Water Filters: Effective Pollution Solution?

Water filters are an effective way to ensure access to clean and healthy drinking water. They are particularly useful in the context of deteriorating water quality and increasing pollution. Water filters can remove impurities and pollutants such as bacteria, viruses, heavy metals, organic compounds, and chemicals from water, which can have adverse effects on human health. The use of water filters also helps to reduce the need for single-use plastics, protecting the environment by minimising plastic waste and reducing energy consumption.

Do Water Filters Remove Pollution?

Water filters can remove heavy metals, bacteria, viruses, and chemicals

Water filters are an effective way to get clean, healthy water. They can also help protect appliances and the environment. By reducing the need for single-use plastics, water filters can reduce plastic waste and the pollution associated with generating the energy required for producing and transporting these plastics.

Water filters can remove heavy metals, such as lead and iron, from water supplies. Heavy metals can be harmful to human health, so removing them is essential for drinking water. Whole-house water filtration systems can provide clean water for drinking, showering, and cooking. These systems can also remove other contaminants such as chlorine, chloramines, rust, dirt, sand, silt, and industrial solvents.

Water filters can also remove bacteria and viruses, which is especially important for drinking water. Some water filters have been shown to remove up to 100% of certain contaminants. This is important for ensuring clean and safe drinking water, which is essential for maintaining good health.

In addition to heavy metals and biological contaminants, water filters can also remove chemicals from water supplies. "Forever chemicals", or PFAS, are one such group of chemicals that can be removed through filtration. PFAS are persistent in the environment and have been linked to various health concerns. Water filters can reduce PFAS contamination, providing healthier and safer drinking water.

Water filters can reduce plastic waste

Water filters can be used to reduce plastic waste and help protect the environment. Plastic waste has been shown to be harmful to the environment and human health. Plastic does not decompose quickly and instead breaks down into dangerous microplastic particles that can easily find their way into our water and food. In fact, an average person ingests thousands of bits of plastic every year.

Water filters can help reduce the amount of disposable plastic water bottles used by providing easily accessible clean water. For example, one Aquasana Claryum® 2-Stage under-sink water filter can last six months and avoid the use of 3,700 16.9-ounce plastic water bottles. In 2019, Aquasana water filtration technology displaced more than 1.2 billion single-use plastic bottles of water in North America. By using water filters, we can also reduce plastic manufacturing, greenhouse gas emissions, and dangerous chemical byproducts.

When choosing a water filter, it is important to select one that utilizes eco-friendly water filter replacements. For instance, some water filter components are engineered for minimal waste, with their reusable outer filter casings and filter cartridges made of recyclable parts and compostable materials. It is also important to note that while some water filters may be made of plastic and/or have plastic components, they are still safer than bottled water. Ideally, filtered water should be stored in a non-plastic container such as glass, stainless steel, or ceramic.

In addition to reducing plastic waste, water filters can also have long-term benefits such as protecting appliances. Water filters can remove sediment that would otherwise damage or slow down appliances that use water, such as dishwashers, refrigerators, hot water tanks, and washing machines. By reducing particle buildup, water filters can help maintain an appliance’s energy efficiency and prolong its lifespan, thereby reducing the need to discard the plastic and metal components of these appliances.

Water filters can also help to remove harmful pollutants from water, such as lead, PFAS ("forever chemicals"), and Cryptosporidium, which can have serious health impacts. In summary, water filters offer a way to reduce plastic waste, protect the environment, and ensure access to clean and healthy water.

Activated carbon filters can remove herbicides, heavy metals, and chemicals

Water filters are an effective way to get clean drinking water, and they can also help the environment by reducing the need for single-use plastics. While some water filters are designed to make water taste better, others are designed to remove harmful chemicals and germs.

Activated carbon filters are a leading player in water filtration. They are made up of small, porous sponges or black beads that have been processed to better trap impurities. The activation process involves injecting the carbon with heat, steam, or chemicals, which creates millions of small pores in the carbon, vastly increasing the size of its surface area. This allows carbon to absorb and trap a wider range of contaminants. The carbon particles have a large surface area, which allows them to be exposed to as many active sites in the filter media as possible.

