Chlorine is the most widely used disinfectant in municipal water. It creates water that is safe for public consumption by killing bacteria and viruses. Chlorine leaves a strong taste to water and in excess can have negative health effects on the stomach.

FreshPure® Waters filtration technology removes Chlorine.

Cities use Chloramines as an alternative to chlorine in order to reduce the Disinfection Byroducts (DEPs) chlorine causes. It is used to kill bacteria and viruses that may be in municipal water supply. Chloramines are also used to improve the aesthetics of water- they create less odor and aftertaste than chlorine. There is concern that DEPs produced by chloramines may be just as toxic as those produced by chlorine.

Chloramines are hard to remove from water supply and health effects are unknown. “No scientific studies on chloramines’ effects on your skin or respiratory tract via inhalation have been conducted. …cancer studies have been so limited that they are not able to conclude as to whether or not chloramines cause cancer.” – Dr. Mercola

Evidence suggests that chloramines combined with fluoride (which is added to most public water supply) can extract lead from pipes. There is concern that this combination can actually increase lead levels in water. 

FreshPure® Waters filtration technology includes specialized carbon specifically to remove Chloramines.

Odorless, colorless Trihalomethanes (THMs) are a Disinfection Byproduct (DEB) of chlorine. While they are a highly regulated chemical, many municipalities have a hard time meeting strict city standards due to the evasive nature of trihalomethanes. THMs are a known carcinogen.

FreshPure® Waters filtration technology removes Trihalomethanes.

Benzene, a constituent of crude oil, is in the top 20 most frequently used chemicals in the United States. Water supplies may contain benzene due to discharge from factories, leaching from gas storage tanks (historically one out of four gas stations leaks), and landfills. Additional sources of benzene are motor vehicle exhaust, cigarette smoke, glue fumes, gasoline, solvents, and paint. Benzene toxicity is known to cause cancer (leukemia in particular), nervous system issues, and harms bone marrow.

FreshPure® Waters filtration technology removes Benzene.

MTBE (methyl tertiary-butyl ether) is an additive in gasoline. A growing number of studies have detected MTBE in underground aquifers throughout the country where it may seep into city water. Research to determine the health effects of MTBE is ongoing. For more information, see this article from the American Cancer Society.

FreshPure® Waters filtration technology removes MTBE.

Perchlorate is the primary ingredient of solid rocket propellant. It is found in underground aquifers nationwide. Perchlorate can affect the thyroid by inhibiting the body’s absorption of iodine. Research shows perchlorate to be carcinogenic in animals.

FreshPure® Waters filtration technology removes Perchlorate.

Toluene is a byproduct of gasoline production and is used as paint thinner. Petroleum factory waste, solvent and petroleum products spills, underground gasoline storage tank leaks, and improper disposal are all ways toluene can enter surface and groundwater. Toulene exposure can have a wide range of effects on the nervous system from headaches and dizziness to cognitive impairment and hearing loss, as well as reproductive, kidney, and liver impairments.

FreshPure® Waters filtration technology removes Toulene.

Asbestos refers to a group of naturally occurring minerals characterized by crystal fibers. It is often used in cement pipe, flooring, roofing, thermal insulation, electrical insulation, plastics, and more. Due to this wide range of uses, asbestos is a common contaminant in municipal water supply. It enters our water sources through decay of asbestos cement in water mains, erosion of natural deposits, and through improper disposal of materials.

Asbestos exposure can cause asbestosis and cancer in the heart, lungs, and abdomen.

FreshPure® Waters filtration technology removes Asbestos.

Fluoride is a mineral that has been added to public drinking water for decades for its topical function of strengthening teeth and preventing cavities. It also enters water sources through erosion of natural deposits and discharge from fertilizer and aluminum factories. Long term ingestion of high amounts of fluoride can lead to dental or skeletal fluorosis, conditions which can compromise bone and joint health.

“Today, (flouride) poisoning is mainly due to unsupervised ingestion of products for dental and oral hygiene and over-fluoridated water.” – NCBI

FreshPure® Waters filtration technology removes Fluoride.

Nitrates and Nitrites, two of the most common groundwater contaminants in rural areas, are the final breakdown product of nitrogen fertilizers. They accumulate in groundwater under agricultural land and enter our water supply through fertilizer runoff, leaky septic tanks and sewage systems, and erosion of natural deposits.

