There is no doubt about it. Humans need water. Our bodies cannot function without water (in fact, no living creature on planet Earth, be it human, animal, or plant, is capable of living without water).
However, while water is the salt of life, it also puts us at risk to a host of terrible diseases and parasites. There are nearly one million illnesses reported in the United States every year that stemmed from water contamination. This is because, as much as we need water to survive, millions of bacteria, viruses, minerals, and microbes can also thrive in each drop of water that reaches our mouths.
Many municipal water plants add chemicals like chlorine and fluoride to the water to kill off these tiny guys, but those chemicals are dangerous to our health as well, which puts us at risk to a whole different set of problems.
Fortunately, people who are concerned with the quality of their water have a large range of whole home water purification systems to choose from. There are water distillers that work by boiling water and capturing steam that is converted back to water in its purest form. There are backwash filter systems, that function exactly like they sound. There are UV purification systems that purify the water through ultraviolet lights. These systems are all very effective, and choosing the system that is best for you depends on the state of your water and what your needs are.
Since we don’t have the space to elaborate on each type of water purification systems today, we’re going to focus on the pros and cons of UV purification systems.
Three Reasons to Install UV Purification Systems
UV purification systems don’t introduce new dangers.
Many water purification systems kill off the germs that make us sick through chemicals. Common chemicals used to do this include chlorine and fluoride. These chemicals are dangerous on their own, so even if they killed off all the contaminants they are intended to eliminate (which they do not do entirely, but we’ll get to that in a minute), they introduce a new set of risks.
Meanwhile, UV purification is a totally chemical-free process. UV purification systems work by running the water through an ultraviolet light before it reaches your glass. That ultraviolet light is so strong that is gives the microbes in the water a jolt that renders them useless. After the water contaminants’ jaunt in the water tanning bed, they aren’t able to wreak havoc on your health, and (most importantly) they aren’t able to reproduce. Zap. Just like that, your water is truly pure, without adding in any other dangerous poisons.
- UV purification is more effective than other forms.
You might be horrified to realize that after your water is processed by your municipal water supplier, it still has more than 2,100 different contaminants. Some of the virus, bacterial organisms, and poisons are relatively harmless (but, there’s a good chance you’d be like, “Ew.” if you knew about them). On the other hand, some of the known contaminants that are still present in your water when it is delivered to your tap are very bad for you. In large amounts, they can cause developmental issues in babies, cancers, and cardiovascular issues (to name a few).
On the other hand, when your home has a UV purification system, 99.99% of the crud in your water is removed before you drink it. The only way to get water cleaner than that is to wash it with hand sanitizer before you drink it. And, well, we don’t recommend that.
- UV purification systems are good for the environment.
It’s no surprise that many water purification systems are not environmentally friendly. The byproducts from the chemicals that are used to kill off contaminants poison this planet we love so much. Even the “good” water systems, like reverse osmosis, waste a ton of valuable water in the process of cleaning the water.
On the other hand, UV purification systems do not put any additional chemicals into our environment. They also don’t waste any water in the process of purifying your water. Mother Earth smiles when you use a UV purification system to keep the water that your family drinks healthy.
Do you have other questions? Please share in the comment section below!