Water Quality: Testing, Treatment & Optimization
Water isn't just something you drink. It's the medium in which every biochemical reaction in your body occurs — enzymatic catalysis, nutrient transport, waste removal, temperature regulation, DNA replication.
Water Quality: Testing, Treatment & Optimization
The Molecule That Runs Everything
Water isn’t just something you drink. It’s the medium in which every biochemical reaction in your body occurs — enzymatic catalysis, nutrient transport, waste removal, temperature regulation, DNA replication. You are roughly 60% water by weight, but by molecule count, you’re over 99% water. The quality of that water matters more than almost any supplement you could take.
Yet most people give more thought to choosing their coffee beans than their water source. Municipal tap water — while generally safe from acute infectious disease — contains a cocktail of chemicals that were never tested for chronic, low-dose exposure over a lifetime. And “safe” by regulatory standards doesn’t mean “optimal” by biological standards.
What’s in Your Tap Water
Disinfection Byproducts (DBPs)
Municipalities add chlorine or chloramine to kill pathogens — a genuine public health achievement. But these disinfectants react with organic matter in the water to form trihalomethanes (THMs) and haloacetic acids (HAAs). The EPA regulates total THMs at 80 parts per billion (ppb), but research by Michael Plewa at the University of Illinois showed genotoxic effects at concentrations below regulatory limits. Chloramine (chlorine + ammonia, used by many cities) creates its own class of byproducts — nitrogenous DBPs — that are 100x more cytotoxic than THMs.
You absorb DBPs not just by drinking, but through your skin and lungs during every shower or bath. A 10-minute hot shower can deliver more chloroform exposure than drinking 2 liters of the same water.
Fluoride
Added at 0.7 mg/L for dental health. The 2006 National Research Council report identified fluoride’s potential to affect thyroid function, brain development, and bone health. A 2019 Canadian study (Green et al., published in JAMA Pediatrics) found that maternal fluoride exposure during pregnancy was associated with lower IQ scores in male children. Fluoride is the only medication mass-administered through the water supply without individual dosage control.
Lead
The Flint, Michigan crisis (2014) wasn’t anomalous — it was just the one that made headlines. The NRDC estimates that up to 12.8 million lead service lines still connect American homes to water mains. Lead leaches from pipes, solder, and fixtures, particularly in older homes and when water pH is acidic. There is no safe level of lead in children.
Pharmaceuticals
Municipal treatment plants weren’t designed to remove pharmaceuticals. Detectable levels of antidepressants, birth control hormones, antibiotics, antihypertensives, and chemotherapy drugs have been found in tap water across the country. The concentrations are low — parts per trillion — but we have zero data on the effects of chronic exposure to this cocktail, particularly during pregnancy and early development.
Pesticides and Herbicides
Agricultural runoff introduces atrazine, glyphosate, 2,4-D, and dozens of other compounds into surface water. Atrazine, the second most common herbicide in the US, is an endocrine disruptor that can chemically feminize male frogs at 0.1 ppb — a fraction of the EPA’s 3 ppb limit for drinking water. Tyrone Hayes at UC Berkeley documented this extensively.
PFAS — “Forever Chemicals”
Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances contaminate the drinking water of an estimated 100+ million Americans. The EPA’s 2022 health advisory set a virtually unachievable level of 4 parts per trillion for PFOA and PFOS. Most municipal treatment systems cannot remove PFAS at all.
Microplastics
A 2018 study by Orb Media found microplastic contamination in 94% of tap water samples tested in the US. These tiny plastic fragments carry their own chemical additives (BPA, phthalates) and adsorb other contaminants from the water.
Well Water: Different Risks
Private wells serve about 15% of Americans and are unregulated — the homeowner is responsible for testing and treatment.
- Arsenic: naturally occurring in bedrock in many regions, linked to cancer, cardiovascular disease, and diabetes. Test annually.
- Nitrates: from agricultural runoff and septic systems. Above 10 mg/L, they cause methemoglobinemia in infants (“blue baby syndrome”). Indicator of broader contamination.
- Bacteria/parasites: E. coli, coliform, Giardia, Cryptosporidium. Any positive coliform test requires investigation.