“Nitrate levels can also be high in streams and rivers due to runoff of excess nitrogen fertilizer from agricultural fields. Groundwater is used for drinking water by 90% of the rural population in the United States and many rural residents have private wells, which are not regulated by the EPA under the SDWA.”

-Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry

The main health concern related to nitrate and nitrite toxicity is methemoglobinemia, or Blue Baby Syndrome, which can cause infants to have lung and digestive issues.

For information on nitrates and nitrites in wells, click here.

FreshPure® Waters filtration technology removes nitrates and nitrites.

Aluminum is incorporated into water treatment programs to remove parasites and microorganisms. Although there is no EPA regulation on aluminum, high concentrations are being connected to nervous system disorders. There are no conclusions at this point; research is ongoing.

FreshPure® Waters filtration technology removes Aluminum.

Arsenic occurs naturally in rocks and soil. It is used as wood preservative, and can be found in paint, dyes, metals, drugs, soaps, and semi-conductors. Arsenic enters our city water supply through erosion of natural deposits, runoff from orchards, and production of glass and electronics. Arsenic has been linked to a several types of cancer and shown to have negative effects on many physiological systems including the endocrine, cardiovascular, pulmonary, and neurological systems. You may read more about the EPA’s Drinking Water Standard for Arsenic here.

The World Health Organization reports that “long-term in-utero and early childhood exposure has been linked to negative impacts on cognitive development and increased deaths in young adults.”

FreshPure® Waters filtration technology removes Arsenic.

Commonly used in plumbing, copper, can leach into city water as it passes through pipes into homes, and through erosion of natural deposits. Effects of copper toxicity include gastrointestinal bleeding, jaundice, neuropathy, cardiotoxicity, and central nervous system impact.

FreshPure® Waters filtration technology removes Copper.

Iron, as the fourth most abundant mineral in the Earth’s crust, easily seeps into wells. In high concentrations, iron can cause corrosion, and promote bacteria growth.

FreshPure® Waters filtration technology removes Iron.

Lead is one of our main concerns at FreshPure® Waters. It enters municipal water supply due to corrosion of household plumbing systems. Lead becomes especially problematic in municipalities with acidic water or low mineral content since this speeds up corrosion and increases lead concentration in water supply to homes, schools, and any other sources of drinking water.

Lead also causes a wide spectrum of health issues. We have detailed some of them below.

Lead in Children

Lead toxicity in children is linked to central and peripheral nervous system damage, developmental disabilities, impaired hearing, slowed growth, and improper blood cell formation. The same level of lead exposure that causes little to no effect in adults can have a significant effect on children.

Lead in Pregnancy

Our bodies store lead in our bones. During pregnancy, lead (along with calcium) is released from bones as maternal calcium and is used to help form the bones of the fetus. Lead then enters the placenta to potentially cause:

• Reduced growth of the fetus
• Premature birth

Lead in Adults

In adults, lead toxicity can result in:

• Increased blood pressure
• Decreased kidney function
• Reproductive complications

FreshPure® Waters filtration technology removes Lead.

Mercury is a liquid metal found in, air, water, and natural deposits in the earth. Mercury may enter water sources through runoff from both landfills and agricultural land, due to erosion of natural deposits, and discharge from refineries.

The World Health Organization places mercury on the top ten list of chemicals that pose a danger to public health. Even in small amounts, mercury is known to have potentially negative impact on the nervous system, digestive tract, immune system, lungs, kidneys, skin, and eyes. It can also affect the development of a fetus in utero.

FreshPure® Waters filtration technology removes Mercury.

Our multi-stage filtration process removes bacteria, parasites, and viruses in two key steps:

1. Reverse Osmosis technology removes contaminants down to 10,000th of a micron, smaller than the tiniest of bacteria, parasites, protozoa, and viruses.
2. Sterilization with high-intensity ultraviolet light as a final safeguard.

