"In general, most of the water treatment products on the market today do what they say they will — especially those that have been certified by a credible, third-party organization such as NSF International," explains Dave Krupinski, certified water specialist at Kinetico Incorporated, a leading manufacturer of water treatment systems. "The challenge for consumers is to carefully read and fully understand exactly what the product is claiming to do."

Krupinski continues, "There are many products out there that are inexpensively priced but only address a limited number of concerns, such as the taste, color and odor of the water. The key is not to assume anything. If a product does not specifically say that it will reduce lead, for instance, it probably does not."

There is no doubt that water quality is on the minds of many consumers today. Consumers spend billions each year on bottled water and several hundred million dollars a year on water treatment products. A recent survey by the Water Quality Association shows that 32 percent of Americans use some type of water treatment device in their homes.

As consumer interest and concern grows, more manufacturers are jumping on the bandwagon to serve this growing market. At the 1998 International Housewares Show, manufacturers turned out in record numbers to display a wide variety of new filtration devices. At issue was the increased concern over microorganisms, such as cryptosporidium and giardia, that may be in the water. Recent health reports have linked these contaminants to various diseases and health problems.

Krupinski points out that a product's ability to remove a wider number of contaminants from water is often what determines the price. "Very few products out there are effective against cryptosporidium, for instance. It's highly resistant to disinfection and therefore eludes many more traditional forms of treatment. Sure, you can buy pour-thru filtering systems and products that attach to the faucet for sometimes as low as $30 if you're primarily concerned about taste and odor. Some of the lower-priced products are even certified for cryptosporidium. But for additional protection — whether it's against chlorine byproducts or herbicides or many other concerns — you need a more advanced system."

Both the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) have determined that reverse osmosis is one of the best technologies for reducing lead, cryptosporidium and a long list of other contaminants that could be in the water supply at any point in time.

Reverse osmosis works by forcing water through a membrane via pressure. Kinetico reverse osmosis systems, as an example, take reverse osmosis and make it even more effective through a five-stage protection process that includes not only a pre and post filter, but also a stainless steel, lead-free dedicated faucet to ensure optimum water quality. This process has been certified to handle more than 65 different contaminants that might be in water, as opposed to just removing taste and odor problems.

In addition to evaluating how well the system performs and against what, consumers need to look at such issues as maintenance and longevity of the product. Carbon filter cartridges need to be replaced regularly in order for any filtering product to perform as claimed. The smaller the product, the smaller the amount of carbon is inside the filter, meaning that it must be changed frequently — sometimes as often as every several weeks, depending on household consumption.

In the case of the Kinetico system, 500 gallons can be consumed using the same filter. For the average family of four, this translates into a year of use. In addition, Kinetico systems have a safety featured called MACguard^TM, which actually shuts down the system when the filter has been used to capacity. So there's no guesswork and no chance for error with this fail-safe protection.

"It comes down to getting what you pay for," Krupinski concludes. "There are a lot of choices and a lot of different levels of protection."

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.