Down the Drain

The decision to purchase and use a water filtration system is hopefully the beginning of consumer awareness of the quality of and care for our fresh water sources. By the time a consumer makes that choice to invest in their health, he or she has typically uncovered the poor quality of not only their local water supply, but may have also uncovered larger, farther-reaching concerns regarding the impact of purchasing choices on the global water supply.

An article in this week’s New York Times online introduces us to Stiv Wilson, an environmental advocate who has taken on the battle against microbeads. Microbeads (or, #microplastics) are those miniscule colorful dots contained in toothpaste, hand sanitizers, facial cleansers, and other cosmetic products. But once the product is rinsed away, the beads rinse away with it and end up into our water sources. “By the billions,” according to Rachel Abrams' article. “‘The effect is similar to grinding up plastic water bottles, other products of concern to environmentalists, and pumping them into oceans and lakes. But because microbeads are small enough to be ingested by fish and other marine life, they can carry other pollutants into the food chain.’”

While four states (IL, ME, NJ, and CO) have restricted the use of #microbeads, there is no federal mandate at this time to restrict or ban synthetic particles, or even to require the development and use of biodegradable beads. But consumers can make responsible personal choices, deciding not to purchase or use products that contain microbeads. “Consumers have more outlets than ever to voice concerns about products, particularly online, where a whisper of danger can turn into a roar. Seeing the effect on their sales, manufacturers have increasingly faced pressure to respond to those concerns,” says Ms. Abrams. The only way we can prevent this microscopic plastic pollution in our waters is by insisting the products we buy are responsibly produced.

In the meantime, the use of a solid carbon block filter, such as a Multipure Drinking Water System from #Water2Drink, will effectively remove these particles from your drinking water. All Multipure systems are NSF tested and certified to the submicron level, using both mechanical filtration and electrokinetic adsorption to capture particulate matter. As the water passes through its densely compacted #solidcarbon block filter, particles as small as 0.5 micron are removed.