, Daytona Beach, FL
2. Are shower filters really as important as drinking water filters? Lynn B
3. How much chlorine in tap water is too much? Amanda P
4. Is filtered water better than distilled or reverse osmosis water? Dr. Greg N
5. How long has the Aquasana system been out? Pat Welsh, Boca Raton FL
6. "We use the Brita water pitcher at home and usually drink bottled water when we're not at home, can you give an un-biased comment? Jeff M, Long Island, NY
7. "If chlorine in our water is so unhealthy, why do they use it? Debra L, Detroit, MI
8. Is bottled water or filtered water better?
9. What is TDS?
10. Is Chlorine harmful?
11. Why do some areas test negative for chlorine?
12. What do you do if you have water contaminated by radioactive matter?
13. What are VOCs?
14. Do people on private wells need to use shower filters?
15. What is the best container for storing filtered water?
16. Do water treatment products require FDA approval?
17. Are whole house systems (P.O.E.- point-of-entry) better than counter-top filters (P.O.U.- point-of-use)?
18. What are the benefits of magnetic water treatment?
19. How do you know if there are contaminants in your water?
20. Are some people more sensitive to chemicals in drinking water and shower water than others?
21. If my municipal water company's Annual Water Quality Report shows that it meets all EPA guidelines, does that mean its safe?
QUESTION ?
1. How do you know if you need a water filter? Jennifer B, Daytona Beach, FL
ANSWER *
Virtually everyone will benefit from a home water filtration system. If all that was in your tap water was chlorine, and chlorine is in everyone's water, there are significant health and cosmetic benefits to using chlorine free water. Any child that has a gold fish knows that chlorine can kill, it's sole purpose as a pesticide is to kill living cells/ organisms. When we consume chlorine, at any level, it kills some part of us. It's recently been linked to cancer, heart disease, birth defects and many serious illnesses. Unfortunately, chlorine is not the only harmful substance in tap water. Over 90% of all U.S. water systems contain traces of at least 10 synthetic chemicals and lead. A recent Ralph Nader Report stated "after reviewing over 10,000 pages of EPA documents acquired through the Freedom Of Information Act... over 2300 chemicals that can cause cancer have been detected in U.S. tap water." Water utilities only test for about 75, no one knows for sure the extent of contamination. The risk is real and the solution is so easy, quality in-home water filtration.
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QUESTION ?
Are shower filters really as important as drinking water filters? Lynn B
ANSWER *
In my opinion they are more important! During a 10 minute shower your body will take on 10 to 50 times the level of water borne chemicals than from drinking a glass of the same water. During a warm shower the pores of our skin open up and absorb chlorine and other chemicals at an accelerated rate. Even worse, the steam you inhale is far more contaminated than the water itself due to the fact that synthetic chemicals, including chlorine, vaporize much faster than water. While over 96% of the water that comes out of your shower head goes down the drain, almost all of the chemicals vaporize into the air we breathe before the water hits the ground... making the steam more concentrated with chemicals. Also, inhaled chemicals go directly into the blood stream and have magnified adverse effects. But if the only benefits to shower filters were cosmetic, it would still be a must have in my book. Showering in purified water offers amazing benefits for skin and hair. Anyone who has ever swam in a chlorinated pool knows how chlorine dries out your skin and hair. The thing most people don't realize is that we typically have more chlorine in tap water than in our swimming pool! We have always sold more shower filters than anything. It's one of those products that once you use it you'll never do without, and you feel compelled to tell others... like seeing a great movie for the first time!
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QUESTION ?
How much chlorine in tap water is too much? Amanda P
ANSWER *
In my opinion, any chlorine in our drinking water is too much, however the EPA guidelines allow up to 4 parts per million (ppm) in municipal tap water. I find this alarming since a standard pool test kit shows that levels above 3 ppm are not safe to swim in! I think common sense would tell us that if it is not safe to swim in, it most likely is not safe to drink. With a very minimum amount of effort, especially on the internet, the evidence that chlorine is linked to cancer, heart disease and many other health problems is overwhelming. We need chlorine in water to kill bacteria, but it should be removed prior to use.
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QUESTION ?
Is filtered water better than distilled or reverse osmosis water? Dr. Greg N
ANSWER *
While there are good arguments on both sides of this debate, the more recent thoughts are in favor of filtered water. From a practical standpoint, the human body was designed to run on water that exists naturally on our planet, water that contains traces of inorganic minerals such as calcium, magnesium and potassium. Nowhere on Earth does de-mineralized water occur naturally. Distillation and R.O. systems produce de-mineralized water with an acidic pH. Many recent reports claim that "prolonged consumption of distilled or de-mineralized water can only lead to some form of mineral deficiency". Water by nature has to balance itself, when the minerals are stripped from water it causes the pH to drop and water to become acidic. It then seeks to balance itself (a basic law of nature) and does so by taking on minerals, primarily calcium. If we consume de-mineralized water, it will actually pull minerals from our body to balance itself with. This has been demonstrated and reported in many recent books and studies. My booklet, "All About Water" refers to several of these books and studies. Our filter system was intentionally designed to filter out harmful contaminants and to allow the natural minerals to remain, and it is my strong belief that this is the healthiest water.
