Greetings, Dr. Roach In addition to the typical impurities, I’ve discovered a charcoal filter pitcher that eliminates permanently chemicals from water, since I’ve been reading a lot about them lately. They are 5–10 points higher than the federally recognized concentration in the water in my city. Is using this pitcher for drinking, rinsing, etc. worth the trouble? — D.H.
ANSWER: Two of the most significant permanent compounds that are widely present in the environment as production byproducts are perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) and perfluorooctane sulfonic acid (PFOS). They have been linked to higher risks of liver illness, kidney cancer, and reproductive damage, and they remain in the body for a very long time.
In addition to requiring water to be tested for this contamination by 2027, the US Environmental Protection Agency in April lowered the maximum concentration in water from 10 parts per trillion to 4 parts per trillion. According to the U.S. Geological Survey, at least one of these contaminants will be present in measurable levels in the drinking water of 45% of public drinking systems.
According to estimates, three deaths per 10,000 from liver and kidney damage would result from exposure at the former high limit of 10 parts per trillion. The risk would be reduced if the limit was set at 4 parts per trillion. There isn’t much of a difference, and other life adjustments like diet and exercise will probably have a greater effect. However, this is a risk that can easily reduced.
Finding out if your water contains these substances is the first step for anyone interested in water quality. Your water supplier may already have this information. You have a few choices because you have already determined that your water is above the permitted limit (you should confirm this with your water supplier).
Since some are good at eliminating harmful pollutants, you might be protected by a pitcher with a filter inside. Installing an inline filter in your drinking water is an additional choice. Compared to a pitcher, this offers the advantage of keeping impurities out of cooking water. For any filter to remain effective, it must be changed on a regular basis.
To guarantee the efficient removal of these contaminants, NSF/ANSI specifications 53 and 58 are particular specifications for filters; nevertheless, they do not yet meet the new EPA requirements. The recommended technologies are reverse osmosis, activated carbon filters, and anion exchange resins; nevertheless, they have disadvantages, such as the need for significantly more water. You can visit tinyurl.com/NSFWaterFilter to learn more about your options.
More advice
-
Miss Manners: I know my online crush isn’t the celebrity he says he is, but I’m falling in love with him anyway!
-
Asking Eric: Traveler’s busy cross-country trip doesn’t have room for tagalong relative
-
Dear Abby: I d like to marry my boyfriend, but he and his hoarding parents come as a package deal
Greetings, Dr. Roach Your previous post on decongestants making it difficult for males to urinate caught my attention. Do they have the same effect on women? — S.P.
ANSWER: Since women do not have prostate glands, decongestants do not cause the same problem in them. However, in both men and women, some antihistamines do lessen the bladder’s capacity to compress. In fact, this can be beneficial for women who have an overactive bladder. Because the bladder requires forceful contractions to overcome the barrier from the pressure on the urethra, men with larger prostate glands frequently experience issues with older antihistamines.
Although he regrets not being able to respond to each letter individually, Dr. Roach will try to include them in the column. Questions can be sent by mail to 628 Virginia Dr., Orlando, FL 32803 or by email to [email protected].
(c) Syndicate Inc., 2022 North America.
All rights reserved.
Note: Every piece of content is rigorously reviewed by our team of experienced writers and editors to ensure its accuracy. Our writers use credible sources and adhere to strict fact-checking protocols to verify all claims and data before publication. If an error is identified, we promptly correct it and strive for transparency in all updates, feel free to reach out to us via email. We appreciate your trust and support!
