Why You Should(not) Drink Tap Water
Tap water is a huge topic of debate. Some people say it’s safe to Drink Cool and others say that the chemicals in tap water are unsafe for human consumption. The truth about tap water is that some parts of the country have better quality than others. If you’re unsure, there are many ways to test your own tap water for contaminants such as chlorine, lead, nitrates and more!
For a start, tap water is usually treated with chlorine. Chlorine is used to disinfect water. Chlorine is also used to keep swimming pools clean and kill bacteria in the water. It should be noted that chlorine can evaporate from the tap unless you have a device known as an aerator on your faucet which will prevent this by breaking up air bubbles into smaller droplets, allowing for more surface area of contact with the disinfectant properties of chlorine
Also, tap water can contain lead. Lead soldering was used to join copper pipes until 1950, and the use of lead solder in plumbing is still permitted by many codes today. Newer homes may also have galvanized steel or iron piping within walls that contains lead which leaches into drinking water over time (this problem becomes more prevalent as the age of a house increases).
But how do you know if your tap water has any contaminants? It’s actually really easy to test for yourself! There are inexpensive testing kits available at home improvement stores like Home Depot or Lowes that will allow you to determine whether or not there are nitrates, chlorine, bacteria, arsenic, acidity levels and even fluoride present in your drinking supply.
