Is Chlorinated Water Safe To Drink?
Chlorine is an effective agent in killing waterborne disease and disinfecting drinking water that supplies millions of people. Chlorine’s presence in drinking water is diluted across a vast sea of water and kept under the EPAs safety standard, so it is considered safe to drink. Unfortunately, it has the side-effect of tasting like a rusty nail.
Chlorinated Water Is Safe To Drink – But That Taste Though…
The rusty nail taste is because chlorine is a disinfectant. The EPA created regulations to balance risks of ingesting small amounts of disinfectant versus ingesting water containing harmful bacteria and viruses, and ingesting chlorine comes out on top.
The World Health Organization indicated that ‘a suitable residual level of disinfectant needs to be maintained throughout the distribution system.’ There is no gray area in that statement of who the winner is; you choose your battles. If your water wasn’t chlorinated, a few things that you could ingest with unfiltered water are:
- Cholera
- Typhoid fever
- Hepatitis
Which wiped out thousands of Americans and is the reason why water is chlorinated today in much the same way it was in the 1900s. Chlorine fluctuates in the water system, so how much you have in your water may be slightly different than the guy a few doors down.
Although chlorinated water is safe to drink, the aftertaste may leave much to be desired and lead you to an alternative source of water.
Alternatives To Rusty Nail Tasting Water
Clean drinking water is vital for human life, well, all life. If the taste is a primary concern, you may want to consider a few alternatives such as:
- Carbon filter attachments to faucet and fridge
- Carbon filter pitcher
- Boil your water
- High quality bottled water
If you decide on a filter ritual, you will need to replace them per the instructions that come with the filter; if you don’t, it should be noted that the filter itself will become colonized with microorganisms, which defeats the purpose.
If you don’t have the time or commitment levels required for boiling water or maintaining your filters, then bottled water or service is probably the answer for you.
Final Thoughts
Drinking chlorinated water is safe, but not the most fabulous tasting stuff in the world. Luckily, some alternatives remove the residual taste and bring relief to our taste buds. Overall, safety will always win over bad taste.
At Ising’s Culligan, we can help you get everything you need to deal with home water contamination in Livermore – from filters to purifiers, water softeners, and more. If you’re having issues with home water quality, contact us online or give us a call at 925-206-3727 to see how we can help.
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