The water and shower filters that I personally use are from Aquasana. Below is some basic information on the Aquasana water filter and the Aquasana shower filter. By clicking on any of the links below, you can go directly to Aquasana's own website. There, you can purchase all Aquasana products at a 20% discount plus see extensive independent research on Aquasana water filters.

Life Without Pure Water The Health Effects Of Drinking Water Contamination "U.S. drinking water contains more than 2100 toxic chemicals that can cause cancer. " ~ Ralph Nader Research Institute "Drinking water plants are old and out of date‚ and water supplies are increasingly threatened by and contaminated by chemicals and microorganisms." ~ Natural Resources Defense Council The following report from Aquasana summarizes factual information on tap water quality and its effect on human health:

"In the early 1900s‚ before chlorine‚ pesticides‚ herbicides and the tens of thousands of other chemicals that we are exposed to every day‚ the average American had a 1 in 50 chance of getting cancer‚ today 1 in 3 can expect to get cancer in their lifetime‚ 1 in every 2 males.

"Our use of man-made chemicals has become so extreme that we can now find traces of these low level SOCs (synthetic organic chemicals) in virtually every public water supply around the world. A recent report by the Ralph Nader Study Group‚ after reviewing over 10‚000 documents acquired through the Freedom Of Information Act‚ confirmed that 'U.S. drinking water contains more than 2100 toxic chemicals that can cause cancer.'

"We've learned that any chemical we use in our society, will eventually wind up in our water supplies. There is no "new" water! Our planet re-uses the same water over and over. And as our use of SOCs increases, so does the toxicity of our water. Earth's natural filtration process is not effective at removing these toxic SOCs... nor is municipal water treatment. Industry, agriculture and individuals... all contribute to the problem. Many of the contaminants found in water can be traced back to improper or excessive use of ordinary compounds like lawn chemicals‚ gasoline, drycleaning solvents and cleaning products.

"Once we realize that everything that goes down the drain‚ on our lawns‚ on our agricultural fields or into the environment by any means... eventually winds up in the water we drink‚ we begin to see just how vulnerable our water supplies really are.

"Our municipal water treatment facilities do not remove SOCs and typically only consist of sand bed filtration and disinfection‚ much like a standard swimming pool filter. For the most part‚ today‘s water treatment facilities are much the same as they were at the turn of the century: filter out the visible particles and add bleach!

"Many illnesses that in the past could not be linked to a probable cause have now been linked to toxins in our drinking water.

'While levels of these carcinogens (SOCs) in drinking water are low, it is precisely these low levels that carcinogenists believe to be responsible for the majority of human cancers in the U.S.'
U.S. Council On Environmental Quality

"The use of pesticides and herbicides has become so excessive that they are now commonly found in household tap water and bottled water with alarming frequency.

"A 1998 study of 29 major U.S. cities by the Environmental Working Group found that all 29 cities had traces of at least one weed killer in the drinking water. The report titled "Weed Killers By The Glass" went on to say that 'Millions of Americans are routinely exposed to one or more pesticides in a single glass of tap water.'

"These first ever 'tap water testings' found two or more pesticides in the drinking water of 27 of the 29 cities‚ three or more in 24 cities‚ four or more in 21 cities‚ five or more in 18 cities‚ six or more in 13 cities and seven or more pesticides in the tap water of 5 major U.S. cities. In Fort Wayne‚ Indiana‚ nine different pesticides were found in a single glass of tap water!

"As a startling side note‚ it was reported that in these 29 cities‚ 45‚000 infants drank formula mixed with tap water containing weed killers and that 'over half of these infants were swallowing 4 to 9 chemicals in every bottle!'

"The tragic health effects of consuming these highly toxic chemicals are magnified many times over for small children because their systems are more sensitive and still developing. Small children also consume a much larger volume of fluids per pound of body weight and therefore get a bigger dose‚ yet none of these factors are considered when the EPA‘s maximum contaminant levels are set. The National Academy of Sciences issued a report in 1993 on this subject and stated 'children are not little adults' and their bodies are less developed and simply incapable of detoxifying certain harmful compounds."

"Another major flaw in the estimated risks of chemicals in our drinking water is the false assumption that only that one chemical is being consumed. The regulations are set based on what is assumed safe for a 175 pound adult drinking water with only one chemical present and does not take into account the combined toxicity of two or more chemicals.

"In a 1995 Science Advisory Report to the EPA‚ it was stated that 'when two or more of these contaminants combine in our water the potency may be increased by as much as 1000 times!'

"It has been shown that areas with the highest levels of these SOCs in their water supplies also have the highest incidence of cancer.