Activated carbon filters can remove up to 99% of total suspended solids, volatile organic compounds, sediment, heavy metals, chloramines, and other contaminants from drinking water. They are effective at removing herbicides, which are chemicals used in agriculture to control undesirable weeds and increase production. These chemicals can sometimes end up in water supplies, affecting aquatic organisms and humans. Some herbicides may cause cancer in humans, so it is important to remove them from drinking water. Activated carbon has been tested and shown to be able to remove 12 common herbicides, including 2,4-D weed killer and atrazine.

In addition to removing herbicides, activated carbon filters can also remove heavy metals such as lead, copper, lithium, and fluoride. Lithium is a naturally-occurring trace metal typically found in soil and other mineral formations, as well as in drinking water. While lithium in tap water is said to have stress-relieving and antidepressant properties, there are potential health risks associated with consuming this metal. Activated carbon filters can reduce lithium levels in drinking water by up to 90%.

Activated carbon filters are also effective at removing chemicals such as chlorine, chlorides, pesticides, phosphate, nitrate, and microplastics. They can improve water quality, eliminate unpleasant odors, and remove other pollutants. The Environmental Protection Agency in the United States (EPA) and NSF International claim that activated carbon filters can eliminate between 60 and 80 chemicals from water, effectively reduce another 30, and moderately reduce an additional 22. The EPA recommends activated carbon filtration technology as it can eliminate almost all common and identified herbicides, pesticides, and inorganic contaminants in water.

Reverse osmosis filters can remove PFAS and other forever chemicals

Water filters are a great way to get clean, healthy water and help the environment by reducing the need for single-use plastics. While some water filters are designed to make water taste better, others are meant to remove harmful chemicals or germs.

One such harmful chemical group is PFAS (Per- and Polyfluorinated substances), which are man-made chemicals that have been used for decades in consumer products to make them non-stick and water-resistant. PFAS are called "forever chemicals" because they take a long time to break down in the human body and the environment. They can be found in anything from drinking water to cosmetics and furniture, and they can contaminate the air, soil, surface water, and groundwater.

Reverse osmosis filters are a type of water filter that can effectively remove PFAS and other forever chemicals from drinking water. These filters use high-pressure membranes that are tighter than those in nanofiltration, allowing them to reject all salts and remove a wide range of PFAS, including shorter-chain PFAS. According to the National Sanitation Foundation (NSF), an under-the-sink reverse osmosis filter can remove 94-99% of short-chain PFAS and 88-100% of long-chain PFAS.

It is important to note that not all water filters can remove PFAS, and some filters may require pre-treating the water to ensure proper functioning. When choosing a water filter, it is essential to test your water for harmful substances and select a filter that specifically addresses those concerns. Additionally, filters need to be regularly changed to maintain their effectiveness in reducing PFAS levels.

Water filters can remove sediment and other impurities

Water filters can be a great way to get clean, healthy water. They can also help protect appliances, such as dishwashers, refrigerators, hot water tanks, and washing machines, from sediment buildup. Sediment filters are an integral component of the water filtration process, trapping and removing visible dirt, debris, and other particulate matter that contaminates water.

Sediment filters are designed to capture and remove particulate matter, such as dirt, rust, sand, dust, and other suspended solids, from water. They are particularly effective at removing larger particles and can help reduce the cloudiness, or turbidity, of water. By removing sediment, these filters can prevent pipes from ageing and water from becoming discoloured or unappetizing. Additionally, sediment filters can protect appliances by preventing sediment buildup, which can slow down or damage them, leading to increased energy consumption and reduced appliance lifespan.

It is important to note that sediment filters have limitations. They are not designed to remove chemicals, heavy metals, bacteria, or dissolved particulate matter. Therefore, they do not improve the taste or smell of water. To address these limitations, sediment filters are often used in conjunction with other filtration methods, such as reverse osmosis or ultraviolet (UV) purification. By using a combination of filtration techniques, a broader range of contaminants can be removed, resulting in higher-quality water.

When choosing a water filtration system, it is essential to test the water to identify any harmful germs or chemicals present. Different filtration systems have different capabilities, and some are specifically designed to remove certain types of contaminants. For example, reverse osmosis filters are effective at removing both germs and some types of chemicals, while carbon filters are commonly used to improve taste and smell by removing heavy metals like lead. Understanding the specific contaminants in the water will help guide the selection of an appropriate filtration system to ensure effective removal of impurities.

Frequently asked questions