Like many people I was once a devotee of the Brita water filter. Now I just drink straight tap water.
One day I was at the sink filling the pitcher, and just as I finished and was turning to return the now full pitcher to the fridge, the cat decided it would be a good time to attack my pant leg. This of course resulted in me dropping, and breaking the pitcher. No more Brita. I put the broken Brita in a corner of the kitchen and forgot about it for a few days. In the meantime I debated buying a new pitcher, drank straight tap water, and did some research.
Filtered water is not noticeably safer or healthier. Most people filter their water because it makes the water taste better, and they think it removes the “bad stuff” from the water. In reality, unless you buy an expensive filtration system, your simple fridge or tap filter isn’t doing much. Most filters are just activated carbon and maybe an ion exchange resin (to reduce heavy metal ions in the water). The big sell is that they remove lead from your tap water. In the United States lead in drinking water is already limited to 15ppb. And in many places it is a lot less (i.e. undetectable). My point - the amount of lead in tap water is so low your filter isn’t doing anything.
What about taste? Its true, filtered water does taste better. But only if you’re drinking it side by side with straight tap water. At first, after my pitcher broke, the difference was very noticeable. But after three days, I could not detect any taste at all - no hint of copper or chlorine. In fact, it tasted just as good as filtered water had before.
Bacteria in your Brita. Have you ever examined one of your old filters when you’re replacing it? Nice and damp and aerated, and after a couple months your filter becomes a bacteria breeding ground. An old, unchanged Brita filter can be dangerous because it may add bacteria, which had been killed in the tap by chlorine, back into water in your pitcher. There are other health benefits in tossing your Brita. Brita pitchers are made from styrene methyl methacrylate copolymer. The EPA has described styrene as “a suspected carcinogen” and “a suspected toxin to the gastrointestinal, kidney, and respiratory systems.”
Cost savings and environmental damage. Annual savings of $50-70 in replacement filters. Plus you’re making the environment happy by foregoing all that plastic.
Siel over at Emerald City, and many other people, advocate using water filters. I say try just straight tap water for a week.
9 responses so far ↓
lisaheidrich // March 18, 2008 at 7:21 pm
great points to ponder!
Thank you for sharing this info!
~Lisa
Irving // March 18, 2008 at 7:42 pm
I agree, and where I live we have really sweet and great tasting well water (Westchester county NY)
The Integral // March 18, 2008 at 10:54 pm
how about Brita faucet fixtures?
I’m keeping mine for right now, because I live in South Florida………and the water here has more than just chlorine in it. there’s sulfur in it…………or at least it smells that way, looks that way, and tastes pretty rotten.
Interesting point about the Brita filter being made out of a suspected carcinogenic material………one wonders how many other such “helpful” or “beneficial” items are out there which are made from similarly questionable materials.
TI
naturallyinteresting // March 18, 2008 at 11:23 pm
How do I fix that image?
lfernan1976 // March 19, 2008 at 2:47 am
Hi,
I have a Brita too, but I never realised about the bacteria thing. That’s why my Brita water is so tasty… Thanks for your information. Thanks to your cat, too.
Nick Plowman // March 19, 2008 at 3:42 am
I live in South Africa, and the tap water is just fine, the only reason I use a Brita water filter is becuase I was given it. I don’t think using Brita filers are worth it, and the replacement filters are pretty pricey.
naturallyinteresting // March 19, 2008 at 11:43 am
As far as the filters go the ones you attach to the faucet are basically the same. I suppose you don’t have the plastic to worry about that way though.
If my local water was really bad tasting I would go back using some form of filtration, but I find that most tap water is palatable.
ian in hamburg // March 19, 2008 at 12:04 pm
Brita water simply tastes better. We tried to go without, but went back to the Brita because we couldn’t get used to the tap water taste anymore.
If you’re careful, there won’t be a problem with bacteria. And about the lead numbers: how can anyone be sure what the amount of lead in water really is? I’d rather filter it.
Asad // March 19, 2008 at 2:02 pm
Bottled water isn’t necessarily any better either. Not too long ago, the makers of Aquafina publicly admitted that Aquafina is bottled tap water. Also there is evidence that carcinogenic chemicals from the plastic of the bottle can leach into the water.
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