Clean Water Does the Body Good How often do you grab that glass of water and wonder, “Is this water clean? Is this water safe to drink?”

Drinking water quality is sometimes taken for granted, especially when we’re simply drinking the water flowing from our faucets. When you take into account that not only you, but your children and pets are drinking this water, it’s critical to consider the quality and purity of the water. Clean drinking water contributes to our good health, just like contaminated drinking water can contribute to sickness and very poor health. The weight of an adult human body is 50 to 70 percent water, and we can only survive for a few days without regular intake. Beyond amount of water, cleanliness of water is also important. Government reports are chock full of facts about the importance of clean water.

- Globally, unclean water, is the biggest killer of children under the age of 5.
- The lack of clean water is a major contributor of disease and death at all ages in underdeveloped countries.
- More water is spent on bottled mineral water for the wealthy than on providing clean for water for the underprivileged.
 - 1.1 billion people in the world lack access to pure drinking water.
- After hurricane Katrina, disaster relief crews could not keep up with the demand for clean water.
- According to a recent United Nations report, unclean water is an absolute predictor of shortened life expectancy.

 How do we define “clean”?

Once upon a time, our earth had pure water flowing from streams and bubbling from springs. There was not a concern about unclean water. Today, however, water is not as pure and a simple taste test will not reveal impurities. Local government does take steps to disinfect water, but it doesn’t necessarily mean the water is contaminant free. A study of 19 U.S. cities’ drinking water systems revealed that some systems and treatments dated back to before 1951! The concern is the rotting pipes that could potentially leak contaminants. Those aged treatment plants, built to conform to the knowledge and requirements of the early 1900s and are generally not equipped to remove modern contaminants and bacteria.

So what can you do?

- Have your tap water tested professionally or test it yourself with one of several inexpensive kits.
- Investigate water purity in your area.
- Install a water purification system or filtration system.