Water is life. However, that does not apply to any water. Hence, that raises the question; is reverse osmosis water bad for you? I sought to find the answer to this question. Therefore, I scoured the web to try and find a valid and factual answer.
If you’ve been thinking about getting reverse osmosis (RO) filtration system in your system, then you must consider how healthy RO water is. There have been claims that reverse osmosis water is dangerous for consumption, but this is not factual. Reverse osmosis removes contaminants from the water, making it 100 percent safe for you to drink. However, it also has its disadvantages.
Is reverse osmosis water all that good?
Although has some drawbacks, the positives outweigh the downside. The key downside to consuming reverse osmosis water is that the water is completely purified. In other words, the water is demineralized. So, why is this a drawback? It is because water contains plenty of nutrients, and some provide you with health benefits.
However, the reverse osmosis filtration system eliminates a majority of the minerals, making the water relatively inadequate. But that is not to mean that reverse osmosis water isn’t safe to drink. Technically, RO water will not have all the essential nutrients you need, and neither does tap water. Also, these nutrients are available in small amounts, and tap water will most likely have harmful contaminants.
Also, reverse osmosis water is acidic, and people tend to think that it will cause stomach issues. But that’s not the case. Normal tap water has a neutral pH, but the demineralization that happens through reverse osmosis may lower this pH. That shouldn’t worry you because the pH levels of RO water return to normal when it comes to contact with food in your stomach. The only issue is that acidic water doesn’t hydrate as well as alkaline water.
Read on to find out more about the reverse osmosis filtration system.
What is reverse osmosis?
Reverse osmosis is one of the best methods of filtering your tap water. It even removes contaminants that wouldn’t be removed through other filtration methods. RO technology filters your water via a semi-permeable membrane, and it is not only used by private homeowners but also by commercial establishments.
So, what makes this type of filtration more popular than other methods? Well, it’s because it uses a filtration process that removes a significant amount of potential contaminants. Most reverse osmosis filters use a 6-stage process to eliminate harmful contaminants.
How does reverse osmosis work?
Reverse osmosis may seem complicated when you hear about it for the first time, but it’s quite the contrary. It is not rocket science. Rather, it is a process whereby inorganic solids such as salts are eliminated from the water. That makes your tap water safe to drink.
At its most basic, the process entails pushing your tap water through a semi-permeable membrane. The membrane works effectively by filtering out contaminants present in your drinking water. It only allows water to pass through. Some reverse osmosis systems are fitted with filters that can eliminate particles that are as little as .001 microns.
The water purification process in such a system is done through desalinization, which is the removal of salts. Also, it purifies your water through demineralization, which entails the removal of minerals from the water. An effective reverse osmosis filter should remove up to 99 percent of contaminants in your drinking water. That said, do you still think reverse osmosis water is bad for you?
Benefits of drinking reverse osmosis water
Drinking contaminated water can have adverse effects on your health, and in worse cases, it may even lead to death. Fortunately, reverse osmosis is a scientifically proven method that helps to purify water. It eliminates iron, mineral salts, and other contaminants that could make your tap water unfit for consumption. So far, it has proven quite effective, and here are some of the benefits it brings to the table.
RO water has fewer contaminants
A notable advantage of installing a reverse osmosis system in your home is that you take water with fewer contaminants. How so? RO technology works by removing small contaminants. Particularly, molecular compounds, whose particles are smaller than water.
Some of the compounds that this process removes include fluoride, lead, iron, manganese, and calcium, among others. Such compounds make the water unhealthy for consumption, but that’s nothing that a reverse osmosis filter can’t solve.
Some people think that pipe water is safe to drink. They ignore the fact that such water may be contaminated by elements such as lead, especially when the piping is old. Consuming such water will bring rise to several health issues, including nerve damage. But if you consume reverse osmosis water, then such risk is eliminated. Besides that, this process also gets rid of harmful parasites in your water.
RO water has better taste
Even though people perceive tastes differently, reverse osmosis water is known to have a better taste than tap water. How come? Well, tap water contains impurities such as lead, Sulphur, and other mineral salts that could give it an unpleasant taste. And nobody wants to consume water that has a low-quality taste.
However, a reverse osmosis system filters out these molecular compounds, making the water palatable. Installing such a system will have you consuming tastier and cleaner water as opposed to drinking direct tap water. Reverse osmosis water is not only demineralized but also free from parasites, making it more suitable than tap water.
It saves you money
Another key advantage of reverse osmosis water is that it saves you a significant amount of money. How so? Well, you don’t have to buy bottled water every time you want clean water that has a pleasant taste. Additionally, it contributes to conserving the environment because there’s less waste from plastic water bottles.
Final word
Is Reverse Osmosis Water Bad For You? Reverse osmosis is one of the ideal water purification methods. However, there have been concerns that RO water is unsafe for consumption, but this is not the case. The process removes contaminants from water that could harm your health, and it also improves the taste of water. Therefore, if you’ve been wondering if reverse osmosis is bad for you, you should know it’s not.
Related post
- Does Reverse Osmosis Remove Chloramine
- Best Water Filter for Lead + Safe Levels of Lead in Water (PPM)
- How to Remove Copper from Drinking Water
ABOUT LEON SMITH
Leon is a Thirty-something-year-old blogger from Mauritius who is currently studying for a Master’s degree in chemical and processing Engineering at the University of Eldoret in Kenya. Read more about him.