Is your tap water safe to drink?

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When residents of Michigan turned on their taps back in 2014, they encountered an unpleasant brown sludge that tasted like metal.

In India, tap water looks clear, but when you investigate the data, India is ranked 120th out of 122 nations for its quality of water.

In the Philippines, we feel our tap water is safe to drink because it looks clear and it tastes normal. To some extent, it is true because if water is clear it means there are no visible suspended impurities present in your water and it tastes normal because the TDS(Total dissolved solids) level in your water is within acceptable levels.

The best way to tell exactly what's in our water is to have it professionally tested, but there are a few ways to screen for contaminants using our senses.

Here are some signs that your tap water might not be safe to drink.

Check for cloudiness

Water that's safe to drink should ideally be clear with no odor or funny taste. One way to tell if water is contaminated is to look for turbidity, or cloudiness. While cloudy water isn't necessarily dangerous to your health, it could signal the presence of unsafe pathogens or chemicals.

Yellow, orange, or brown water is never a good sign.

Yellow water could signal the presence of chromium-6, the cancer-causing chemical that resulted in a lawsuit filed by clean water advocate Erin Brockovich. It might also be a sign of a buildup of iron, manganese, copper, or lead. If your water comes from a public system, check to see whether the yellow tint only appears while running cold water, which could be a sign that your utility is simply clearing out its pipes.

Water that's orange or brown could also contain excess iron, manganese, or lead, or signal the presence of rust, which can breed bacteria.

Smells like bleach

Chlorine is deliberately added to most water supply to kill germs and pathogens, but when it mixes with other organic compounds it can create a few harmful byproducts.

One of these byproducts, a group of chemicals known as trihalomethanes (THMs), has been linked to kidney problems and increased cancer risk. Another, known as haloacetic acids (HAAs), causes skin irritation and could also increase cancer risk.

Low levels of chlorine in the water system can also expose people to a parasite called giardia that causes diarrhea, cramps, and nausea.

Water that smells like bleach could be a sign of excess chlorine in your local system.

The smell of rotten eggs

Water that smells like sewage or rotten eggs could contain hydrogen sulfide, a colorless gas that can naturally occur in groundwater. When this gas is exposed to certain bacteria, it converts into sulfate, which can cause dehydration or diarrhea.

water smells fishy

Fishy-smelling water could signal an excess of barium, a naturally-occurring chemical that can seep into a water supply through drilling or manufacturing. When barium is present above the EPA's recommended levels, it could cause increased blood pressure, muscle weakness, or kidney, liver, and heart damage.

Water that smells fishy might also contain cadmium, a chemical found in lead and copper ores, which often leaches into pipes through industrial waste. Exposure to elevated levels of cadmium in drinking water can cause kidney, liver, and bone damage.

Water is the lifeline of any home especially for us Filipinos. Beyond drinking it, we use it to bathe, cook and clean things like dishes and clothes. That makes having clean, quality water all the more important. Depending on the source of the water, it can contain various degrees of harmful contaminants like chemicals, sediments and organic matter. Even treated water sources from cities and towns might not be in the best condition. This is where a home water filter system can be handy. These systems take the water that enters your home from a single source and treats it to remove these various harmful contaminants.

Author Bio:

Darvin Tocmo is the Digital Marketing Strategist for Kemique Water Soluzione. Kemique Water Soluzione is the leading water solutions company in the Philippines. We offer water treatment, sewage treatment, and commercial water system solutions.

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