Countertop water filters-the pros and cons

     One of the biggest concerns is the fact that the water of today contains a lot of impurities that people are concerned about drinking in their water. The only product out here that makes countertop water filtration systems is Brita and these are supposed to be one of the top products on the market today. Brita Products Company based out of Oakland, California is a family owned business in the making of water filtration for home and commercial use. In the company’s 41 years in business they’ve made it through the vision of its founder German-born Heinz Hankammer who got the idea from having concerns about the water and having done research on how water has been exposed to many different elements and having impurities that are harmful to plants, animals, and humans. The pros of using Brita is that the company had conducted research and had concluded that 9 out of 10 people liked drinking Brita filtered water than tap. This was found after the fact that tap water had everything from chlorine to odors in the water from minerals and other elements. The patented Brita filter reduces most impurities from water like copper, lead, mercury, benzene, chlorine, and cadmium, and even a trace of fluoride, which was in water to keep children from developing cavities. The health properties was that it reduced impurities that was linked to major health problems from high blood pressure, kidney damage, gastrointestinal stress, and anemia.

    Other advantages was that in the study that Brita conducted they found that tap water containing lead had also contributed to learning difficulties in children such as finding that it caused delays in mental and physical development including deficits in learning abilities and also a factor in many learning disabilities. Brita marks on their package that it reduces about 99% of the impurities out of drinking water and that you’re suggested to use filtered water for ice cubes and cooking. Filtered water used in cooking actually improves the taste of your food because you’re not consuming the harmful impurities that are found in tap water that can harbor the nutrients your body needs from the food that is eaten. Other concerns is that many of the older homes today were made with galvanized steel piping and over time those pipes would rust and the rust deposits would end up in the water and municipal facilities would only filter it so it was free of elements that were disease causing bacteria and microbes, but not rust particles that are so small that it can only be seen under a microscope.

    The cons of the Brita filter is that it doesn’t remove 100% of the impurities meaning everything from lead to copper which is what many people are concerned with. Brita only uses charcoal for their filters which isnt enough to remove all impurities from the water. Only to have trace amounts of impurities in the water anyway which still leaves consumers wondering if the 1% of impurities will still be harmful to you long term. 1% is still not a lot which is a cause for concern because trace elements can still pose some harm over longer periods of time and it’s still an ongoing concern for people who drink a lot of water. Some of these trace elements that contribute to kidney damage-which is a result of overproduction of protein and that can be serious and this is another factor that can cause kidney stones to form. This does pose a problem using Brita filters because most holistic specialists would not exactly agree to the reliability of this product fully to remove all the impurities it lists on the packaging.