Is our tap water really clean?
Being highly sensitive to the slightest hint of chlorine, I pride myself on being better – drinking only boiled water.
But after fixing a pre-filter at home, I couldn’t help but notice visible sediments getting flushed out from the filter every two months or so. These are the same sediments that I could possibly be consuming! The obvious conclusion? The water from our taps is not as pure as we think.
Good news: we need not look too far for clean water
Countries like China, USA and India where water purification is necessary, all employ Reverse Osmosis technology to purify their drinking water. Singapore’s PUB uses RO too but by the time that clean water flows through several miles of external pipes to reach our homes, it is probably a good idea to run it through a second filter before consumption.
The cleanest filters available to us in Singapore:
Micro filtration – 0.1 microns
Ultra filtration – 0.01 microns (10 times cleaner than micro filtration)
Nano filtration – 0.001 microns (100 times cleaner than micro filtration)
Reverse Osmosis – 0.0001 microns (1000 times cleaner than micro filtration)
What is Reverse Osmosis?
Let’s zoom in at the cleanest option, because that is what I went for in the end. RO is a 99.99% clean process that forces contaminated water through a semi-permeable membrane. Only the purest water passes through the membrane, leaving heavy metals, antibiotics, viruses and bacteria behind. RO filters have tiny holes measuring 0.0001 microns in size and is scientifically proven to provide the cleanest water among household water purifiers.
Some benefits of RO water
Our bodies need to keep hydrated with fresh, pure water. Reverse Osmosis does this through the extraction of several contaminants that other filters cannot remove. RO water has:
- No bacteria and viruses, great for those with low immunity or have existing health conditions
- No sodium, perfect for those on a limited sodium intake diet
- No water parasites, which can get into the digestive tract and cause stomach pain and gastric
- No trace metals or minerals, so water can be re-boiled without becoming carcinogenic
- No lead, reducing the risk of high blood pressure and liver or kidney issues
In conclusion..
RO water is great to drink, it beats tap water any day.. I just want to be sure I’m getting the cleanest water possible. But that is just my opinion. As a home owner, look around and do some research for something that suits you. Water cleanliness is after all quite a subjective topic.
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