What are YOU drinking?

"Water, water, every where,

Nor any drop to drink."

Samuel Taylor Coleridge, The Rime of the Ancient Mariner

Any person who watches even a smidgen of news on Public TV must be aware that among the many current environmental concerns, our drinking water supply should top the list.

For many years now we've taken it for granted that a mere turn of our kitchen faucet grants us a never-ending supply of good, healthful water.

A healthy dose of reality will show us that those days are long gone. What with a combination of urban sprawl with its burgeoning population, coupled with aging water supply systems, we can no longer have any guarantee as to the safety of our supply. People are turning in droves to alternate sources, some of which are being touted as the very best thing since sliced bread. As we wade through all the myths and misinformation let's consider the four major alternatives that have taken the public's fancy in the last ten years or so. One factor must be given due consideration, no one filter will remove all toxins or contaminants. The following purification systems are given in order of popularity.

1. Bottled water.

The first question to ask is: What degree of regulatory oversight covers the bottled water industry? The answer may shock or dismay you. Bottled water has to comply with far lower quality standards than ordinary tap water. You could be merely drinking expensive water that is not even required to meet the same standards as what comes out of your kitchen faucet.

According to one FDA survey, almost a third of 52 bottled brands tested came up short because of bacterial taint. This is not surprising considering the industry is largely self-regulated. (Fox guarding the hen house?)

You may encounter peddlers of mineral spring water that comes from deep in the earth. Considering the distance water may travel through the ground, which itself can contain undesirable toxins, there can be no guarantee of purity or consistency.

2. Filters including counter-top and whole-house.

We have installed a whole-house filter mainly to block sediment that would otherwise end up in the water heater. We did this for purely economic reasons after comparing the cost of replacing a filter element at $7.00 with the cost of a new heater at $200.00. In no way did we consider or expect any direct health benefits to accrue from this installation, for the reason that while filters may remove bad taste and smell they really don't handle stuff like sodium, Giardia & Cryptosporidium, (both Protozoan Parasites) lead, copper, arsenic, or nitrates, just for starters.

Filters have built-in limitations not least of which is a finite life span, after which the trapped matter begins to build up, promoting decay and providing a breeding ground for bacteria. Also the main ingredient of some forms of activated carbon may handle bad taste but does not take care of the many toxins that have been dumped into our environment. The list, as partially shown above, includes heavy metals and a wide range of chemicals.

At best these filters must be replaced religiously according to a strict timetable; if we wait until the filter shows signs of the flow rate slowing down it's way past the efficiency limitations of the filter. You can guess the results.

3. Reverse osmosis.

Reverse osmosis units are relatively complex and require a copious water supply because typically they waste about 3 gallons for each gallon treated and lack the overall efficiency of a still. They require plumbing skills to correctly install and maintain.

4. Steam distillation.

The process of distillation has been in use for years and is a simple process.

A) Water is heated to 100 C in a closed boiler, killing viruses and bacteria that may be present. This is the first line of defense.

B) At 100 C steam is generated. It rises and, being a vapor, it cannot lift all the solid contaminants such as heavy metals and dissolved solids, so they are all left behind in the boiler. The amount of yukky gunk left behind during this process, even after passing through a whole-house filter, should convince any viewer of this important factor.

C) The steam is passed through what is known as a condenser. It cools the steam turning it back to a liquid again but with one big difference: it's now minus the bad stuff.

D) There is a vent strategically placed in the condenser. This is to get rid of any gases that may result from a liquid contaminant with a low boiling point.

E) As a final stage of purification, the V.O.C.'s (volatie organic compounds) have to pass through a specially-designed filter made primarily of coconut shells, which have the ability to absorb them.

Steam distillation is the only system with the ability to remove the most bad stuff from your drinking water, provided the still is properly designed for the removal of all the known contaminants including V.O.C.s .

Now, you will hear some folks who have an axe to grind, saying that distillation leaves water dead and without any minerals, and they will promote their specially mineralized water in the hopes that you're ignorant regarding certain aspects of human body chemistry. Their minerals are in the form of a salt, unlike the carbon base that the body can use and which can be provided by a good vitamin-mineral supplement.

Having used a steam distiller for ten years. we have found our answer to the question posed in our headline. Another side benefit, everything made with distilled water whether coffee, tea, smoothies or iced drinks taste so much better. Also if you travel to another city you'll immediately know if there is chlorine in the water.

Steam distillers vary in their complexity. The first one I ever owned, 40 years ago, had to be taken apart and cleaned after each use. It was a very tedious job and the overall efficiency was unacceptable, but it was all that was available in the late 1960s. Great strides in technology have made all the difference and the unit we use now gives complete satisfaction in every respect.

Points to consider when choosing a distiller.

1. Of prime importance, does it do the job in providing the purity level claimed?

2. Is it easy to clean? When we see the gunk left behind, we know ours is doing the job.

3. Is it easy to operate? Ours is a model of simplicity.

4. Does the company have a solid reputation of long standing and will they honor their guarantee?

5. Is the distiller certified by both Underwriter's Labs and Canadian Standards Association?

6. Is it quiet in operation?

7. Does the company have a competent technical staff to promptly answer any questions?

We have found the answer to all these points; you can too at the following web site: www.waterwise.com.

Long live H2O!