"Jacquelyn Warren of the Natural Resources Defense Council commented on this subject‚ 'The one thing we know for sure about toxins in our drinking water is that the more we look the more we find.' "

Water Filtration In recent years, home water filtration units have gained wide spread popularity. As the logical, most convenient and economical solution for high quality, pure water, water filtration units offer many benefits over tap water and bottled water. Many recent events, like Washington D.C.'s lead announcement and New York City's copepod scare have created new levels of awareness about the need for home water filters. Home water filtration offers higher quality and more pure water than bottled water and the convenience of tap. For less than 10 cents a gallon you can have great tasting, healthy, chemical free, pure water for drinking, preparation of beverages and cooking... all at the touch of a button! Unlike bottled water, home water filtration units are required to document the purity of the water they produce. In many states, including CA, WI, MA, IA, TX, FL & NY it is unlawful to make uncertified claims for home water filters. This strict regulation allows consumers a means for accurately comparing and substantiating a water filter's performance capabilities. Certain states, California being the strictest, require manufacturers to have all promotional, advertising, websites and packaging materials reviewed by the Department Of Health for accuracy prior to certification. The California Certification is one of the best ways to determine a product's performance capabilities.

Bottled water, on the other hand, is virtually unregulated. The FDA governs bottled water and only requires it to be as good as tap, not better! And the FDA regulations only apply if the bottled water is transported across a state line. Most bottled water is bottled and sold in the same state in order to avoid regulation and accountability.

The home water filtration alternative is a far better, more economical and convenient way of getting truly healthy, pure water.

Aquasana, the highest rated home water filter in America!

There has been much media focus on the recent testing of major municipal water supplies and the realization that most, if not all, contain numerous prescription drugs and pharmaceuticals. These compounds obviously pose significant health concerns and should not be ingested.

The question of the day is:
 "Does Aquasana remove these pharmaceuticals?"

While the answer is yes, it also calls for an explanation. There are no current test standards for "pharmaceutical" and therefore there are no certifications offered for the removal of these contaminants.  However, most good quality home water filters will filter them out. According to the U.S. EPA, the vast majority of these compounds are Synthetic Organic Chemicals (SOCs) and/or Volatile Organic Chemicals (VOCs). Consumers should look for filters that are certified for VOCs, THMs and Chloroform as these are representative of the vast majority of prescription drugs. Aquasana is certified for all 3.

Drugs get into our water supplies from recycled waste water and livestock run-off. Standard municipal water treatment does not remove them and therefore they are in most tap water and should be removed at the point of use.

It's not a very pleasant thought, but on the average... about 10% of the water we drink has been used before.

The same amount of water that exists on this planet today... existed millions of years ago... to the drop! There is no such thing as new water. Our planet continuously recycles and re-uses this finite supply of water. Only recently have we learned how fragile and finite our water resources really are. We are finding traces of compounds in our water that no one ever thought to look for before. We have finally realized that any chemical used in our society will eventually wind up in our drinking water

While the current focus by the media on tap water problems has raised long overdue concerns, it is not a new issue. In 1999, a 17-year-old West Virginia high school student, Ashley Mulroy, read a report in a science magazine describing how European scientists had recently discovered that "drugs of all kinds, including antibiotics, were flowing in rivers, streams, ground water and even in tap water" and decided to embark on a science project of her own. Over a ten-week period Ashley and her mother drove for miles along the Ohio River taking samples of the water from different sites. She then returned to her hometown and had the samples tested for three common antibiotics: penicillin, tetracycline and vancomycin. To her surprise, she found traces of all three in each of the samples she had taken. Ashley then sampled tap water in three nearby towns. All three, including water from the drinking fountain at her school, were contaminated with the antibiotics in question. Ashley was awarded several science project awards and more importantly opened the eyes of many U.S. scientists.

Researchers from the U.S. EPA and the National Geological Survey have now found traces of antibiotics, birth control drugs, anti-depressants and even caffeine in many water samples taken across the country. Large animal farming operations and wastewater treatment plants release billions of gallons of contaminated wastewater into our environment every day. A large percentage of the drugs that are given to humans and animals pass through the body and wind up in this recycled wastewater and then in our drinking water.

As early as 2000, USA Today, in a news release, stated that "experts fear that even low levels of antibiotics fouling the nations water supply may help create super-bugs: micro organisms that have evolved to survive an antibiotic's lethal assault." And that these super-bugs may be causing 'tens of thousands' of deaths each year in the U.S.A., according to Abigail Salyers, an expert on antibiotic resistance at the University of Illinois.

Christian Daughton, a Chief of Environmental Chemistry for the E.P.A., warns that "Water pollution by drugs is a newly emerging issue." The reality is that there is little information on the long term effects of consuming low levels of antibiotics and growth hormones, but everyone agrees that they will not be good.

Our public water treatment plants are not designed to remove drugs and other synthetic chemicals from our water. Without waiting for the final verdict on the actual effects of drinking a mixture of drugs and other chemicals... we can assume that they will be negative. The only question is... how negative and why wait?

Most all prescription drugs and pharmaceuticals are synthetic organic chemicals (SOCs) and volatile organic chemicals (VOCs) and can be filtered out with quality home water filtration. Look for systems that are certified for the reduction of VOCs and THMs to address this issue.

The only way to get truly healthful drinking water is to make it yourself with point of use water filtration. 

Aquasana Shower Filter Shower filters offer surprising health and cosmetic benefits to users Voted "Product Of The Year", Aquasana Pure Shower System! “You’ll notice the difference in your skin and hair after the first time you use it!” ~ Rena Matthews, Editor Cosmetology Today

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