Is drinking filtered tap water safe or is water straight from the tap just as good?

When it comes to the quality of tap water, every country is different. When visiting developing worlds, we all know the safest option is bottled water or boiling the tap water before consumption.

What about the developed world? According to research of tap water in 180 countries, documented by Yale in 2020, Finland has the best quality tap water in the world. Australia was ranked number 13 in the world. But the margin was minimal.

So, there's no need to worry. With this ranking result, the answer to the question is yes, tap water in Australia is very safe. 

Does the quality of tap water in Australia vary from state to state and territory?

The water quality across Australia is governed by strict guidelines published and maintained by the National Health and Medical Research Council and the Natural Resource Management Ministerial Council.

These guidelines reflect the best available scientific evidence. It means the authorities are ensuring good management of drinking water from our taps, so wherever we are in Australia the tap water is regarded as safe.

What about filtered tap water. Is drinking filtered tap water safe?

Let's look closer at some comparisons.

Is filtered tap water better quality than the water coming straight from our tap?

The tap water we drink generally starts from a river and flows into our dams. On the way it dissolves or absorbs a variety of substances after travelling through layers of soil and rock in the ground.

It also picks up harmful microorganisms from animals and humans. This is why tap water is treated. To make it safe to drink.

There are chemicals that are approved for use to treat water like chlorine and fluoride, along with aluminium sulphate and ferric chloride. This gives the water a particular taste.

The idea of filtered water is to make it even safer to drink.

The process removes trace elements from the treated tap water. For example, any further traces of heavy metals like lead, mercury and nickel, dirt, silt, sand, and sediment, chlorine, fluoride, Cysts like Cryptosporidium and Giardia, and any other dissolved impurities that are still present. Odours and colours are also removed. 

Whenever we ask ‘Is Drinking Filtered Tap Water Safe?’ we can look at the facts from research and have peace of mind.

Bottled water versus filtered water

With bottled water, the fear is that over time, the chemicals contained in the plastic leach out into the water. There are also worries related to the oestrogen levels that are created from bottled water.

One report has stated that at pollutant levels, this oestrogen has been linked with breast cancer in women and prostate cancer in men.

Micro plastics were also found in many bottled waters. A 2017 study of fish by Lund University in Sweden shows that plastic particles in water may end up inside fish brains. The plastic can cause brain damage, which is the likely cause of behavioural disorders observed in the fish. The impact of consumption of micro plastics in humans is still unknown.

While this all sounds very alarming, it all depends on the amount of bottled water you consume.

Bottled water does, however, have the problem of increasing our carbon footprint.

Other benefits of filtered tap water

 Filtered tap water is literally filtered as it comes through the tap. It's on demand, and it's cheaper.

It can even be a very user-friendly thing to maintain. There are smart filter systems that actually tell you when it is time to change the filter. This adds the advantage of making optimal use of the system.

Other reasons filtered tap water is preferred is:

• It helps detoxify your body
• Allows your body to absorb vital nutrients better
• Promotes healthier skin
• You enjoy tastier meals
• There's no harmful, long term plastic waste
• It uses far less electricity to produce
• It uses far less water to achieve the same outcome
• There's far less use of petroleum caused by processes of recycling and transportation

It quickly becomes a 'no brainer' in this area. Filtered tap water wins hands down.

How does a reverse osmosis water filter work?

The unique smaller pores of this designer filter, allow water molecules through, and stop any impurities, sending them straight to the drain. A bit like the way fly screens allow the air in, and stop mosquitos and micro bugs.

The Undersink Reverse Osmosis Water Filter System has the bonus of being a simple thing to install. It fits easily under the kitchen bench so you can enjoy pure filtered water on demand.

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