Yes, it’s home sweet home, but what about your water? It’s important to think about the first line of defense for all the water in your home, your water filter. Tap water has been in the news a lot lately, so it is understandable why people are questioning their own water quality. How can you be sure your tap water is safe and of the highest quality?

There’s a certain contentment that comes when you close the door and melt into the security of your home.   But what elements in your home are dangerous?

Your security alarm system protects your property; the carbon monoxide meter monitors the air level for poisons and your smoke detector will alert you to a fire.

Could the safety of your home be breached by a different kind of intruder? Your tap water? Really?  For the most part in the U.S., , the water coming out of the tap from municipal sources is very likely to be safe. It’s highly unlikely that you’ll get sick from it.

You still need to be aware of changes to your tap water quality. More than 20 percent of the nation’s water treatment systems have violated key provisions of the Safe Drinking Water Act over the last five years, according to a New York Times analysis of federal data published in 2009. The 36-year-old federal law regulating tap water is so out of date that the water Americans drink can pose what scientists say are serious health risks — and still be legal.

The Safe Drinking Water Act is a law requires communities to deliver safe tap water to local residents. But since 2004, the water provided to more than 49 million people has contained illegal concentrations of chemicals like arsenic or radioactive substances like uranium, as well as dangerous bacteria often found in sewage.

The most common threat comes from chlorine and now chloramines, the combination of ammonia and chlorine.  Chlorine, chloramines and metals leaching from pipes are present in most tap water and more common than one might think.  Each bath, shower, or glass of tap water, could adversely affect the safety of your family – from inside your home!

Chlorine is a disinfectant that is used by municipalities to kill bacteria and eliminate other threats in tap water.  Federal E.P.A. regulations allow tap water to have more than double the amount of chlorine found in a typical swimming pool.  You’ll absorb more chlorine through your skin and lungs during your 10 minute morning shower than you will from drinking 8 glasses of water.

Chlorine has an extreme drying effect, not only on the hair, but on the skin. Chlorine chemically bonds with proteins in the hair, skin and scalp. Skin can dry out with itchy, flaky scalp occurring.  As the skin becomes drier, it also ages more quickly.  Hair can become rough and brittle and lose color. Chlorine can aggravate sensitive areas in the eyes, nose, throat and lungs.
From New York to California, people who live in communities where chloramines are added to the water have complained of issues including rashes and breathing problems You should take whatever steps necessary to ensure that you are neither bathing in nor drinking chlorinated water.

Does your home have a salt-based water softener?  Excess sodium has been proven to lead to health issues including weight gain, hypertension and stroke.  Common water softeners waste water and produce a salty brine that cannot be recycled, and wastewater that is harmful to the environment. 

If you get your water from a public community water system, the Consumer Confidence Rule requires public water suppliers to provide consumer confidence reports (CCR) to their customers. These reports are also known as annual water quality reports or drinking water quality reports.  Look for your water report on the EPA’s local drinking water information page at www.EPA.gov  If it’s not posted there, call your water company and ask for a copy.

 If you get your water from a private well, make sure you test it annually.  Use a independent third party testing laboratory, such as the National Testing Laboratories, www.ntllabs.com.   
Get a well test kit here;  Shop.LifeSource / Well Test Kit

Your home is your castle; make sure all the elements entering it are safe.  You monitor the air in your home for smoke, and carbon monoxide and filter out the dust and toxins.  Take heed -- Filter your water too. For total home safety, protect yourself and your family by installing a Whole-House Water filter system designed to filter out impurities and eliminate the damaging effects of chlorine, providing clean, healthy, nutrient rich water for your family, pets and plants.