Tap Water Contaminants Guide
What’s Impacting Taste, Smell, and potentially your Health
NI Water do an incredible job at ensuring we have freely accessible and consumable water to our homes 365 days of the year. NI Water carefully monitor most of these contaminants and each year they publish an incident report that documents instances when the recommended levels of these contaminants such as Nitrates have exceeded safe levels.
At Tapman NI we think current testing and treatment methods needs to be updated to mitigate other contaminants such as pharmaceuticals, pesticides, heavy metals, chemicals, microplastics and synthetic hormones. We don’t fully grasp the long-term effects of consuming these contaminants. However, we don’t think that it’s a great idea. So, take the best steps for yourself, your family and your home by filtering them out with our comprehensive systems. It’s cost-effective, environmentally friendly, and hassle-free.
What are the common tap water contaminants?
Disclaimer - There is no way to ascertain what is truly in your water without comprehensive testing. The information herein should be used as a starting point only and does not constitute as medical advice.
Limescale and Sediment
Sediment enters our drinking water primarily through the natural process of water interacting with minerals in the ground. When our water is heated (for example, in a kettle, water heater, or pipe), the calcium and magnesium can separate out of the water and form solid deposits known as limescale. These deposits can accumulate over time which results in bad tasting water and higher energy costs which no one wants. If you live in an area with really bad hard water then you may want to look into a water softener solution to effectively combat this.
The Carbon Trust and British Water found that a boiler with a build up of 1.6mm of limescale caused a 12% loss in heating efficiency when compared to a boiler free from limescale. The only sure way to save your boiler is to filter these contaminants out before it reaches your home heating system’s water. This sediment alongside ferrous metals oxidise inside your radiators, water tanks and heat exchangers causing havoc as the sludge and crud builds. This greatly decreases your heating efficiency and we estimate that you could gain a 25% saving* on your heating bill with our ultimate home package.
With this package not only will you receive our whole house filtration system but additionally an approved heating engineer will be tasked with removing all the build up currently in your home heating system. This is achieved with a heavy duty magnacleanse of every radiator, restoring them from years of built up crud. They will then install an additional magnetic filtration to keep ferrous metals out of your home heating loop and use a chemical inhibitor to further protect it. We will then use the filtered water free from ferrous metals and sediment to restock your home heating system.
Limescale buildup additionally causes;
Scaling in Taps, Drains and Glassware.
Reduced water flow and pressure due to clogging.
Damage to appliance internals.
May contribute to skin and hair issues.
Laundry that is dull and dingy.
*based on estimations from data collected by clients and user experience, if your heating system is new you will see less of an impact. However you still receive the benefit of potentially inhibiting future problems aswell as having your entire homes water supply filtered.
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Chlorine
Chlorine is commonly used in water treatment to disinfect and make water safe for drinking by killing bacteria and viruses. However, it can potentially affect the taste and odour of drinking water, especially at higher concentration levels.
Chlorine certainly has a purpose however chlorinated water, particularly in showers or baths, may cause skin dryness, irritation, or worsen conditions like eczema. The inhalation of chlorinated steam during showers might also trigger those that have asthma and ingestion in high quantities can affect you gut barrier killing vital bacteria which are critical in digestion and cognitive functions.
Chlorine can react with natural organic matter and form disinfection byproducts (DBPs) like trihalomethanes (THMs) and halo-acetic acids (HAAs), which, in prolonged high exposure, have been associated with increased health risks. The good news is that our whole house system alone can remove 99% of free chlorine from your drinking water.
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Heavy Metals
There are potentially a range of heavy metals in your drinking water, which can pose health risks especially at high levels. Heavy metals of concern include the likes of Lead, Mercury, Arsenic, Cadmium and Chromium.
Society was slow to realise the dangers of lead contamination particularly. Homes that were built across the country before the 1950s were constructed with lead piping, Lead like other heavy metals Lead usually leaves a metallic taste to your water, althought it can still be present with you knowing. Lead has been associated with causing developmental and neurological issues, the good news is it’s becoming less of an issue these days although we still test for it with our free preliminary water test.
Other heavy metals such as iron can cause havoc on your home heating system.
