With all the negative publicity in recent years about the quality of the nation's water supply, more people are thinking twice about the water they drink. Although 75 percent of the earth's surface is made up of water, less than one percent is fresh water for drinking. But due to pollution and contamination, not even all of this water is suitable for drink-ing.

Some of the more common causes of contamination include:

Industrial chemicals that are contained in landfills and waste sites, as well as agricultural pesticides, can leak into the soil and make their way into drinking water sources.

Chlorine used to disinfect water can have an adverse effect on taste and can create potential carcinogens, like trihalomethanes (THMs), when it reacts with organic matter in the water.

Lead-based solder used to join pipes in homes built before 1988 (when this practice was outlawed) can also cause problems with lead in the water after the water has left the municipal treatment facility or private well.

As a result of consumers' concerns about "bad water" and "boil alerts," many have turned to bottled water. In fact, since the mid 1980s when bottled water first became trendy, there has been a tremendous boom in bottled water sales. Many consumers believe it is necessary due to negative publicity that has raised doubts about the quality of the nation's water supply. Such publicity has caused more than 22 million house-holds in the U.S. to seek alternatives to tap water for drinking. It is estimated that by early next century, the market for drinking water alternatives will be worth more than $10 billion.

Is All This Concern Valid?
More than two decades ago, Congress passed the Safe Drinking Water Act to protect Americans. Yet, today many are still at risk, especially in smaller communities that can't afford traditional water treatment plants or those with private wells. However, larger cities are not immune. Milwaukee, Wisconsin is proof of this fact, since it was less than five years ago that an outbreak of the microorganism Cryptosporidium occurred in the city's water supply, causing hundreds of thousands of people to become ill.

And Milwaukee was certainly not an isolated case. According to EPA statistics for 1993-1994, approximately 53 million Americans drank water that violated EPA safety standards under the Act. This was an increase of 7.6 million over the statistics for 1991-1992.

Yet it's interesting to note that, according to national consumer surveys, statistics such as these aren't the only driving forces behind America's desire to find a better alternative to tap water. Taste has also been identified as a major reason. In fact, a recent survey by Money magazine identified "clean water" as a primary consideration when people are deciding on a place to live. Clean water took priority over "a low crime rate" and even "good schools."

The Bottled Alternative
But what about those bottles of water that so many Americans have become attached to? First, they're expensive — sometimes costing more than $1.00 per gallon, which translates into 200 to 1200 times the cost of tap water. Second, they're cumbersome to tote, and you have to go to the store to purchase them. Third, all of those plastic containers must be recycled, or they'll crowd landfills. And finally, depending on the source of the bottled water, it may be nothing more than filtered municipal water. In fact, contrary to the popular image of remote Alpine meadows and unspoiled streams, bot-tled-water sources are often near metropolitan areas.

Also of interest is the fact that Federal standards for bottled water are no stricter than standards for tap water. That means that federal regulations only require bottlers to test for a handful of the hundreds of known chemical contaminants. And water not sold across state lines is not regulated by the FDA.

So what exactly is in those little bottles of water? The contents can be divided into three categories:

Bottled water labeled as distilled water is essentially tap water that has been boiled to remove contaminants, natural salts and minerals.

Natural spring and mineral waters make up the second category. These waters contain high levels of dissolved minerals and salts. Because they come from ground sources, most spring and mineral waters are filtered. This filtering process, however, is not guaranteed to remove all contaminants.

The third category of bottled water consists of treated drinking water, which is disin-fected, filtered municipal water.

Despite what is or what is not in bottled water, it has become an acceptable — and even fashionable — alternative to tap water. But it is not the only alternative. In-home drinking water systems, which have also boomed in popularity in recent years, deliver many of the same benefits, without the inconvenience. And, over the long term, they're actually less expensive.

The "Treated" Alternative
There are many different in-home treatment options, varying in price and effectiveness. According to the Centers for Disease Control, however, reverse osmosis (RO) systems are the most effective at significantly reducing unwanted minerals, volatile organic compounds (VOCs), lead, pesticides and nitrates. RO systems work by forcing pressurized water through a microscopic membrane which filters out impurities.

The RO systems designed by Kinetico Incorporated, a leading manufacturer of water treatment systems, are ideal examples of how effectively consumers can protect their water through a multi-step, in-home treatment process.

Thanks to their unique three-step filtration process, Kinetico RO systems are certified to reduce up to 99+ percent of many dissolved solids in the water, including lead and other minerals. As an added protective feature, Kinetico's RO systems come with a spe-cial lead-free faucet to keep lead from entering the water supply at the point of use.

Exclusive to the Kinetico system is the MACguard Filter^TM, which reduces VOCs, along with tastes, odors and chlorine. As a safety precaution, the MACguard Filter indicates when it's time to change the system's prefilter and postfilter to prevent overuse and protect the drinking water quality. Overused cartridges lose their filtration ability.

Another Kinetico innovation is EverClean Rinse^TM, which not only prolongs the life of the system's membrane but also guarantees consistently high-quality water by automatically cleansing the inside of the system with clean water.

Even consumers who don't think they have problem water should consider their drinking water options. Just because water looks and smells good, there is no guarantee it is. Harmful microorganisms or compounds such as arsenic, lead, mercury and nitrates, may go undetected. And even if your municipality routinely provides good, clean water, there is the chance of an unexpected problem. Or, in other cases, quality drinking water can leave a municipal treatment facility or backyard well and then become contami-nated during the distribution process. As is the case with any contaminated water situation, infants, seniors, pregnant women and people with immune system deficiencies are most at risk. RO systems provide a type of insurance that water is protected even if the unexpected occurs.

Get the Facts Before Making a Decision
Bottled water or an in-home drinking water system? Both are popular. And both can be an effective way of achieving peace of mind regarding the quality of the water you drink. But a final decision should be made only after all the available information is considered. Read all bottled water labels carefully to determine the source of the water, the type of filtering process employed and what controls are in place to maintain quality.

If you're shopping for an in-home drinking water system, be just as thorough. Look for third-party certification on the system to ensure it will perform as claimed. And scrutinize the list of contaminants which the system is certified to effectively reduce. If a product is not certified for a specific contaminant, there's no guarantee that it can effectively reduce it.

For more information about the water you drink, call Kinetico at 1-800-944-WATER (9283) and request the FREE Consumers’s Guide to Protecting the Water Your Family Drinks. Or visit Kinetico's Web site at www.kinetico.com for more information about water.