When you grab a glass of water from your kitchen faucet, do you ever stop to think about how clean that water really is?  Although, it would be nice to assume that the water flowing from your tap has been purified and is contaminant free; unfortunately, that isn?t necessarily the case.  Keep in mind that ?clean? is relative and what is potable isn?t necessarily void of harmful bacteria and contaminants.

Truth be told, there are more than 2100 known drinking water contaminants that may be present in your tap water.  Certainly, in very small amounts this isn?t harmful, but in order to maintain optimal health you should be drinking 64 fluid ounces (or 8 cups) of water each day.  There are many studies and expert opinions specific to the safety of drinking water, but one alarming statement from the US Council on Environmental Quality reports that ?While levels of carcinogens (SOCs) in drinking water are low, it is precisely these low levels that are believed to be responsible for the majority of human cancers in the US?.

Fortunately there are many water treatment systems available to ensure that your drinking water is contaminant free.  One of the most cost effective and efficient systems is reverse osmosis water filtration. Although it sounds extremely complex, these systems are easy to install and simple to use.

What is reverse osmosis?

Reverse osmosis was developed as a water treatment method more than 40 years ago.  Originally it was used simply to desalinate seawater so it would be safe for consumption.  Shortly thereafter, the decontaminating capabilities of reverse osmosis systems were recognized and water purification systems were installed in homes.  These systems seemed to be less costly and less wasteful of energy than previous distillation units.

In scientific terms, the reverse osmosis process is based upon using a semi-permeable membrane through which pressurized water is forced.  Essentially it is the opposite of the natural osmosis process of water.  Osmosis is the name for the tendency of water to migrate from a weaker solution to a stronger saline solution and when a semi-permeable membrane separates the two solutions, the saline composition is gradually equalized.  With reverse osmosis, the water is forced to move from a stronger saline solution to a weaker solution, again through a semi-permeable membrane.  Think of this membrane as sieve, which blocks the larger salt molecules from passing.  The end result is ?saline free? water on one side of the membrane and a highly concentrated, very salty solution on the other side.  In addition to salt particles, the process will remove a select number of drinking water contaminants.  For this reason, reverse osmosis has been recognized as an extremely effective drinking water purification method.  In fact, major bottled water manufacturers use reverse osmosis to purify their water.  Installing a water filter in your home is an effective way to not only purify your drinking water, but also purify the environment by limiting plastic bottle waste.

An easy twist reverse osmosis water filtration system is now available.  It doesn?t require any tools for filter changes ? simply twist, change filters and you?re done in less than 1 minute.  Investigate your options, because pure drinking water is essential to good health!