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QUESTION ?
How long has the Aquasana system been out? Pat Welsh, Boca Raton FL
ANSWER *
Our Answer: We first introduced the Aquasana Drinking Water System in December of 1999 under an exclusive contract with a large nutritional products company. The system sold initially for $199.95, and was a good value at that. We have sold millions of our products as "Private Labeled" and still do. The Aquasana line is our best product, and we recently chose to market it direct to consumers in order to offer better pricing. By selling factory direct, we have cut our retail prices in half! Our hope is that we can continue to expand our consumer direct marketing efforts and offer these products at discount prices, direct to people like you... so tell your friends! We also still provide these products to a select group of health and nutrition companies under private label who are willing to market them at comparable prices and want the best!
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QUESTION ?
"We use the Brita water pitcher at home and usually drink bottled water when we're not at home, can you give an un-biased comment? Jeff M, Long Island, NY
ANSWER *
Probably not! I'm pretty proud of our products, but I'll try. First let me say that I feel that there are no "bad" water filter products, any filter is better than no filter. Brita is the best selling system in the world currently (we're gaining fast), and it does improve the quality of water. These types of pour through filters are limited in performance, primarily due to size. They are not designed to perform at the same level as our products, a simple comparison of the Performance Data Sheet that comes with theirs and ours shows this. The real question is why pay more to get less? While these pitcher filters are less expensive initially, they cost considerably more to use... about 22 cents a gallon compared to 9 cents a gallon for Aquasana, and they simply don't work as good! As for bottled water, since U.S regulations on bottled water are so weak... the quality is at best "unknown". With a "good" home water system... you can fill your own bottles and be sure of the quality. Occasionally, bottled water is the only available choice. When this happens, I prefer the European brands because their purity standards are much stricter.
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QUESTION ?
"If chlorine in our water is so unhealthy, why do they use it? Debra L, Detroit, MI
ANSWER *
I've always wondered who "they" are. In this case it should be "we". Our public water utilities are governed by Federal agencies, which are governed by us. While chlorine and it's by-products are known to have significant adverse health effects on humans, we choose it over water borne disease outbreaks like typhoid and cholera that plagued most countries prior to chlorines introduction in the late 1800s. We don't use chlorine because it's the most effective means of disinfecting water, we use it because it's the cheapest! With all the technology we possess today, we still essentially pour bleach in our drinking water to kill bacteria. There are several more healthful methods of disinfecting public water supplies, some other countries have turned to alternative methods because of recent findings about chlorine risks. The problem is that they are much more costly, and in reality... less practical. The fact that less than 1% of the water supplied to our homes is used for consumption, it's just not practical to produce "healthy water" from a central supplier. Most people would not be willing to pay the price for alternative disinfect ion methods, which would more than triple water costs. Logically, the solution is to keep chlorine in our public water systems right up to the point-of-use and then remove it with home water filtration... which in reality is the only way to ensure healthy water.
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Question: Is bottled water or filtered water better?
Answer: While much bottled water is of good quality, there are little or no regulations or means of ensuring bottled water quality... it is a self-policed industry for the most part. In contrast, the home water treatment industry is very heavily regulated. Manufacturers must do extensive testing and reporting to prove their products effectiveness at providing quality water. Manufacturers are required to supply "Performance Data Sheets" demonstrating the products ability to remove certain contaminants; bottled water companies are not required to demonstrate their waters quality.
Question: What is TDS?
Answer: Total Dissolved Solids, the total measurement by weight of all solids that are dissolved in water. The dissolved solids in water are primarily calcium and magnesium and would not be a measurement of contamination. Tests which measure the conductivity of water (often used by companies selling reverse osmosis and distillation system ) only give a rough estimate of dissolved solids, mostly minerals, and do not show water quality. Implying that these tests show water quality is highly misleading and should be considered unethical.
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Question: Is Chlorine harmful?
Answer: Chlorine was first added to a community water system in 1908 in Chicago and was instrumental in eliminating many types of water-borne disease such as Cholera and Typhoid fever. Prior to chlorination, many major cities had death tolls of 1 in 1000 people from Typhoid alone. Chlorine has been used to disinfect municipal water for over 80 years and has had some positive effects on public health. In the 1970's it was discovered that chlorine, when added to water, forms Trihalomethanes (chlorinated by-products) by combining with certain naturally occurring organic matter such as vegetation and algae. In 1992 the American Journal of Public Health published a report that showed a 15% to 35% increase in certain types of cancer for people who consume chlorinated water. This report also stated that much of these effects were due to showering in chlorinated water. The National Cancer Institute estimates cancer risks for people who consume chlorinated water to be up to 93% higher than for people who do not. The effects of drinking chlorinated water have been debated for decades. However, most experts now agree that there are some significant risks related to consuming chlorine and chlorinated by-products in drinking water.
Question: Why do some areas test negative for chlorine?
