QUESTION

Lynn Barringer asks: Are shower filters really as important as drinking water filters?

ANSWER

In my opinion, they are more important! During a 10-minute shower your body will take on 10 to 50 times the level of water-borne chemicals than from drinking a glass of the same water. During a warm shower, the pores of the skin open up and absorb chlorine and other chemicals at an accelerated rate. Even worse, the steam you inhale is far more contaminated than the water itself due to the fact that synthetic chemicals, including chlorine, vaporize much faster than water. While over 96% of the water that comes out of your shower head goes down the drain, almost all of the chemicals vaporize into the air we breathe before the water hits the ground, making the steam more concentrated with chemicals. Also, inhaled chemicals go directly into the blood-stream and have magnified adverse effects. But if the only benefits to a shower filter were cosmetic, it would still be a must-have in my book. Showering in purified water offers amazing benefits for skin and hair. Anyone who has ever swum in a chlorinated pool knows how chlorine dries out your skin and hair. The thing most people don't realize is that there is typically more chlorine in tap water than in a swimming pool! We have always sold more shower filters than anything. It's one of those products that once you use it you'll never do without, and you feel compelled to tell others, like seeing a great movie for the first time!

QUESTION

Amanda Powers asks: How much chlorine in tap water is too much?

ANSWER

In my opinion, any chlorine in our drinking water is too much; however, the EPA guidelines allow up to 4 parts per million (ppm) in municipal tap water. I find this alarming, since a standard pool test kit shows that levels above 3 ppm are not safe to swim in! I think common sense would tell us that if it is not safe to swim in, it most likely is not safe to drink. With a minimum amount of effort, especially on the Internet, one can find that the evidence that chlorine is linked to cancer, heart disease and many other health problems is overwhelming. We need chlorine in water to kill bacteria, but it should be removed prior to use.

QUESTION

Dr. Greg Novac asks: Is filtered water better than distilled water or water filtered by reverse osmosis?

ANSWER

While there are good arguments on both sides of this debate, the more recent thoughts are in favor of filtered water. From a practical standpoint, the human body was designed to run on water that exists naturally on the planet, water that contains traces of inorganic minerals such as calcium, magnesium and potassium. Nowhere on Earth does demineralized water occur naturally. Distillation and R.O. systems produce de-mineralized water with an acidic pH. Many recent reports claim that "prolonged consumption of distilled or demineralized water can only lead to some form of mineral deficiency". Water by nature has to balance itself; when the minerals are stripped from water pH drops and the water becomes acidic. It then seeks to balance itself (a basic law of nature) by taking on minerals, primarily calcium. If we consume demineralized water, it will actually pull minerals from the body with which to balance itself. This has been demonstrated and reported in many recent books and studies. My booklet "All About Water" refers to several of these books and studies. Our filter system was intentionally designed to filter out harmful contaminants and to allow the natural minerals to remain, and it is my strong belief that this is the healthiest water.

QUESTION

Pat Welsh, Boca Raton FL, asks:
How long has the Aquasana system been out?

ANSWER

We first introduced the Aquasana Drinking Water System in December of 1999 under an exclusive contract with a large nutritional products company. The system sold initially for $199.95 and was a good value at that price. We have sold millions of our products under our "private label" and still do. The Aquasana line is our best product, and we recently chose to market it directly to consumers in order to offer better pricing. By selling factory direct, we have cut our retail prices in half! Our hope is that we can continue to expand our direct marketing efforts and offer these products at discount prices directly to people like you, so tell your friends! We also still provide these products under private label to a select group of health and nutrition companies that are willing to market them at comparable prices and want the best!

QUESTION

Jeff Meehan, Long Island, NY, asks: We use the Brita water pitcher at home and usually drink bottled water when we're not at home. Can you give an unbiased comment?

ANSWER

Probably not! I'm pretty proud of our products, but I'll try. First let me say that I feel that there are no "bad" water filter products, any filter is better than no filter. Brita is the best-selling system in the world currently (we're gaining fast), and it does improve the quality of water. These types of pour-through filters are limited in performance, primarily due to size. They are not designed to perform at the same level as our products, a simple comparison of the Performance Data Sheets that come with theirs and ours shows. The real question is why pay more to get less? While these pitcher filters are less expensive initially, they cost considerably more to use, about 22 cents a gallon compared to 9 cents a gallon for Aquasana, and they simply don't work as well! As for bottled water, since U.S. regulations on bottled water are so weak, the quality is at best unknown. With a good home water system, you can fill your own bottles and be sure of the quality. Occasionally, bottled water is the only available choice. When this happens, I prefer the European brands because their purity standards are much stricter. I hope this helps!

QUESTION

Debra Langley, Detroit, MI, asks: If chlorine in our water is so unhealthy, why do they use it?

ANSWER

I've always wondered who "they" are. In this case it should be "we". Our public water utilities are governed by federal agencies, which are governed by us. While chlorine and its byproducts are known to have significant adverse health effects on humans, we choose it over water borne disease outbreaks like typhoid and cholera that plagued most countries prior to chlorines introduction in the late 1800s. We don't use chlorine because it's the most effective means of disinfecting water, we use it because it's the cheapest! With all the technology we possess today, we still essentially pour bleach in our drinking water to kill bacteria. There are several more healthful methods of disinfecting public water supplies. Some other countries have turned to alternative methods because of recent findings about chlorine risks. The problem is that they are much more costly and, in reality less practical. The fact that less than 1% of the water supplied to our homes is used for consumption, means it's just not practical to produce "healthy water" from a central supplier. Most people would not be willing to pay the price for alternative disinfection methods, which would more than triple water costs. Logically, the solution is to keep chlorine in our public water systems right up to the point of use and then remove it with home water filtration which in reality is the only way to ensure healthy water. Thanks for your question!