Iron contamination begins during water’s natural cycle. When water passes over iron-bearing rocks which is 5 percent of the earth’s crust. Iron can affect the function of everyday items from showerheads to kitchen sink faucets. It collects at the mouth of faucets causing them to clog, additionally when it oxidises it causes rust staining inside your radiators and toilet bowls.
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Hydrogen Sulfide
Smell rotten eggs? Hydrogen sulfide has infiltrated your water. There are 2 ways this could have happened. First, you need to know where hydrogen sulfide is created. This pungent gas arises from naturally decaying organic matter, like the remains of dead plants or animals and their waste products. The gas isn’t released until it reaches a liquid state, whether that’s through sewage, hot springs or liquid manure. It can also extracted from petroleum products.
When it comes to organic matter and bacteria our kdf treated carbon medium is great at helping combat bacterial growth. However if you suffer with hydrogen sulfide in your taps you may need to use ultraviolet treatment methods, which can be found here.
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Blue-Green Algae, Pesticides, Nitrates...
Currently 40% of the NI Population get their water from blue green algae contaminated loughs, and whilst NI water are confident that they are able to eliminate the cyanobacteria, they are aware of a prevailing issue regarding organic compounds from the blue green algae that can affect the taste and smell of your water. Our 7 stage dedicated drinking system will have your water tasting amazing again, we also have solutions that effectively mitigate bacterial growth from organic compounds.
Nitrates are vital for our food supply. They appear in fertilisers and pesticides which help farmers by replenishing soil after a long crop-growing season and keep away unwanted bugs. But these same nitrates that help the soil recover are toxic when they directly enter the food chain. This happens when nitrate run-off soaks into our water supply and the excess levels have resulted in a process known as eutrophication. This process causes the rapid growth of algae which depletes the oxygen in our waterways and is detrimental to our environment, some algae can also contain toxins.
Exposure to pesticides and fertilisers can cause serious adverse health conditions. Our preliminary test checks for the presence of nitrates however we would recommend comprehensive testing if you suspect your water has been infiltrated by these contaminants.
Microplastics
Microplastics can enter our drinking water in many ways such as, leaching from large containers or piping if exposed at certain temperatures. Certain environmental exposures also can contaminate the water system with microplastics.
The full extent of the risks is still an area of ongoing research and therefore the long-term health effects are unknown yet. Although some studies suggest that microplastics may cause inflammation and tissue damage in the gastrointestinal tract as well as influencing the composition of gut microbiota which plays a role in maintaining overall health.
Alot of our consumers would typically purchase bottled drinking water. However whilst it may taste better than traditional tap water it is quite susceptible to plastic leaching. The bottles can potentially sit in warehouses for long periods of time which increases that risk. Our systems on the other hand mitigate this risk and they use BPA free components, not only will you get the taste improvement like bottled water, but you will also get a cost saving benefit over purchasing bottled water!
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Synthetic Hormones and Drugs
Synthetic hormones and drugs in drinking water have become a growing concern due to the potential health and environmental impacts. They enter our waterways in a multitude of ways from human excretion, improper disposals and inadequate waste treatment methods.
Some of the compounds that have been found in Uk tap water by Public Health England include, ethinyl estradiol (EE2) a compound present in contraceptive pills, cocaine, antidepressants, ibuprofen, naproxen and carbamazepine.
We simply don’t know how bad the situation is as there isn’t any established routine testing for these compounds in our drinking water, however according to the 2021 YouGov survey 56% of the population took prescription drugs. So the chances of prevalence are definitely there, what makes it worse is that many of these compounds simply don’t break down naturally so they can sit in our water table for a long time. Fortunately the dedicated 7 stage drinking system we have developed can effectively remove 99% of pharmaceuticals.
Possible effects of these contaminants are:
Hormonal Disruption: Synthetic hormones, even at low concentrations, can disrupt the endocrine system in both humans and wildlife. For example, A study conducted by the Environment Agency on male fish when exposed to estrogenic compounds showed effects of feminization on their reproductive health, leading to changes in sexual development.
Antibiotic Resistance: The presence of antibiotics in drinking water can contribute to the development of antibiotic-resistant bacteria. These resistant strains can pose a significant public health risk, making it more difficult to treat infections.
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Arsenic