Traditionally, water is only considered as carrier of nutrients and it has no metabolic role. However, later studies have shown that water has important nutritional values. Bad breath is one of early signs of dehydration and when it can often be solved only by drinking enough water. Saliva is essential to cleanse our mouth from bacteria and it could keep our tongue hydrated. If we don’t have enough water inside our mouth, we could have furry tongue and bacteria will accumulate inside our mouth. This is the primary cause of halitosis. When we drank too much alcohol, we could also experience symptoms of dehydration the following morning.
If we want to drink water healthily, it is important for us to do proper steps. In general, tap water should be quite safe to drink, but random samples show that tap water could have fluctuating quality. Chemicals already present in untreated water could pass through the filtering process. As an example, Prozac and other substances have been found on a number occasions in tap water. Someone may say a joke that at least it could give us a soothing effect when we read our expensive water bills, but the presence of Prozac shows that more dangerous chemicals could actually be found.
Sometimes, the taste of chlorine in tap water is so strong that we could still notice it when we drink a thick coffee. This could happen when we have improper piping installations in our house. As an example, kitchen sink could be located near the washing machine. Some of the bleaching solution could be sucked back to the pipe. The situation can be more dangerous when detergent solutions and other toxic washing products enter our glass through the kitchen sink. Even in a highly developed country, we shouldn’t fully trust tap water. It is recommended to fit a filter unit with activated, compressed carbon block.
The filter may include the use of UV light to further eradicate any sign of dangerous microorganisms. We should be aware that chlorine neutralizes vitamin E in food, during the cooking process. It means that we will be more vulnerable to free radicals. Chlorine may react with various organic matters to produce carcinogens or cancer causing chemicals, such as chloroform and other trihalomethanes. We should regularly check our tap water to find out the level of metals, minerals, non-organic contaminants and microorganisms. People in the neighbourhood could share the examination costs, to make sure that water supply in the area is acceptable.
There are different controversial substances that can still be found in our tap water. As an example, the water treatment company adds fluoride to our water and some researchers say that it could do more harm than good. Children who regularly drink water with fluoride in it have higher risks of suffering from bone cancer. It is clear that drinking tap water isn’t always safe and we should always try to safeguard ourselves by installing plumbing network properly, installing filter unit and check for water quality regularly.