There are many types of pollutants that may jeopardize the quality of water. One common pollutant is detergents and fertilisers. These wastes normally contain nitrates and phosphate nutrients. If these nutrients are in excess, they may have effects such as uncontrolled algae growth in water. If detergents are disposed off in water ways, they will have some negative effects. For instance, they will destroy external mucus layers of fish that protect them from parasites. Detergents lower the surface tension of the water. This makes it easy for chemicals to be absorbed by fish and other aquatic life. Fertilisers also release ammonia into the water leading to contamination.

Automotive products and pesticides are also common water pollutants. The common automotive products include motor oil and grease. The toxins from the automotive products and pesticides make water unsuitable for consumption. Research indicates that around five quarts of motor oil can contaminate over 250,000 gallons of water. Pesticides that are used in controlling pests are not easily biodegradable. If they are present in water, they pose a threat to human health and also the environment.

The other main water pollutant is soil sediments. Through soil erosion, a lot of sediments can accumulate in water bodies. In fact, sediments are considered to be the leading source of water pollution.  For them to be removed from drinking water, it has to undergo the distillation process. If water with sediments is consumed, it could have some negative health problems. For instance, the particles may accumulate in the appendix leading to health complications.

Besides the soil sediments, cigarette butts are also common pollutants. Studies show that around 4.5 trillion non-biodegradable cigarette butts are littered per year. Most of these are washed away and finally end up in water bodies. They are made up of cellulose acetate. This is a form of plastic that takes very long to decompose.

Some water pollutants such as microbes are not easy to see. If water is contaminated with human and animal waste, it could contain such bacteria. Such bacteria include Fecal Coliform and E Coli. If these microbes are present in drinking water, they will have some health effects. Some common effects include diarrhoea, nausea, cramps and headaches.

Cryptosporidium is also a common parasite that enters water through the sewage and animal wastes. This microbe is tolerant to disinfectants such as chlorine. It leads to diseases such as cryptosporidiosis, which is a mild gastrointestinal disease. For water to be safe for consumption, it requires ample purification. We are lucky that most of us have running water from the tap and so the best option to ensure good quality water is to purchase a water distiller.

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Minerals, Distillers & Distilled Water

Written by William Fryer - MA Oxon

by William Fryer MA Oxon

Will distilled water “leach minerals from bones? Are you missing out on essential minerals if you drink distilled water? Should you remineralise distilled water? What about organic vs inorganic minerals? We get asked these questions more than any other, there's a huge amount of opinion about these topics on the Internet so we're going to answer them with science.

Let's start by reminding ourselves of why people drink distilled water. Ironically you discover the reason why people drink distilled water the first time you look at what is left behind in your distiller. For us in Wiltshire, it's a combination of limescale and a kind of orange liquid that smells a bit like emulsion paint. I collected a month's worth of it together and I challenge anyone to drink it. It is vile. So drinking distilled water means we are simply drinking pure water - something our bodies are designed to do. Now let's tackle the first of these mineral questions:

Does distilled water “leach” minerals from bones?

Some people believe that distilled water, because it is very, very slightly acidic, can strip your bones of minerals. The idea that distilled water “leaches” minerals from bones is an example of what is called “truthiness”, it sounds like it could be true so people believe it. In reality it is non-science. 

A small amount of distilled water will bond with atmospheric carbon dioxide to form a very weak acid so distilled water (a while after distillation) will have a pH about the same as a banana c. pH6. However, our bodies work hard to maintain a blood pH of 7.35 to 7.45, if it goes outside that range your body’s enzymes stop working and you need to go to hospital very quickly. So the idea that blood pH could ever be acidic enough to leach minerals from bones is just crazy; you would be dead a long time before you reached that point. There is no scientific evidence to suggest that distilled water can leach minerals from bones.

CONCLUSION: distilled water does NOT leach minerals from bones.

Are you missing out on minerals if you drink distilled water?

Some people argue that because distilled water has had all the minerals removed, your body will be missing out on vital minerals. Let's look at the facts. Humans evolved in jungles where the primary water source is distilled water in the form of rain, so we evolved to get minerals from food not water. The idea that water is a valuable source of minerals is again non-science. Take a look at this table, it lists the amount of minerals present in Evian (a good benchmark mineral water), the amount of minerals your body needs and how much Evian you would need to drink if you used it as your source of minerals.

MineralQuantity in 1L of EvianDaily RequirementDaily Volume of Evian NeededCalcium76mg/L700mg9 litresPotassium1.1mg/L3500mg3182 litresMagnesium25mg/L270mg11 litresSodium6.8mg/L6g882 litres

To get enough Sodium from Evian, you would need to drink 882 litres a day. It you were able to drink that much mineral water you would overload your system and die before you got any of the benefits. The fact is, we get vitamins and minerals from food.

Additionally, it's easy to think that just because it's called a “mineral” it must be good for us and we must need it. Let's take Sodium. Yes our bodies need Sodium but the reality is most people are massively overloaded with Sodium because we all consume far too much Sodium Chloride (salt). In fact the table above lists a daily requirement of 6g.

