Pure drinking water
The water we get through the tap is not pure drinking water. In fact depending on what region you live in, your water is probably full of bacteria and chemicals. Some countries purposely include small amounts of chemicals like chlorine in tap water to make sure itÕs clean.
Fluoride is used on the pretence that it helps fight tooth decay, however, studies have shown no proof that fluoride in drinking water actually helps fight tooth decay whilst it is thought to be linked with negative effects on IQ and basic motor skills.
The cheapest way to purify water is through Deionization. This method uses an ion exchange resins that binds itself to the all the minerals in the water and removes them leaving pure water. However, the process of deionization does not remove viruses or bacteria.
There are other methods of purifying water; reverse osmosis is commonly used in the home, it uses pressure to force the water through several membranes made from a polymer matrix that keep salt ions from passing through, resulting in pure clean water.
The most effective way of purifying water is through distillation. Distilled water is used in bottled water. Distillers boil water then condenses the steam into a container, leaving a yellowish mineral scale containing the solid contaminants behind. It is the most expensive way of creating perfectly purified h20 and requires constant cleaning due to the scale left behind.
Purified water has many uses as well as drinking water. It is commonly used in laboratory experiments and is normal contained in specially designed containers made of Silica or ultra pure tin as ordinary plastic containers contain impurities. Pure water is used in lead acid batteries as opposed to tap water, which contains ions that cause the car to run inefficiently.
Deionised water is commonly used in cosmetics; it is referred to as aqua in the ingredients. It is also used in PC cooling systems, window cleaning and even in the final rinse at a carwash.
Just drinking purified water is still a cause for concern. Although it may get rid of unwanted bacteria and chemicals, distilled water also lacks the natural minerals that our bodies require for nutrition.
The minerals in water such as calcium are thought to represent a large portion of our recommended daily intake. Not getting this in take could have detrimental effects on health and lead to being more susceptible to illness.
There are positive and negative aspects surrounding pure drinking water. On the one hand it is very healthy in that it gets rid of any pollutants in the body, on the other hand just drinking distilled water is not only potentially costly to health, it also has negative effects on the environment.
Plastic bottles do not decompose quickly and can take many decades before they even begin to break up. The right course of action seems to be to alternate between drinking tap water and bottled water.