Chemicals are used for a number of different purposes all over the country every single day. And as the usage of chemicals increases, so does the risk of those chemicals getting into the water that we use for drinking and bathing in our homes. Today we’re going to talk about the growing concern behind chemicals in tap water and what you can do to remove those chemicals from your water!

How do chemicals get into tap water?

There are many ways that chemicals can get into your home’s tap water. Two of the most common sources are nearby industrial and agricultural businesses, which deposit waste and runoff into nearby water supplies. If your home gets its tap water from a source that’s near farming or industrial activities, chemicals contamination can be a big concern.

In addition, water treatment plants add their own chemicals to tap water in the form of disinfectants like chlorine and chloramine. These chemical disinfectants interact with organic matter in water, which forms dangerous chemical compounds known as trihalomethanes (THM’s). Long-term exposure to THM’s has been linked to an increased risk of various cancers.

Are chemicals in tap water regulated?

Although there are more than 60,000 chemicals used within the United States, there are currently only around 100 water contaminants regulated by the EPA. That means that there are thousands of chemicals that water treatment plants are not required to test or monitor for. Recent studies have shown that even many of the regulated chemicals pose health risks at concentrations much lower than previously thought.

Just last year, a study performed by the U.S. Geological Survey and the Environmental Protection Agency found that 18 unregulated chemicals were present in one-third of water utilities in the US. The health risks of many of these chemicals are unknown, especially after long-term exposure.

What are the health effects of chemicals in tap water?

Long-term exposure to chemicals in tap water, even at very low concentrations, has been linked to health issues like:

• High cholesterol
• Ulcerative colitis
• Thyroid disease
• Pregnancy problems
• Increased risk of various cancers

How can you remove chemicals from your tap water?

In order to protect your tap water from both regulated and unregulated chemicals, the best thing you can do is install a water treatment system in your home. A filtration system will remove even the tiny traces of chemicals that are present in your home’s water, in addition to the THM’s that are present in most tap water due to chlorine being added by water treatment plants.

If you have any questions about chemicals in tap water, or if you’d like a water treatment system serviced or installed in your home, contact EPA Water Consultants, your Pennsylvania and New Jersey water filtration and water softener dealer. We service areas all over Pennsylvania and New Jersey, including towns like New Ringgold, New Tripoli and Newton, PA.

photo credit: Photolifer via photopin cc