Most people in the UK consume 8+g of salt which is part of the reason why 58% of people over 65 have high blood pressure which leads to strokes, coronary heart disease, vascular dementia and chronic kidney disease. Biologically we only actually need 1g of salt per day, the Government set a target of 6g because they thought 1g was simply unachievable. So just because it is called a “mineral” does not mean we need as much as possible.

Any water, even the best mineral waters are NOT good sources of minerals. And some of the minerals they supply we actually get too much of anyway. If you want minerals go and eat fruit, vegetables, nuts, seeds, and dairy products. Additionally, because we are evolved to get vitamins and minerals from food you find their bioavailability to your body is greater than getting them from a source like water.

CONCLUSION: water is not an effective mineral source, food is. Many of the minerals in water we are over-supplied with.

Do you need to remineralise your distilled water?

The debate rages. Some people believe in adding minerals to their water some do not. Our opinion is that ultimately you get vitamins and minerals from food. However adding a mineral supplement to distilled water can improve flavour for some people and it can provide trace elements. That is why we created two mineral supplements specifically for distilled water. Formula 56 is for everyday drinking water and Formula 78 is designed for sports drinks.

CONCLUSION: It is not essential, but some people do out of personal preference.

Organic vs Inorganic minerals?

This is a HOT topic. You will see people on the Internet talking about organic vs inorganic minerals. I am going to attempt to explain this debate in simple terms. Organic chemistry is the chemistry of carbon and all BIOchemistry is organic chemistry. We are a carbon-based lifeform - most of the structures in our bodies contain some kind of carbon-based molecule. Inorganic chemistry is non-carbon chemistry.

Minerals are typically inorganic: Sodium Chloride (salt) and Calcium Carbonate (limescale) are examples of (inorganic) minerals. There is a class of chemicals called organic minerals, for example, carpathite, amber, oxammite, calclacite - these are not used by the body.

The only organic mineral which has any role in human biology is urea which is formed by the breakdown of protein and is excreted by the body. There are a lot of people who refer to “organic minerals” and include compounds like Methionine and Cysteine. These are not “organic minerals” they are amino acids which are the building blocks of proteins. They are useful to the body but they are not “organic minerals”.

The five major minerals in the human body are calcium, phosphorus, potassium, sodium, and magnesium. All of the remaining elements in a human body are called "trace elements". The trace elements that have a specific biochemical function in the human body are: sulphur, iron, chlorine, cobalt, copper, zinc, manganese, molybdenum, iodine and selenium.

Normally mineral ions like Sodium are reacted with an inorganic acid to create a salt eg. Sodium + Hydrochloric Acid = Sodium Chloride. A bar of Sodium cannot be digested by the body but when the Sodium is in a compound, eg. Sodium Chloride, it can be absorbed. Our body ingests the Sodium Chloride (aka salt) and splits it in two to use the individual components. There is also another class of minerals which are “chelated” minerals, this is where the mineral ion, eg. Zinc, is bound up with an organic acid.

Searching the 20 million articles on Medline, I managed to find 23 articles with references to “organic minerals”. In these instances “organic minerals” are defined as those where the active mineral eg. Zinc has been chelated with an organic acid, eg. Zn(2-hydroxy-4-methylthio butanoic acid)2 rather than being supplied in an inorganic form eg. Zinc Sulphate. And there is limited evidence (none of it with humans) that this type of “organic mineral” may have some benefits.

Those I have come across include: better oviduct morphology and stronger shells in chickens; better digestibility of minerals in pigs; and more bioavailability of Zinc in calves. So there is limited evidence to suggest that this type of organic mineral (some of which are available as “chelated minerals” for humans) may have limited beneficial effects, based on limited testing on animals. In a way, the idea that minerals such as Zinc or Iron when combined with organic acids become more bioavailable makes sense alongside the fact that we get minerals from food. But more research needs to be done in this area before conclusions can be drawn.

CONCLUSION: There are many definitions of what an “organic mineral” is. Strictly speaking, organic minerals are not used by the human body other than as a waste product. What is often sold as “organic minerals” online are not organic minerals but amino acids. Testing on animals shows that “chelated minerals” which can be referred to as “organic minerals” because they are combined with an organic acid, may make them pass through the gut barrier more effectively, but scientific evidence is limited.

Author Bio

William Fryer MA Oxon
William is a Human Scientist and director of Megahome-Distillers.co.uk. Having worked for 22 years in the corporate environment he now works as a Physician Associate at a major teaching hospital. His interests include: human beings, white water kayaking and walking in rugged environments.

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There are a number of methods available to purify/clean tap water. They range from methods you can use at home to produce a single jug of clean water, all the way up to massive industrial operations making clean water from sewage or the ocean’s salt water. The three main methods for creating clean drinking water in the home are: Carbon Filtration, Reverse Osmosis and a Water Distiller. You can also find out about alkaline here.

