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Rushing to Buy a Countertop Reverse Osmosis Filter? Read This First

By Venkata Krishnan Rajagopalan

Republish: EasyPublish™ Published: 31Jul2009 Word count: 678 Viewed: 742 time(s) Get Free Content For Your Site

One of the things that have always surprised me is the popularity of countertop reverse osmosis units. A lot of people still think that they are the best choice when it comes to water filters - something which is evident from the fact that water filter manufacturers sell hundreds of thousands of countertop RO units every year. As someone who has studied water purification in detail, I have something very important to tell you guys.

Countertop reverse osmosis units are not the best choice for you. By drinking water that has been purified by reverse (RO) osmosis process, you are putting your health at risk big time. I understand that what I am saying might come as a big surprise to most of you guys, but make sure you read this article fully. By the time you finish reading it, you will understand that what I am saying is right.

First of all, let me make something very clear. I have nothing against the companies which sell countertop reverse osmosis units. My problem is not with their water purifiers, but with the purification process itself. So, basically, what I am going to say applies not just to countertop filters, but to any type of water filter that is based on reverse osmosis. Now that I have made it clear, let me tell you why I think reverse osmosis is not the right method to purify tap water.

1. In reverse osmosis, water is passed through a semi permeable membrane which removes contaminants like cysts, dirt, heavy metals, and certain viruses and bacteria. The big problem, however, is that the membrane is not capable of removing any contaminants that is smaller in size than water molecules. As a result, small contaminants like volatile organic compounds pass through the membrane easily.

2. Water contains lots of essential minerals which are very good for your health. An RO unit, however, removes these essential minerals as they are larger in size than water molecules. So, you get de-mineralized distilled water which is only good to be used in car batteries and chemical labs. By drinking this kind of water, you could develop several health problems.

3. You all know what chlorinated water smells and tastes like - awful. Reverse osmosis is not capable of removing chlorine from tap water and, as a result, the filtered water you get from countertop reverse osmosis units smells and tastes just as bad as tap water. Moreover, it is not capable of removing the harmful byproducts of chlorination which can cause serious health problems including cancer.

4. A typical countertop RO unit wastes lots of water. To produce a gallon of pure water, it wastes nearly four gallons of water. This, needless to say, is terribly bad for the environment. Water is a precious commodity and it is meant to be treated like one.

5. Above all, countertop reverse osmosis units cost a lot. You need to spend thousands of dollars on installation alone. After knowing the shortcomings of reverse (RO) osmosis, I am not sure if someone would be willing to spend that kind of money on RO units.

Now, after reading this, you might have a question - is there a better alternative? My answer to you is - yes, there is. You see - there are several water purification methods that are way better than reverse osmosis. The ones that immediately come to mind are active carbon filtration, sub micron filtration, and ion exchange. These methods are capable of removing more than 99% of the contaminants present in tap water, including chlorine. And, most importantly, they retain the essential minerals present in water. So, instead of countertop reverse osmosis filters, you can go for a water filter based on any of these methods or a combination of all three methods. This way, you get to drink clean, tasty water every day.

My take on this issue is very simple - why spend so much money on countertop reverse osmosis water filters when there are much better alternatives available at affordable prices? Read this article thoroughly, ask yourself this question, and make an informed decision today.

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