- Radon: dissolves into groundwater from underlying granite. Releases into air during showering. Second leading cause of lung cancer.
Testing Your Water
Free First Step
The Environmental Working Group (EWG) Tap Water Database (ewg.org/tapwater) lets you enter your zip code and see what contaminants have been detected in your municipal supply. This is based on utility-reported data and gives you a starting picture.
Home Test Kits ($30-150)
Companies like Tap Score, MyTapScore, and SimpleLab offer mail-in test kits. A basic panel covers lead, copper, chlorine, hardness, pH, nitrates, and bacteria. Advanced panels include pesticides, VOCs, PFAS, and pharmaceuticals.
Professional Lab Testing ($150-500+)
National Testing Laboratories and SimpleLab/Tap Score offer comprehensive panels. For well water, annual testing for bacteria, nitrates, pH, and any regionally relevant contaminants (arsenic, radon, uranium) is standard practice. For PFAS, specific testing through labs like Eurofins or SimpleLab is required.
Filtration: A Hierarchy of Options
Activated Carbon Block (Good)
Removes chlorine, chloramine, many VOCs, some pesticides, and improves taste. Does not remove fluoride, heavy metals, PFAS, nitrates, or dissolved minerals. Countertop pitchers (like Berkey) use carbon block filtration. Replace filters on schedule — an exhausted carbon filter is worse than no filter.
Best for: renters, budget constraints, basic improvement of municipal water.
KDF (Kinetic Degradation Fluxion) + Carbon
KDF media (copper-zinc alloy) handles heavy metals, chlorine, and inhibits bacterial growth. Combined with carbon, this covers more ground. Often found in shower filters and whole-house systems.
Reverse Osmosis (Best Comprehensive)
Forces water through a semipermeable membrane with pore size of 0.0001 microns — removes virtually everything: fluoride, lead, arsenic, PFAS, nitrates, pharmaceuticals, microplastics. A quality under-sink RO system (iSpring, APEC, Home Master) costs $200-400 and produces clean water at the kitchen tap.
The mineral depletion concern is real. RO water is essentially mineral-free. Long-term consumption of demineralized water can affect mineral status. The World Health Organization’s 2005 report on demineralized water noted risks of magnesium and calcium depletion, altered fluid-electrolyte homeostasis, and potential cardiovascular effects.
Remineralization Strategies for RO Water
- Trace mineral drops (ConcenTrace, Anderson’s): add 10-20 drops per liter — restores magnesium, potassium, and 72+ trace minerals
- Pinch of Himalayan or Celtic sea salt: approximately 1/16 teaspoon per liter adds sodium, potassium, magnesium, and trace minerals
- Remineralizing filter stage: many RO systems offer a post-filter calcite/corosex cartridge that adds calcium and magnesium back
- Structured water units: devices like the Natural Action Technologies or UMH units that vortex water through specific geometric chambers
Whole-House vs. Point-of-Use
Whole-house systems ($1,000-5,000 installed) treat all water entering the home — critical for removing chlorine/chloramine that you’d otherwise absorb during showers. Typically use carbon block, KDF, and sometimes UV. They do NOT typically include RO (flow rate and waste water make whole-house RO impractical).
Point-of-use (under-sink RO + shower filter) is the practical compromise: RO for drinking/cooking water, carbon/KDF filter on the shower.
Beyond Filtration: Water Structure and Vitality
Gerald Pollack and Fourth Phase Water
Gerald Pollack, professor of bioengineering at the University of Washington, demonstrated in his lab that water adjacent to hydrophilic surfaces forms a structured, gel-like phase he called “exclusion zone” (EZ) water — or fourth phase water. This EZ water has different properties: higher viscosity, negative charge, different absorption spectrum (270 nm UV), and the ability to exclude solutes and particles.
Pollack showed that infrared light energy expands the EZ. The implication: the water inside your cells — which is entirely adjacent to hydrophilic protein surfaces — may exist predominantly in this structured state. Mitochondria produce infrared light. Sunlight contains infrared. This may be one reason why sunlight exposure and infrared sauna improve cellular function in ways that go beyond vitamin D.
