{"id":25817,"date":"2021-08-27T18:59:07","date_gmt":"2021-08-27T18:59:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.humnutrition.com\/blog\/?p=25817"},"modified":"2021-08-30T20:10:22","modified_gmt":"2021-08-30T20:10:22","slug":"is-tap-water-safe-to-drink","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.humnutrition.com\/blog\/is-tap-water-safe-to-drink\/","title":{"rendered":"Is Tap Water Safe to Drink or Do You Need a Water Filter?"},"content":{"rendered":"Is your tap water safe to drink? Should you be using a tap water filter? Gaby Vaca-Flores, RDN, CLE<\/a>, investigates.<\/em>\n\nAccess to clean drinking water is a must for good health. Many people rely on tap water to meet their hydration needs<\/a>\u2014and for environmental reasons, this is a preferable way to go versus single-use plastic bottles. But how safe is your tap water, really?\n\nBefore we reveal the truth about tap water, it\u2019s important to keep some things in mind. While most Americans have access to clean drinking water, more than 2 million Americans<\/a> live without basic access to safe drinking water and sanitation. What’s more, 44 million Americans are served by water systems that violate the Safe Drinking Water Act. While much work is necessary to ensure everyone has rightful access to clean drinking water, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) shares that the United States still offers one of the safest drinking water systems<\/a>.\n\nUnfortunately, many areas of the world are less fortunate. Over 884 million<\/a> people lacked safe water to drink in 2019. So although it\u2019s important to know how filtered water stacks up, many Americans are incredibly fortunate to have tap water to fall back on.\n\nWith that said, let\u2019s get back to the debate: Is your tap water safe?\n

Where Does Tap Water Come From?<\/h2>\nTap water (aka municipal water) flows out of a water dispenser valve called a tap. This water typically comes from a number of public water systems including wells, lakes, aqueducts, and reservoirs.\n\nIts source will largely depend on your location. For instance, cities like Chicago gather their water supply from Lake Michigan. On the other hand, areas like San Francisco get 100 percent of their drinking water from reservoirs.\n\n\"Overhead\n

Is Tap Water Safe to Drink?<\/h2>\nBefore tap water makes it to your faucet, it travels from its source to a treatment facility for processing and sanitation.\n\nWater treatment is a four-step process:\n
    \n \t
  1. Coagulation and flocculation<\/strong>: Chemicals like aluminum salts and activated carbons are added to the water to promote the clumping of unwanted particles.<\/span><\/li>\n \t
  2. Sedimentation:<\/strong> Sedimentation occurs when the unwanted particles, called floc, finish clumping and eventually settle to the bottom of the tank.<\/li>\n \t
  3. Filtration:<\/strong> Once settled, the floc is filtered out of the water supply. Floc generally consists of undesirable particles like bacteria, dust, chemicals, and microorganisms.<\/li>\n \t
  4. Sanitation:<\/strong> Finally, the floc-free water supply is disinfected with chemicals such as chlorine. This process helps prevent outbreaks of waterborne infections. At this step, some cities will also add fluoride, a mineral used to prevent tooth decay.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\nThe entire water treatment process is regulated by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). The Safe Drinking Water Act (SDWA)<\/a> requires that the EPA take responsibility for identifying and limiting potential contaminants in drinking water. Over 90 contaminants<\/a>, including lead and other heavy metals, are actively measured in public drinking water.\n

    Potential for Contamination<\/h3>\nDespite treatment, tap water isn’t fully free of contaminants. There are a number of ways that contaminants can infiltrate drinking water, including:\n