Worried about your tap water? How to fight drinking water contaminants

(ARA) - Drinking at least eight 8-ounce glasses of water a day is good for your health, right? But what if the water you're drinking isn't as good for you as you think - due to drinking water contaminants?

When it comes to news about the quality of your drinking water, 2009 was not a good year. Newspapers reported that 51 million Americans are drinking water contaminated with an array of trace pharmaceuticals, while the Environmental Protection Agency found that 10 to 20 percent of human exposure to lead comes from tap water.

In many parts of the country, drinking water contaminants may be a real issue. Government standards require all municipal water authorities to test for contaminants; however, those tests are done at the water plant, not at taps throughout the community. By the time water travels through miles of infrastructure - which can consist of old and decaying pipes - and reaches your home, it can pick up many unwanted contaminants. In fact, several major U.S. cities still rely on water pipes that were installed more than 100 years ago, according to the U.S. Geological Survey.

Some drinking water contaminants may be harmful to your health. Others may simply be things you'd really rather not ingest or they could make your water taste bad.

There are ways however, you can help to ensure that the water your family drinks is as clean and high quality as possible - without having to turn to bottled water that can be expensive.

First, do your part to prevent groundwater contamination in your community. Never pour hazardous chemicals, paint, motor oil, pharmaceuticals or other contaminants down storm drains, sewer drains or any drain in your home. Instead, check with your local government to find proper disposal and/or recycling procedures for potential contaminants. Be aware of the fertilizer and weed killer you're putting on your lawn and garden and opt for natural products that don't contain harmful substances that could contaminate groundwater.

Next, consider a home water filtration system that can help clean the water right from your tap. Systems like PUR Water Filtration can help reduce potentially harmful contaminants from your tap water. PUR faucet water filters can remove 99 percent of trace levels of pharmaceutical compounds from water, and PUR water pitchers remove more than 96 percent. The systems also remove more than 97 percent of other common drinking water contaminants such as microbial cysts, heavy metals, chlorination by-products and the weed killer atrazine. In the long term, the filter systems save money by replacing costly bottled water, and they're easy and convenient to install and use. Log on to www.purwater.com to learn more.

Finally, ask your local water authority for information on water quality in your area and get their advice on what you can do to conserve and protect water quality in your community.

While America's aging water infrastructure and potential contamination issues may come as a surprise, many people are aware of the global water crisis. Every day more than 4,000 children in developing countries die simply because they don't have access to clean drinking water. For that reason, PUR and the Children's Safe Drinking Water (CSDW) Program have been working together to bring clean water to those who need it - both in the United States and abroad. With every purchase of a home PUR Water Filtration System, PUR donates a week's worth of clean drinking water to children in the developing world. PUR and CSDW were recently awarded the Ladies' Home Journal Do Good Stamp because of their efforts in supplying 2 billion gallons of clean drinking water to communities across the globe.

Courtesy of ARAcontent