Reverse Osmosis (RO) is often described as filtration, but it is much more complex than that. People sometimes explain it as a filter because it is much easier to visualize using those terms. For instance, the osmosis phenomenon is how our blood feeds each cell in your bodies. As your blood is carried into the minimum of capillaries in your bodies, nutrients pass through actually the cells’ wall to sustain its’ life.
Many years ago, researchers discovered a means to reverse or exploit this natural osmotic process and use it to purify salty ocean water. They found that if they took that same semi-permeable membrane and fed salty water into it with a sufficient amount of pressure on one side of the membrane, to overcome the natural osmotic pressure of the other side, they could actually “manufacture” clean water on the side of the membrane that has no pressure applied to it!
Is it Reverse Osmosis Water Safe To Drink?
Reverse osmosis water is perfectly safe to drink. There is also a scientific explanation as to why this type of purified water is actually better for you than water that contains high mineral (TDS) content. Water with a high TDS count of over 50 ppm, actually becomes electrically charged and can conduct very small amounts of electric current. High TDS water, under the right circumstances, can actually cause a small electric light bulb to become illuminated!
The Technology Side
Just as with many new technologies, when reverse osmosis systems first became available to the public sector, they were used almost exclusively in commercial settings and beyond the justifiable financial reach of the average household consumer. The membranes were very inefficient and wasted a lot of water. The technology has progressed in recent times to the point where it has become an affordable alternative, more efficient and readily available for the average consumer.
Reverse Osmosis Recognized by the United States EPA
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has recently released information stating that one in five Americans, supplied by one-quarter of the nation’s drinking water systems, consume tap water that violates EPA safety standards under the Clean Water Act! With this in mind, it is safe to assume that no matter where you live in the United States, at any given time, there is likely to be some toxic substance in your tap water.
Reverse osmosis is recognized by the EPA as an effective means to remove cysts
The US EPA has even recommended the use of point of use reverse osmosis for the removal of certain contaminants such as cysts found in many water supplies, public or otherwise. In addition, reverse osmosis has been scientifically proven over conventional filtration, to be one of the most effective means of removing the widest spectrum of all other water contaminants.
Chances are your neighbor or someone you know already has a residential reverse osmosis drinking water system installed in their home. It is becoming a popular choice for many educated consumers to have a reliable pure water source at their fingertips. After using the RO system for a while, most people find themselves wondering how they ever did without it.