The CDC Reports:

• “Ultraviolet Treatment Systems have a very high effectiveness in removing protozoa (for example, Cryptosporidium, Giardia);
• Ultraviolet Treatment Systems have a very high effectiveness in eliminating bacteria (for example, Campylobacter, Salmonella, Shigella, E. coli);
• Ultraviolet Treatment Systems have a high effectiveness in removing viruses (for example, Enteric, Hepatitis A, Norovirus, Rotavirus)”

FreshPure® Waters filtration technology removes Viruses, Bacteria, E. Coli, Coliform, Cryptosporidium, Giardia, and more.

A wide array of pharmaceutical drugs enter our water supply through human excretion, runoff from conventional meat and dairy facilities, and by flushing leftover prescriptions down the toilet. While the effects on humans are unknown, there is concern that certain populations are at greater risk from potential dangers. These include children, pregnant women, and the elderly.

For more on Pharmaceuticals in our water supply, click here.

Pesticides, such as glyphosate, are used to protect crops from insects. With the rapid growth of agriculture, it is becoming more and more likely that these pesticides eventually reach our water supply. Pesticides can enter groundwater through crop fields that reside above aquifers, seepage of contaminated surface water, spills, improper disposal, and more. Contamination from pesticides is of greater concern to agricultural areas as opposed to urban environments.

There are hundreds of types of pesticides. The EPA has set Maximum Contaminant Limits (MCL) for some. Health effects for many pesticides have not been studied, but the U.S. Department of the Interior reports that, “it would be wise to treat pesticides as potentially dangerous and, thus, to handle them with care.”

This is one of the many reasons FreshPure® Waters is proud to remove known and unknown contaminants from water supply.

FreshPure® Waters filtration technology removes Pesticides.

Herbicides, such as atrazine, can enter our drinking water supply through runoff from crops. High amounts of atrazine can result in cardiovascular and reproductive complications. Carbon filters that can filter down to 3 parts per billion, such as the FreshPure® Waters system, effectively remove atrazine and other herbicides.

As with pesticides, rapid growth of agriculture increases the potential for herbicides to reach our water supply. Herbicides can enter groundwater through crop fields that reside above aquifers, seepage of contaminated surface water, spills, improper disposal, and more. Contamination from herbicides is of greater concern to agricultural areas as opposed to urban environments.

FreshPure® Waters filtration technology removes Herbicides.

Polyvinyl chloride(PVC) is thermoplastic commonly used in pipes, plumbing, construction materials, electrical wire insulation, and more. PVC enters drinking water supply due to discharge and wastes from plastics factories. Additionally, PVC pipes made before 1977 can leach vinyl chloride leaching into the water. The EPA lists vinyl chloride as a Grade A human carcinogen.

FreshPure® Waters filtration technology removes PVC.

Nanoplastics, microplastics, plastic fibers, and BPA are a new water safety concern. Clothing made with synthetic fibers, tire dust, and microbeads from personal care products can disintegrate into the water supply. Studies show that 84% of water samples tested world-wide contain microplastics.

BPA in water is of considerable concern. As an endocrine disruptor it can interfere with the body’s hormone functionality, affecting the reproduction, metabolism, mental health, and more.

The smallest ever detected microplastic is 1.6 microns in diameter. FreshPure® Waters’ Reverse Osmosis technology removes particles down to 10,000th of a micron, easily removing the smallest plastics ever detected. Research on this pressing issue continues in the scientific community.

FreshPure® Waters filtration technology removes Nanoplastics, Microplastics, and BPA.

The world is changing at a rapid pace and with that comes benefits and downsides. With the addition of approximately 700 new chemicals per year, it’s impossible to keep abreast of new potential contaminants entering our environment. As issues arise, the EPA takes action, but most new chemicals enter our water long before regulations are placed on them.

GenX, for example, is an unregulated chemical. It was created to replace PFOA, a chemical used commonly in nonstick cookware, food packaging, electronics, and carpets which was phased out in 2003 due to negative potential health effects.

Research shows a probable link between PFOA and several illnesses including:

• Ulcerative colitis, pregnancy-induced hypertension, high cholesterol, thyroid disease, low birth weights in babies, and kidney and testicular cancer.

PFOA and GenX are extremely similar in chemical structure. Experts and residents alike are concerned that GenX may cause similar health issues.

FreshPure® Waters takes great care to exceed all standards and requirements in order to bring you water we know to be clean, regardless of what changes in the world.

FreshPure® Waters filtration technology removes Contaminants of Emerging Concern.