It is often said that the tap water in Europe is of relatively good quality. But that does not mean that our tap water is clean. Although the government and water companies are doing their best to purify as much waste material as possible from our drinking water, much remains, such as medicinal residues and microplastics and in some countries chlorine is even added. In this blog we tell you all about it.
Medicinal residues
Europe is aging. This increases the use of medication. Not all of these medicines are broken down by the body. Every year, at least tonnes of drug residues flow through our sewers via urine and faeces. Our water treatment plants are far from being able to filter out all of these drug residues. A small concentration of these medicines ends up in our drinking water. This quantity is expected to increase. With longer exposure, resistance to antibiotics may develop. Hormones can also cause physical changes.
Microplastics and nanoparticles
Plastics are everywhere. Examples include packaging, car tyres and cosmetics. And what about the well-known plastic soup in our oceans? The term microplastics is used when the plastics are smaller than five millimetres. These end up in our surface water. Drinking water companies can filter the microplastics out of the water fairly easily. But even smaller are nanoplastics. These are very small particles of a substance. One nanometre is one-millionth of a millimetre. They are therefore difficult to filter by drinking water companies. There is still much uncertainty about the harmfulness of nano plastics, but one thing is certain: we would rather not ingest them.
Heavy metals
Our tap water also contains metals such as aluminium. This substance has been linked to degenerative diseases such as Alzheimer's. In addition, our drinking water also contains arsenic. This heavy metal is mainly found in pesticides and gets into our tap water via ditches and rivers. Arsenic is a highly carcinogenic substance and has been linked to cardiovascular disease, allergies, insomnia and diabetes. Another heavy metal is cadmium. This substance is mainly found in electronics, but it can also enter our bodies through tap water and lead to cardiovascular disease, cancer and diabetes, among other things.
Lead is also found in our environment. This is due to the many applications for which lead was used in the past, such as paints, batteries and pipes. Lead can remain in our bones and blood for decades and lead to reduced brain development in children and adults. A metal that does not stay in our bodies as long, but is no less harmful, is mercury. This substance is used in pesticides and electronics and has been linked to Alzheimer's, memory loss, autism and depression, among other things.
AquaTru
In most European countries the standards and controls for drinking water are very strict. For example, 200 micrograms of aluminium are allowed in one litre of water. Although tap water is ‘safe’ to drink, it is not clean. The AquaTru filters up to 99% of all harmful substances from tap water. The less harmful substances we have in our bodies, the better we function. Our brain works faster, our blood flows through our body better and our organs are less stressed. In other words, we feel better both physically and mentally. Curious about the possibilities of AquaTru? Then contact the specialists without any obligations!