To
Filter or Not to Filter?
Consumers
can buy purified water.
They also have the option
of doing it at home.
Numerous
companies sell filtration
systems. Some attach to
the faucet and filter the
water as it comes through
the tap. Others are containers
that filter the water in
them. Among the best-known
manufacturers are PUR and
Brita.
Water
purified with these products
typically costs less than
buying bottled water. According
to Brita, its high-end faucet
filter system provides water
for 18 cents a gallon, a
considerable saving from
$1 or more typically charged
for an 8- to 12-ounce bottle
of water.
John
B. Ferguson, communications
manager/executive editor
with the Water Quality Association,
says that consumers can
feel confident about the
water quality provided by
brand name home-filtration
systems.
Stew
Thornley of the Minnesota
Department of Health agrees
that home filtration systems
can improve the taste or
appearance of tap water
at a minimal cost. However,
Thornley points out that
consumers need to be careful
about maintaining these
filters. Typically, specific
instructions are included
with the purchase of the
product. Without proper
maintenance, he says, it's
possible bacteria or other
contaminants can build up
in the products.
--A.C.B.
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