Vortexing
Viktor Schauberger, the Austrian naturalist and water researcher, observed that natural water moves in vortices — never in straight lines. Vortexing water (even with a simple spoon or vortex device) may restore some structural properties lost during the straight-pipe journey from treatment plant to your faucet. The research is preliminary, but the physics of coherent molecular arrangement through mechanical energy is sound.
Spring Water
The gold standard for those with access. Fresh spring water is naturally filtered through rock and soil, picks up minerals along the way, and often has a natural structure from its journey. FindASpring.com maps natural springs with public access across the US and worldwide. If you collect spring water, use glass containers (not plastic) and test periodically for bacteria and contaminants, as springs can be affected by upstream land use.
Hydration Beyond Quantity
The “8 glasses a day” directive is crude. Hydration is about what gets into your cells, not what passes through your kidneys.
Electrolytes
Water follows sodium into cells (and potassium keeps it there). Drinking pure water without electrolytes can actually dilute your extracellular fluid and trigger urination without improving intracellular hydration. A pinch of quality salt and a squeeze of lemon in your water does more for hydration than an extra two glasses of plain water.
Practical electrolyte targets: sodium (1,500-2,500 mg/day), potassium (3,500-4,700 mg/day), magnesium (400-600 mg/day). Most Americans are deficient in all three.
Intracellular Hydration
Conditions that impair cellular hydration include insulin resistance (impairs aquaporin function), chronic inflammation, electrolyte imbalances, and hypothyroidism. Addressing these root causes improves hydration more than drinking more water.
Hyaluronic Acid
Hyaluronic acid holds 1,000 times its weight in water. Supplementation (120-240 mg/day) supports joint hydration, skin hydration, and may improve overall tissue water content. Bone broth is a natural source.
Shower and Bath Filtration
This is the intervention people most often overlook. Chlorine and chloramine vaporize in hot shower steam — you’re standing in a gas chamber of disinfection byproducts, inhaling them directly into your lungs where absorption is immediate and bypasses the liver.
Shower Filters
A quality shower filter ($30-80) using KDF + carbon reduces chlorine by 90%+ and chloramine by 50-70%. Brands like Berkey, AquaBliss, and Sprite are widely available. Replace cartridges every 6-12 months.
Vitamin C Dechlorination
For baths, a vitamin C bath dechlorinator or simply adding 1,000 mg of ascorbic acid powder to bathwater neutralizes chlorine and chloramine within minutes. Particularly important for children’s baths and for people with eczema, psoriasis, or sensitive skin — chlorine directly damages the skin’s lipid barrier.
The Plastic Problem
Bottled water is not the solution. Studies show that plastic water bottles — especially when exposed to heat (car, warehouse, sunny window) — leach BPA, phthalates, and antimony. A 2019 study in Environmental Science & Technology estimated that people who drink primarily bottled water ingest an additional 90,000 microplastic particles per year compared to those drinking tap water.
Never reuse single-use plastic bottles. The degradation increases with each use. If you must buy bottled water, choose glass. For daily transport, stainless steel (Klean Kanteen, Hydro Flask) or glass bottles are the standard.
A Practical Water Protocol
- Test your water — EWG database first, then mail-in lab test for specifics
- Install under-sink RO for drinking and cooking water — remineralize with trace mineral drops
- Add a shower filter — the simplest high-impact change for skin and respiratory health
- Carry a stainless steel or glass bottle — eliminate plastic exposure
- Add minerals to your water — pinch of sea salt, trace mineral drops, or electrolyte mix
- Consider whole-house filtration if budget allows — especially if on chloramine-treated water
- Hydrate with food — cucumbers, watermelon, celery, oranges are structured water packaged with electrolytes and enzymes
Water is the original medicine. Hippocrates prescribed specific spring waters for specific conditions. Traditional Chinese Medicine classifies waters by their mineral content and energetic properties. We’ve spent the last century making water “safe” by adding chemicals to it, then running it through miles of degrading pipe. The task now is to restore what was lost — minerals, structure, vitality — and remove what was added.
What would change in your health if the water flowing through your body were as clean and alive as a mountain spring?