Should you really use filter jugs before drinking tap water?

2024-09-27 14:34:00

Filter jugs are attractive for drinking pure water! But are these carafes a marketing manipulation or a real asset for our health? These home water treatment devices are intended to filter water that is already drinkable and especially not to make water that is not drinkable. The promise: to decontaminate the water of all its impurities: bacteria, heavy metals, medications, pesticides and to make the water, rid of its chlorine, more pleasant to drink.

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The mechanism of action is simple: a cartridge is installed in the carafe which contains ion exchange resin and activated carbon. Resins remove ions, including calcium and magnesium. The function of carbon is to remove organic contaminants but also chlorine which gives the “swimming pool” taste to tap water.

Filtering your water, a good idea?

But is there really any point in putting tap water through a filter before drinking it? However, water is monitored from the catchment areas to the tap. And apart from situations where we are informed that tap water is not suitable for consumption, the contaminants measured do not exceed safety thresholds. The residual problem is the contaminants which are not measured. Because we don’t measure everything and we don’t even know what needs to be measured.

Are filter jugs the solution? I don’t think so. First of all because it is practically impossible to know what the carafe you buy really filters. Additionally, eliminating potentially useful minerals such as calcium or magnesium is counterproductive. Of course, water is not the main source of these minerals necessary for our body, but we already have difficulty consuming them naturally with our diets. Losing even a small amount through tap water is a shame.

Another limit is raised by the National Agency for Food, Environmental and Occupational Health Safety (ANSES): filtered water is more acidic, which makes it corrosive for metal utensils which could damage them. -even make contaminated food.

Best practices

Finally, improper use of carafes can deteriorate the quality of the filtered water! Bacteria can be trapped in the filter, multiply and be released into the water you consume. We can also imagine a release of pesticides or other contaminants which may have accumulated in the cartridge.

In practice, if you use a filter jug, change the filter every four weeks and do not heat the filtered water in a metal utensil to cook pasta for example.

If the taste of chlorinated water remains your argument of choice for filtering water, know that there is a simple alternative: put tap water in an open carafe that you keep in the refrigerator for at least an hour: the chlorine will naturally evacuate and you will enjoy good fresh water.

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