Q&A: The best workplace water filter

Your eco-questions, answered:

Question: I'm trying to get everyone to dump their water bottles and drink the tap, but they'll only do it if it's filtered. Our department has about 15 people, so I think we'd need an "under counter" one installed -- we don't have room for one of those carafes you put in the frig. I'm baffled by the choices, and would appreciate any suggestions! Thanks. Nancy

Answer: Since tap water's better regulated than bottled water, your bottled-water guzzling co-workers' fear of unfiltered tap water's slightly misguided -- though not unusual. L.A.'s water not only tastes good, but is also quite safe. The L.A. Department of Water and Power reports in its Drinking Water Public Health Goals Report (PDF) that "for more the 110 regulated contaminants, none was found at levels considered unsafe by regulatory and health agencies."

Still, although our water meets regulatory standards, it does contain some contaminants that exceed the more ambitious (and non-enforceable) standards called Public Health Goals (PHG) and Federal Maximum Contaminant Level goals (MCLG)  (and just to be clear, there's no guarantee your bottled water meets these goals either). The L.A. DWP has kindly put together a handy chart (PDF) listing the few contaminants in our water that exceed idealistic levels:

So if you want to be really anal about your water, you should pick out a filter that takes out these particular contaminants. Filters generally list all the contaminants they remove right on the package. Make sure your filter is also labeled as meeting the NSF/ANSI standard 53, which provides "some assurance that at least some claims made by the manufacturer have been verified," according to the National Resources Defense Council.

From my research, a reverse-osmosis filter -- which gets even arsenic and radionuclides out -- is probably a water prude's best bet. You can find these filters in convenient under counter designs to make things easy, and you'll rarely need to change the filter. Reverse-osmosis filters do, however, tend to have a higher up-front cost -- and as the NRDC points out, "wastes a substantial amount of water during the filtration process."

Less contaminant-obsessed people -- and really, your co-workers might fall into this category since they're drinking under-regulated bottled water -- might be okay with less-expensive methods like carbon filters, most of which get lead, chlorine, THMs, and many other contaminants out. Anti-plastic people might be even  happier with a ceramic filter, which doesn't require buying those plasticky disposable filters all the time -- though your co-workers don't seem to fall into the anti-plastic category. The NRDC has an informative list of different types of filters and the particular impurities they deal with.

Earlier: Q&A: De-bottling the workplace

Got a question? Ask me: greenlagirl@gmail.com.

Top image courtesy of Food and Water Watch

Comments

[Mike]

http://www.cnn.com/2008/HEALTH/03/10/pharma.water1.ap/index.html

Are you sure tap water is better??? CNN doesn't seem to agree. I cant' stand the smell nor the taste of tap-water. Maybe it is different in California, but it wasn't different in NC, FL, GA or MI (all places where I have lived).

[Kate]

Now I'm wondering about the residual pharmaceuticals in tap water. The L.A Times doesn't seem to have an article about it on their website, but the Washington Post has one on theirs.

And how exactly are we supposed to dispose of said pharmaceuticals in a green manner? I know I'm not supposed to flush them or put them in landfills, but when I asked my local pharmacy, I was told, "Oh, just put them in the trash." So what's the right answer, and how do I actually execute it?

[ariadne]

Speaking of drugs in the tap water:
http://laist.com/2008/03/10/after_a_5month.php

[Siel]

Pharma-water fearing people: I just put up a post answering your Qs here -- Hope that helps :)

[Susan]

Getting a water filter is a MUCH healthier and environmentally friendly option to bottled water. Some of the better filters can even take out the pharmaceuticals in the water that have been in the news recently. Here is a page that talks more about how to filter out those prescription drugs...

http://www.aquasana.com/contamination_drugs.php