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The Truth about Reverse Osmosis and Water Filtration Systems

Reverse osmosis water filtration systems have been touted as an easy and economical way to purify your water for drinking. However before you run out drop some coin on a reverse osmosis system, you should get comfortable with one big fact, that pure reverse osmosis filtered water is simply bad for your health.

Humans can not survive long without water and during a crisis, clean water that is safe to drink can and most likely will be in short supply. That’s why being prepared and having your own source of clean drinking water or a way to purify water you come across will be tantamount to liquid gold.

If you are on the run and have to get out of dodge with your (hopefully) packed Bug Out Bag, you should be carrying a way to purify the water that you come across. You can do this with with a small portable water filter, iodine pills or even with a 1/4 teaspoon of bleach per gallon of water. You can always boil the water for 3 minutes too.

What is the drawback to these methods?

All of the methods mentioned above CAN kill the micro-organisms, viruses and other nasty things that can give you horrible cramps and a case of the runs… at best. What they CAN’T DO is filter out any chemical pollutants. So if your water supply is contaminated with a toxic chemical, then your just going to have to gulp it down and hope for the best.

Consider that the EPA has yet to regulate hundreds of new chemicals that are currently floating around in our water supply. These contaminants can range from pharmaceutical medicines excreted and flushed down the toilet to chemical runoff from industrial activities and paved city streets. Most of these chemicals are not tested for and often go unnoticed out of your tap.

So how does Reverse Osmosis factor into all this?

A reverse osmosis filter CAN decontaminate your water from any chemical contaminants. The bad part is that by doing this it filters out ALL of the good natural minerals that may be in the water. Good minerals include calcium, magnesium and sodium along with a list of other trace elements. The not so good ones include fluoride, arsenic, mercury, chromium and radium just to name a few.

Currently no filtration systems, including reverse osmosis can differentiate between good and bad minerals. So what you are left with after filtering your water through a reverse osmosis water filtration system is water that is totally ‘pure’ and devoid of any mineral or dissolved solids, good or bad.

At first people though “This is great!”. We have a way of filtering out any and all pollutants and contaminants. But what scientists are finding now with reverse osmosis systems is that BECAUSE they take out everything, including the good natural minerals. This creates water that is ‘mineral hungry’.

This mineral hungry water is not only more acidic but when you drink it, the water will actually strip your body of vital minerals and other trace elements you need. If you keep drinking water purified through reverse osmosis you can develop some serious health problems. Don’t take my word for it read the report about reverse osmosis written by the World Health Organization.

Scientists are learning that minerals and trace elements found in water are not only good for taste but are good for your body. The earth has natural systems of purifying water which keeps a positive balance and ratio of these minerals and elements. But because we are quickly contaminating, polluting and using up all the naturally clean water sources like qualifiers and springs, it is going to be harder and harder to find good drinking water.

Is the water in your area SAFE? See TEST results where you live!

So what is the best water filtration system out there?

Well the best system is the earth’s natural one that has developed over thousands of millennia. However for most of us having our own clean virgin springs is not an option. Honestly, there really is no BEST water filtration system. It really comes down to your own specific water situation.

If you live in a very isolated location somewhere out in the wilderness, chances are the water and lakes around you are clean of chemical pollutants. However there will undoubted be plenty of microorganisms which would love to ruin your week or worse. In this case you could get by with Ultra Violet water filter or UV filter for short. This filter can safely kill all the nasty bugs and viruses present in your water and but will leave minerals untouched. You can even pair this with a carbon block filter which uses a bed of activated carbon to remove contaminants and impurities for further filtering and added taste.

Another scenario is that you live in in populated area that is supplied with ‘clean’ public water, bu t is filled with low or unregulated levels chemicals and pollutants. In this case you can use something like the Eula Finecel Water Filtration System. The filter uses two stages of activated carbon block cartridges which reduces chlorine, chemicals and heavy metals, while the last stage uses Ultra Filtration to reduce ultra fine particulate and cysts like Giardia and Cryptosporidium.

There are now new reverse osmosis filters that add minerals back into the water after it is filtered. Adding minerals back into the water, especially good ratios of calcium and magnesium is a MUST. Otherwise you will be drinking demineralized reverse osmosis water, which again is bad for your health. 

Things to know before you buy a water filter or filtration system…

Make sure to check out the NSF website first. NSF is an international organization which develops public health standards and certification programs which help protect the world’s food, water, consumer products and the environment. Check and make sure that the filter you buy has a NSF certification. This will ensure that your are getting a quality filter that will do what it’s intended to do.

 Is your water filter certified?