Think Twice Before Using These Popular Drinking Water Filters

A free article on Arts and Entertainment

By: Rich Eng

When you compare the prices of drinking water filters, it's easy to become confused. Although a more expensive drinking water filter usually outperforms the cheaper version, there will be some surprising exceptions. We looked at 10 of the top rated drinking water filters and found they ranged from $34.95 to $420.00 -- quite a broad price range! So, what are the differences that make one drinking water filter cost so much more than another?

One issue is mark-up. It's a common enough practice: an enterprising business person buys a product direct from the manufacturer, then profits by reselling it at a higher price. Resellers are companies that do not manufacture anything. They just travel the globe searching for merchandise they can purchase cheaply and make a profit on.

In this respect, water filters are no different from any other merchandise.

So, if you can buy a drinking water filter (or any other product for that matter) directly from the factory, you will save money. With the money you save, you can sometimes buy two or three for a comparable cost. The mark up by the reseller of the product is crucial. If you do some research, you soon learn that most manufacturers of drinking water filters charge about the same price or at least in the same ball park. The average price is around $140.00 for a counter top system.
So, are those very cheap models any good? The names that we hear the most, those that are most highly advertised, are Brita and Pur. Let's examine them and see if they are truly worth it.

A Brita drinking water filter for the faucet retails for about $34.
Although it removes chlorine, it does not remove other by-products like THMs. It makes no sense to me to block only one of them. Chlorine and THMs have both been linked to cancer. In breast cancer patients, the measure of THMs in the fat cells is elevated as compared to that of healthy women. Experts believe that chlorine is responsible for several hundred new cases of rectal cancer every day.

There are some other impurities that a Brita drinking water filter cannot block.
These include VOCs (chemicals found paint thinners, dry cleaning solvents and gasoline) and MTBE, a gasoline additive. All of these substances have been found in public reservoirs and cannot be removed by treatment facilities. The concentration limits established by federal regulation as "safe" are regarded by some in the scientific community as far too high, given that even low exposure, when continued over years, can increase the incidence of heart disease and cancer.

PUR drinking water filters remove even less impurities than Brita. Often, consumers seek out PUR drinking water filters because the flavor and hue of their home water supply doesn't meet their standards. Many people are not aware that the PUR filters they buy do not filter many dangerous chemical contaminants. What they fail to understand is that while chlorine can be removed easily, THMs are much more stubborn. These filters also do not block pesticides and herbicides that are commonly used throughout the United States. Anything that is used in the environment eventually ends up in the reservoir and finally makes it in to your home. As hazardous and difficult to remove as these chemicals are, a good drinking water filter should safely extract them.

The finest drinking water filters are sensibly priced and block almost anything. Spend some time looking for one and do all the research.
You can check out my website below if you need more information. You'll be surprised to learn that the ones that are promoted most highly aren't necessarily the best.

Information about the Author:

Rich Eng serves as the leader of a high growth healthcare services business for a Fortune 500 company. A 20 year industry veteran and "holistic health and fitness" coach, he constantly researches better ways to improve one's mind, body and spirit. Visit his site at www.clean-filtered-water.com to learn more about the drinking water filters he personally recommends and why he chose this product after extensive research.

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