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The topic of drinking water filters has been a controversial topic over the past few decades, and most of us have many questions. Here are some of the most frequently asked...
The Drinking Water Ordinance guarantees that you receive hygienic and “safe” water at your domestic water inlet.
However, there are two aspects to consider:
Everyone knows that special care is required when feeding babies and small children. The rule applies not only to nitrate and nitrite, but also to lead, copper, asbestos, and much more: none is better than a little! Tap water generally cannot meet this requirement.
Many mothers simply buy so-called baby water or other still, low-mineral bottled water based on their gut instinct. Another method is to treat tap water with high-quality water filters: lead- and copper-absorbing activated carbon block filters (e.g., Carbonit) or reverse osmosis purification systems (e.g., Economy or ROWA). The latter also significantly reduce hardness, nitrate, and other dissolved salts.
Drinking water primarily serves our body to rid it of waste and toxins. Water transports the waste and toxins from the cells and connective tissue to the outside via the kidneys and bladder. One theory is that if the water is already loaded with a large number of minerals (high mineral/salt content), it can only absorb a small amount of additional waste and toxins for removal. On the other hand, small amounts of certain minerals probably ensure a favorable structure in the water, as they transform the "magnetic" H2O molecules into a quasi-crystalline form. It can also be argued that good conductivity would facilitate these processes (electrical conductivity is only made possible by the dissolved impurity ions). However, research in this area is still in its early stages... What is certain is that there is no such thing as "the best water for everyone," but rather that many properties of drinking water have different effects on the drinker: everyone must therefore find their own water.
No, it's not harmful to drink distilled water or hyperfiltered water from a reverse osmosis filtration system. Such water contains hardly any limescale and has a very effective detoxifying effect. The natural flavor of tea, coffee, or food is better preserved and is not affected by the limescale. The rumor that you can die from drinking 1 liter of distilled water is a scientific fallacy (rainwater, meltwater, or dew are also "distilled water"; there are even natural springs that are almost mineral-free, with 13 to 25 mg/l). Most importantly, however, drinking water should be as free as possible from toxic substances such as heavy metals, arsenic, asbestos, drug residues, etc.
Limescale is the hardness-forming mineral compound of calcium and magnesium in drinking water. It is responsible for deposits in boilers, on heating coils, scum on tea, and much more. The softness or hardness of water is defined exclusively by the two elements calcium and magnesium. Calcium and magnesium are also responsible for higher detergent consumption, as they neutralize a certain amount of detergent. Harder water requires more detergent.
This depends on the filter technology. Adsorbent filters such as activated carbon filters cannot remove dissolved inorganic substances such as limescale, i.e., calcium and magnesium ions, or dissolved salts such as nitrate, sulfate, and phosphate from the water. They are primarily responsible for removing organic compounds (drug residues, herbicides, pesticides, aliphatic hydrocarbons, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, polychlorinated biphenyls, chlorine, bacteria, etc.).
An exception, due to the special activated carbon Monoblock® manufacturing process, are the metals copper and lead, which are retained by the filter. These filters also remove the limescale that floats in the water in coarser structures.
These "lumps" are primarily responsible for the extreme buildup of limescale on faucets and the film on black tea, so CARBONIT-filtered water is also a real improvement in terms of limescale. Reverse osmosis systems, which feature a membrane filter whose pores allow only molecules smaller than the size of a water molecule to pass through, also remove all metal and non-metal ions such as calcium, arsenic, mercury, etc., in addition to the organic compounds mentioned above. In practice, this results in very soft, pure water. This water forms only about 20 times less deposits.
Humans absorb minerals primarily through food or juices and teas. Water is vital to the body, especially as a means of transport and cleansing. It generally contains comparatively few valuable minerals. The largest component is inorganic calcium ("lime").
Here, a comparison of average (inorganic) calcium, magnesium, and potassium contents in German drinking water (Aurand, The Drinking Water Ordinance) in contrast to the (organic) calcium, magnesium, and potassium contents of potatoes (Souci, Food Table for Practice)
Of course, there are regulations in place regarding the permissible levels of contaminants in drinking water. But how are limits set? For young children, for example, a maximum of 0.1 mg/l of copper is recommended, but 2 mg/l is permitted.
Not even in the smallest quantities! Water is our primary source of food, and not everything that's permitted is healthy—for example, copper or drug residues. Therefore, the following should apply to our drinking water: the fewer unnatural substances, the better.
Our tap water is treated at the waterworks. However, the water that reaches our taps after being pumped through the long pipe networks and possibly old house wiring is not always of the same quality.
Bringing a case of mineral water home requires not only your physical effort but also enormous hygienic efforts from the bottler. And it's not uncommon for mineral water to be transported 2,000 kilometers by truck – a burden on the environment and, unfortunately, not always a guarantee of good quality.
Depending on your age and weight, your body needs 2 liters of fluid daily, preferably in the form of water. Those who prefer mineral water have a heavy burden. Filtering your tap water ensures you always have fresh, delicious water – without any effort and at a much lower cost: For example, a four-person household can save over €500 per year with a CARBONIT® drinking water filter because they can do without mineral water.
Connoisseurs know that filtered water brings out the full flavor of tea and coffee. When cooking fresh vegetables, the flavors and natural colors are better preserved. Plants and animals also appreciate the benefits of filtered water.
So what else could speak against it?