Answer: Virtually all city water systems contain some level of chlorine. The level will vary based on outdoor temperature, the season, distance from water utility and current usage. While chlorine may sometimes be undetectable on a certain day with a standard OTO test kit, that level can change dramatically day to day. Also some cities use ammonia at certain times as a disinfectant in order to reduce chlorination by products. Without chlorine the dangers of water borne disease would be too significant. An undetectable chlorine level, on a certain day, does not eliminate the need for an effective home filtration system.
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Question: What do you do if you have water contaminated by radioactive matter?
Answer: Move! Radioactive water is not very common in this country and is a more serious problem than should be dealt with by a home water filtration system. Many people confuse the contaminant "Radon" with radioactivity when in fact they are quite different. Radon is produced from decaying Uranium ore and can be effectively removed by carbon filtration.
Question: What are VOCs?
Answer: Volatile Organic Chemicals are synthetic compounds that turn into vapor at relatively low temperatures. VOCs typically vaporize at a much lower temperature than water. Most synthetic chemicals found in water, such as pesticides and herbicides, are VOCs.
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Question: Do people on private wells need to use shower filters?
Answer: There are many health and cosmetic benefits to removing chemicals and compounds from shower water, even on non-chlorinated private wells. Virtually all ground water contains traces of some chemical or chemicals that can be absorbed through the skin or inhaled. Also the Aquasana shower filter system helps balance the waters pH, which is also a very noticeable cosmetic benefit.
Question: What is the best container for storing filtered water?
Answer: Glass is always best, however if glass is not practical, then a high grade polycarbonate material is best. Clear plastic bottles and pitchers with a #1 in the recycle triangle on the bottom, like the bottles used by Evian and the higher quality bottled waters, are the best option for water storage since they have been shown to release the lowest levels of plastic component chemicals into water. Translucent, colored or bottles with a number other than 1 on the bottom should be avoided because there is the possibility of higher levels of chemicals leeching into the water from the plastic.
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Question: Do water treatment products require FDA approval?
Answer: No. However, the certifications which apply to the Aquasana products require proof that all wet component materials meet FDA requirements for food grade materials. The performance claims of the Aquasana 4000 system have been validated and certified by the California Department of Health Services and include toxicology extraction tests to show no harmful release of any substance into the filtered water.
Question: Are whole house systems (P.O.E.- point-of-entry) better than counter-top filters (P.O.U.- point-of-use)?
Answer: P.O.U. systems are by far the best way to ensure the highest quality water since many water-borne contaminants come from the plumbing in your house, especially lead and vinyl chloride from the piping. By filtering water at the point-of-use you remove contaminants just prior to consumption, eliminating the chance of recontamination. Point-of-entry systems offer certain benefits but do not replace the benefits of point-of-use filtration.
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Question: What are the benefits of magnetic water treatment?
Answer: While there are manufacturers that make beneficial claims for magnetic water treatment, there are no credible studies or documentation that magnetics offer any measurable benefits for drinking water, consumers should beware of undocumented claims.
Question: How do you know if there are contaminants in your water?
Answer: All public water systems contain some level of one or more unhealthful chemicals. Regulations only require periodic testing of about 90 chemicals. There are now more than 75,000 chemicals used in our society with over 1000 new ones being developed each year. Contaminant levels fluctuate throughout the year making it impossible to know the actual level of contamination in a central water system. So far over 2100 toxic chemicals have been detected in America's water systems. The risk is high; the cost for a sure solution is low, 9 cents per gallon with Aquasana.
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Question: Are some people more sensitive to chemicals in drinking water and shower water than others?
Answer: Definitely, small children and the elderly are especially more affected by contaminants in water due to a reduced capacity to deal with toxins and an under-developed or less tolerant immune system.
Question: If my municipal water company's Annual Water Quality Report shows that it meets all EPA guidelines, does that mean its safe?
Answer: On October 1st 1999 a new federal law went into effect that requires water utilities to send each customer a detailed report showing what is in their water, appropriately called "The Right To Know Amendment." The most important thing to remember is that no matter how insistent these reports are that "contaminants in your water do not necessarily pose a health risk", any level of contamination in our drinking water does in fact represent a danger to our health. Of the over 75,000 toxic chemicals used in our society, the EPA has only set standards (MCLs) for about 90, and those 90 Maximum Contaminant Levels are not necessarily set on "health effects." The EPA considers limited health studies based on consumption of one certain chemical by a 175 lb. adult when setting these standards. No consideration is given to the effects on small children or the combined effects of two or more contaminants, which some studies show are magnified by as much as 1000 times. Water utilities are only required to test for the 90 contaminants that the EPA has set standards for. Nobody knows how many toxic chemicals may actually be in tap water. According to the Ralph Nader Research Group, after reviewing thousands of pages of EPA documents acquired through the Freedom of Information Act, more than 2100 toxic chemicals have already been detected in U.S. water supplies. Virtually all public water systems have some level of contamination. The water utilities are usually quick to point out that the chemicals found in their water are "below EPA's Maximum Levels", and in most cases they are. The fact is that even the smallest trace of a toxic chemical causes damage and science is just now starting to realize to what extent. In a recent report from the National Cancer Institute to the Surgeon General it was stated that "No level of exposure to a chemical carcinogen should be considered toxicologically insignificant to humans," and we are learning the hard way the truth of this statement.
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