Contaminants in Drinking Water and How to Get Them Out
Posted by Alkaline Water Plus on 28th Feb 2023
Comprehensive Chart of Drinking Water Contaminants
Note: The best filters for most contaminants are UltraWater Filters. Visit that page for more about why they filter so well.
| Contaminant | Toxicity & Health Issues | BEST Filter to Buy | Other Effective Filters |
| Mercury | Mercury has a high morbidity rate in infants and prenatal babies, otherwise low morbidity rate unless of course you overdose on it. Can damage the nervous system, kidneys, liver and immune system. | Ultra-Water | KDF 85, Activated Carbon |
| Lead | Lead has a high morbidity rate. Lead attacks the brain and central nervous system, causing coma, convulsions and even death. | Ultra-Water | KDF 85, Activated Carbon |
Copper | Copper has a high morbidity rate if too much is consumed over time. Also, can cause headaches, vomiting, diarrhea, stomach cramps, nausea, liver damage, and kidney disease. | Ultra-Water | KDF 85, Activated Carbon |
| Arsenic | Arsenic has a high morbidity rate due to oxidative damage, leading to cardiovascular disorders, neuronal damage, renal injuries, skin lesions, and risk of cancer and diabetes. | Ultra-Water | KDF 85, Activated Carbon |
| Nickle | Nickle has a high morbidity rate if overdosed over a period of time. Can harm the lungs, stomach, blood, and kidneys and may lead to cancer. | Ultra-Water | KDF 85, Activated Carbon |
| Chromium | Chromium has a high morbidity rate if consumed over many years. Can cause allergic dermatitis, damage to the liver and kidneys and nerve tissue damage. | Ultra-Water | Reverse Osmosis |
| Barium | Barium has a high cardiovascular mortality. Symptoms of over-consumption of Barium are vomiting, abdominal cramps, diarrhea, difficulty breathing, increased or decreased blood pressure, numbness around face and muscle weakness. | Ultra-Water | KDF 85, Activated Carbon |
| Fluoride | Fluoride has a low mortality rate. But Fluoride can increase aluminum absorption by increasing its bioavailability. It can also affect the pineal gland by hardening it. | Ultra-Water | ALF or Fluoride Shield |
| Aluminum | Aluminum has a low risk of mortality unless you overdose. There is a risk of dementia, especially if water is fluoridated. Fluoride can increase aluminum absorption by increasing its bioavailability. | ALF Filter | Reverse Osmosis |
| Sulphur | Sulphur Oxide has a low morbidity rates unless breathed. Sulfur dioxide dissolves easily in water to form sulfuric acid. Sulfuric acid is a major component of acid rain. Sulfur is common in drinking water and is usually safe. For some people, it may cause diarrhea and dehydration. Babies are most likely to get diarrhea from sulfur in the water. | KDF85 filter | |
| PFAS (Forever Chemicals) | A host of health effects associated with PFAS exposure, including cancer, liver damage, decreased fertility, and increased risk of asthma and thyroid disease. | Ultra-Water | KDF 85, Activated Carbon |
| Chlorine | Chlorine has a low morbidity rate. Cancer risk only when too much is consumed. | Ultra-Water | KDF 85, Activated Carbon |
| Chloramines Chlorine + Amonia | Chloramines have a low mortality rate. But risk of anemia, which could cause death. | Ultra-Water | KDF 85, Activated Carbon |
| Volatile Organic Compounds | VOCs have a high mortality rate in infants or unborn babies. Can also cause cancer if prolonged exposure. | Ultra-Water | KDF 85, Activated Carbon |
| Pharmaceuticals | Pharmaceuticals have a high morbidity rate due to antimicrobial resistance, an urgent health crisis. Some pharmaceuticals also contain Fluoride, Mercury. Lithium, Chlorine, etc., with their various associated health risks. | Ultra-Water | KDF 85, Activated Carbon |
| Industrial Wastes | Industrial wastes have a high morbidity rate. Other hazards depend on which wastes you're referring to. | Ultra-Water | KDF 85, Activated Carbon |
| Dioxin (PCBs - polychlorinated biphenyls) | Dioxin has a high morbidity rate. Interferes with hormones and can cause cancer, reproductive and developmental problems and damage to the immune system. | Ultra-Water | KDF 85, Activated Carbon |
| Herbicides | Herbicides supposedly have low morbidity rates. | Ultra-Water | KDF 85, Activated Carbon |
| Pesticides | Pesticides have a high morbidity rate. Some pesticides may be carcinogens. Others may affect the hormone or endocrine system in the body. | Ultra-Water | KDF 85, Activated Carbon |
| Nitrates/Nitrites | Nitrites have a low morbidity rate. Cancer risk only when too much is consumed. Nitrate can affect how our blood carries oxygen. Nitrate can turn hemoglobin (the protein in blood that carries oxygen) into methemoglobin . High levels can turn skin to a bluish or gray color and cause more serious health effects like weakness, excess heart rate, fatigue, and dizziness. | Ultra-Water | Reverse Osmosis |
| Radioactive Substances | Radioactive substances have high morbidity rates if over-consumed over many years. | Ultra-Water | Reverse osmosis or sodium form cation exchanger (softener) |
| Ammonia | Ammonia has a high morbidity rate. May be damaging to internal organ systems. | Ultra-Water | Reverse Osmosis |
| Manganese | Manganese has a high infant morbidity. Children and adults who drink water with high levels of manganese for a long time may have problems with memory, attention, and motor skills. Infants (babies under one year old) may develop learning and behavior problems if they drink water with too much manganese in it. The symptoms of manganese toxicity include tremors, muscle spasms, hearing problems, mania, insomnia, depression, loss of appetite, headaches, irritability, weakness, and mood changes | Ultra-Water | Reverse Osmosis |
| Selenium | Selenium has a high morbidity rate. Can also cause discoloration of the skin, pathological deformation and loss of nails, loss of hair, excessive tooth decay and discoloration, lack of mental alertness, and listlessness. | Fluoride Shield | Reverse Osmosis |
| Zinc | Zinc has a high infant morbidity. Can also act as an intestinal irritant, causing nausea and vomiting. | Ultra-Water | Reverse Osmosis |
| Petroleum Products | Petroleum products have high cancer morbidity. Can also cause upset stomach, cramping, nausea, vomiting and diarrhea. | Ultra-Water | Reverse Osmosis |
| Bacteria | Bacteria has high morbidity due to diarrhea | Filter with less than .03 Fine Filtration | |
| Viruses | Viruses have a low mortality rate. But risk of waterborne diseases. | .01M Filter |
A Little About UltraWater Filters
The best water filters anywhere at any price are UltraWater Filters. These filters are a unique invention. They take the most effective filtration media and form it into a block. What this does is disallows the water to bypass the filter media and create channels. When you filter your water slowly through UltraWater Filters (as you would in a water ionizer) the extensive lab-testing of UltraWater Filtration shows no detection of 99% of all contaminants. Learn more about UltraWater filtration.
The Best Technique for Water Filtration
If you really care about removing the above contaminants from your drinking water, filter your water slowly. If you do it too fast the water doesn't have enough chance to make contact with the filter media.
Why a Water Ionizer?
A water ionizer does extra filtration of a sort.
- It filters slowly (about 1.5 - 2 liters per minute).
- It normally uses UltraWater filters (the best filters in the world by far).
- It removes acidic elements from the drinking water, which tend to be toxic, such as Fluoride.
- There are other important reasons for using a water ionizer on The Benefits of Ionized Water page.