This article will define the different methods and types of water produced. Before we discuss each method it’s important to think about the type and nature of contaminants. We have a list of 79 contaminants which can be found in tap water but most water contains: minerals - typically metal salts, things like calcium carbonate which forms scale; volatile organic compounds (VOCs) these are organic compounds which have a boiling point below water and need to be removed by carbon filtration; potentially viruses and bacteria which are killed by boiling; chlorine, present in a lot of tap water as a cheap disinfectant; possibly fluoride which needs to be removed by distillation. In short there is a complex cocktail of different impurities and different methods work for different impurities.

Charcoal Filtration

Gas masks filter out poisonous chemicals using carbon filtration; the same process that some water filtration systems use. Activated charcoal (carbon) is a chemical compound that is very porous and has an incredibly high surface area. That high surface area is very good at absorbing different types of impurities. When impure water passed through it the porous surface of the activated carbon scrubs the unwanted properties from the water. The microscopic holes in the surface of the activated charcoal filter captures impurities which cleans the water.

Activated carbon is also used in a medical setting to treat poisonings and overdoses, where it absorbs the undesired substance from the body. The problem with carbon filtration is that eventually the activated carbon is used up and needs to be replaced, this is why you need to keep replacing activated charcoal filters. Another problem with activated charcoal filters is they are very good at absorbing Volatile Organic Compounds but not much else. VOCs include chemicals like oils, herbicides and pesticides. Any rogue minerals, fluoride or scale will NOT be removed by charcoal filtration. In a way this is a problem. most tap water is mainly contaminated by rogue minerals, fluoride and scale but very little in the way of Volatile Organic Compounds.

However VOCs have a strong influence on taste so when you filter tap water in this way it often seems to taste a lot cleaner even though only one class of chemicals has been extracted. Activated charcoal filtration is basically the minimum standard for purified drinking water. Charcoal filtration is a profitable business. Units range from £10-£400 and sellers make a lot of money selling replacement filters. Claims of special technologies by filter manufacturers are usually unfounded.

Reverse Osmosis

Osmosis is a process where two liquids try to find equilibrium between their two chemical states. When one liquid is placed next to another with a semi-permeable membrane between them the solvent flows from the liquid with a low concentration Into the liquid with the high concentration so both liquids end up with similar levels of solute and solvent. Reverse osmosis turns this process backwards. By pressurising one of the liquids it can push the liquids out of equilibrium, where one liquid will contain all the chemical solute and the other will be free of it. Reverse osmosis is a good way to purify water.

Typically you end up with water that is fairly pure, in fact it is pure enough for window cleaners to use so they avoid the smears associated with using tap water. It is NOT however the gold standard. RO units are typically fairly expensive to buy and fit but once fitted there is very little in the way of running costs. Outside of industrial settings, problems come from the disposal of the unneeded solution and the amount and size of equipment needed to pressurise the liquid. Reverse Osmosis units can take up an entire cupboard in a household setting and may need a plumber to fit them. Reverse osmosis will NOT kill Bacteria, Viruses or Fungal spores.

Water Distiller

Distillation is the only process by which you can achieve absolutely pure water. Most people know that boiling water kills off bacteria, viruses and germs, a water distiller takes this process one step further.

With a water distiller the water is boiled continuously and turns to steam. The boiling kills off any bugs and the steam that comes off is absolutely pure water vapour. This water vapour is then condensed back into water while it circulates through a heat exchanger in the head of the water distiller. The steam is more pure than the tap water because the water has a lower boiling point than the contaminants so any nasty chemicals get left behind. VOCs can still get through because they typically have a lower boiling point, which is why Megahome distillers use an activated charcoal filter at the end of the process to filter out VOCs. Water distillation is the only way to get absolutely pure water with EVERYTHING, including nasties like Fluoride, removed. Water distillation is the method used by laboratories to produce pure water. It is also the process by which rain is produced - water evaporates from the oceans, condenses in clouds and falls as rain. Water distillers are typically fairly cheap to buy but can take a bit more work in terms of maintenance and they cost about 21p per litre of water for electricity.

Purified Water

"Purified water" is a poorly defined term. Some people might talk about purified water if they have taken water from a river and run it through a sand filter to remove a lot of the sediment. Similarly they may define purified water as distilled water, which is pure water. The water can be said to have been purified if it has been through a process which removed impurities but if you want absolutely pure water then distillation is the only method.

Demineralised water or Deionised water

Demineralised and deionised water are the same thing because most minerals are in fact ions. This type of water is very similar to distilled water in that it has had the bulk of its mineral content removed, usually in a large industrial-type process. However, any bacteria or viruses present will not have been killed off because the water has not been boiled and certain chemicals, for example VOCs will still be present. This makes demineralised water not really suitable for consumption because there is still a (very small) health risk. Demineralised water is typically used in car batteries because the water has had ions removed. Distilled water could also be said to be a type of demineralised or deionised water. And you can use distilled water in car batteries too.

In Summary

Charcoal filtration is very effective at removing VOCs. A slow rumbling boil is the best method for killing viruses, bacteria and any biological contamination. Distillation is the overall most effective method of purification because it removes the most contaminants, kills biological contamination but it needs to be combined with charcoal filtration to remove VOCs. In order of effectiveness:

1. Water distiller with charcoal filter.

2. Reverse osmosis.

3. Any water filter.

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