Most consumers in this country are aware of the contaminants in tap water and their options for water treatment systems to assist in ridding their drinking water of any unwanted minerals or toxins. There are numerous contaminants, that when consumed in large amounts or over long periods of time, can be unhealthy for our health. What gives most people some peace of mind, however, is knowing that there are federal, state, and even some city regulations to limit the amount of contaminants in our drinking water.
Congress authorizes the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to write rules and regulations that explain the critical details necessary to implement environmental laws, including those regarding water quality and safety. "The Office of Ground Water and Drinking Water (OGWDW), together with states, tribes, and its many partners, protects public health by ensuring safe drinking water and protecting ground water. OGWDW, along with EPA's ten regional drinking water programs, oversees implementation of the Safe Drinking Water Act, which is the national law safeguarding tap water in America", states the EPA's website.
Common known tap water and drinking water contaminants include, but are certainly not limited to, arsenic, barium, fluoride, magnesium, mercury, nitrates, radium, selenium, uranium, zinc, and aluminum. These contaminants are regulated by the federal government by means of scientific studies which show the safest levels when consumed. However, some contaminants, like aluminum, only have recommended limitations by the government. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is working to determine if aluminum requires a national drinking water regulation and has placed it on the contaminant candidates list (CCL). "There is no EPA water quality standard for aluminum, only a recommended secondary maximum contaminant level (SMCL) of 0.05 to 0.2 mg/L. Secondary standards are non-enforceable guidelines that cover cosmetic and aesthetic effects in drinking water," according to the EPA.
Aluminum is a soft, lightweight, durable, silvery-whitish metal found in the boron chemical group. It is the most abundant metal in the Earth's crust, and the third most abundant element. It is a highly reactive metal known for its low density and ability to resist corrosion. Because of this, it is a vital structural material used in the aerospace industry, yet it has been known to cause deposits in cooling systems and boiler units.
But beyond just the household effects aluminum has in drinking water, it also causes some pretty serious health problems, according to the EPA and other medical research sources. It tends to present some toxic effects when consumed for long periods of time in elevated concentrations, which can be traced to deposition in bone and the central nervous system. In very high doses, aluminum can cause neurotoxicity and is associated with the changing functions of the blood-brain barrier. Furthermore, some studies show that aluminum may play a role in Alzheimer's disease, where victims of Alzheimer's had four times the normal concentration of aluminum in their brain cells. Whether this is a causal or consequential part of the disease, still needs to be studied. It has become one of the most controversial and publicized theories in the medical field at this time. There have been fears that aluminum in the diet or absorbed in other ways could be a factor in Alzheimer's. According to WebMD, one study found that people who used antiperspirants and antacids containing aluminum had a higher risk of developing Alzheimer's. Others have also reported an association between aluminum exposure and Alzheimer's disease. It is yet to be certain one way or another, but the chance of this being the case certainly is one reason to look into a water treatment system that would efficiently remove this and other harmful substances from drinking water.
The Alzheimer's Society explains that the hypothesis that there is a connection between aluminum and Alzheimer's disease was first put forward in the 1960s (Terry and Pena 1965, Klatzo et al 1965). Since then, researchers have claimed a number of other circumstantial links between aluminum and Alzheimer's disease. Some of them are:
1. Aluminum has been shown to be associated both with plaques and with tangles in the brains of people with Alzheimer's disease (Crapper et al 1976). However, the presence of aluminum does not mean that the aluminum was the causal factor.
2. People with kidney failure are unable to excrete aluminum, and yet they frequently have to be treated with compounds that contain aluminum. Aluminium accumulates in nerve cells that are particularly vulnerable in Alzheimer's disease.
3. In 2006, scientists at Keele University in Staffordshire found that drinking mineral water regularly may reduce levels of aluminum in people with Alzheimer's disease.
4. A 2008 study by French researchers found that a high concentration of aluminum in drinking water increases the risk of developing dementia in elderly subjects.
After a water test shows evidence of higher amounts of aluminum in drinking water, there are different treatment options, especially point-of-use methods such as reverse osmosis and distillation. Although aluminum can be readily removed from water by cation exchange resins like those used in water softeners, it may not be with normal salt regenerations. Reverse osmosis, or hyper filtration, is the most common water treatment technology. It is effective in eliminating or highly reducing various contaminants, one being aluminum. Reverse osmosis uses a membrane that is semi-permeable, allowing pure water to pass through it, while rejecting the contaminants that are too large to pass through the tiny pores in the membrane. When looking for an efficient reverse osmosis system, the key factors become environmental-friendliness and effectiveness, all while being affordable. High-flow systems with little waste water are available, and will leave you with continuous supplies of safe, clean drinking water, as well as the peace of mind you once had.
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