Drinking purified water helps maintain the proper functioning of your digestive system and keeps you hydrated. Water is also an important source of minerals like magnesium, potassium, and sodium.
Purified water is typically heated to boiling point, which effectively kills all viruses and bacteria. It’s also commonly used in medical and scientific laboratories.
Health Benefits
Drinking clean, purified water is essential to good health. It eliminates toxins and prevents the build-up of harmful chemicals in the body. It also helps with digestion and nutrient absorption. The human body is over 60% water, so it needs high-quality drinking water to perform properly.
Having safe, clean water available in the home is essential to the well-being of families. Having access to pure, clean water can help people avoid unhealthy habits such as consuming too many sugary drinks, which contribute to obesity and other health conditions.
In addition, purified water is a great source of energy. It promotes weight loss and can help with digestion. It can also help with muscle growth and joint health. It can also help to keep skin and hair hydrated. It’s easy to overlook the benefits of drinking water, but switching out sodas and coffee for bottled water can make a big difference in a person’s health.
There are many different ways to produce purified water, including distillation and reverse osmosis. These processes remove dissolved minerals and chemicals from the water, leaving it free of contaminants and bacteria. Some of these methods are more effective than others. Boiling water, for example, is not considered a purification method, as it still contains bacteria.
Environmental Benefits
Water makes up half of a person’s body weight, so it is important to stay hydrated. However, tap and bottled water may contain contaminants, impurities, and unpleasant tastes and smells. A water purification system can eliminate these problems and provide clean, delicious drinking water.
Most drinking water is treated at water treatment plants to remove pollutants before it reaches the consumer. This pretreatment process consists of screening to remove large debris, aeration, disinfection, and filtration.
Many systems use sand, charcoal, or gravel to filter out unwanted particles and chemicals. This can also remove bacteria, which is important as some types of bacteria can cause infections and illness in humans. Biological contamination is usually reduced by adding chlorine to the water. This is done to control the growth of bacteria in pipes and tanks, and to prevent disease-causing organisms from entering the water supply.
The water that is treated and bottled for consumption is usually tested before it is sold to consumers. This testing is regulated by professional organizations such as ASTM International and the U.S. National Committee for Clinical Laboratory Standards (NCCLS) or CLSI, which set the standards for potable water.
Water purification systems are typically environmentally friendly as there is little or no water wastage during the filtration process. In addition, power usage and temperature can be controlled by intermittent recirculation. The recycling of components, especially consumables and purification media is desirable but is difficult to achieve due to the high costs involved.
Economical Benefits
A city or country’s water supply may be contaminated with harmful substances that affect the quality, taste and appearance of its drinking water. To ensure that its citizens have safe drinking water, governments regulate the levels of contaminants in their public water supply. Typically, these standards are set by agencies that specialize in testing and analyzing water, such as the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, the American Chemical Society, the National Committee for Clinical Laboratory Standards (NCCLS) and the International Organization for Standardization (ISO).
While a natural stream, river or lake may appear clean, it can still contain bacteria, viruses and parasites that can cause waterborne diseases, such as cryptosporidiosis and giardiasis. Purification methods like filtration and boiling can remove these contaminants and make the water safe for consumption.
In addition, distilled water is often used in laboratories and facilities because it is free of all impurities. While distilled water is safe to drink, it does not have the same taste and flavor as other types of purified drinking water.
When people have access to reliable, affordable drinking water, they can spend less time searching for water and more time on income-generating activities like farming, sewing, teaching or cooking. This translates to greater economic productivity and provides more bang for their buck, according to WaterAid. Ensuring that everyone has access to clean, safe water can generate $45 billion in economic benefits every year.
Social Benefits
Water purification is a lifesaving technology that provides an important public service. Without it, people would be susceptible to diseases transmitted by contaminated water. Drinking water contaminated with bacteria or viruses can cause diarrhoea, gastroenteritis, and even typhoid and polio. Systemic contaminants such as arsenic, fluoride and nitrate can also have adverse health effects. Water-borne chemicals like pesticides, pharmaceuticals, polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs), and microplastics also pose health risks.
Most of the world’s population relies on natural bodies of water as drinking-water sources, such as groundwater aquifers, rivers, streams, lakes and oceans. Water purification processes, such as filtration in various stages, water distillation and carbon filtration, or a combination of these methods, can be used to make drinking water safer and tastier for consumption.
In countries where water is scarce, providing safe and clean drinking-water can be a significant economic development opportunity. Having access to a safe supply of water improves people’s quality of life and contributes significantly to reducing poverty.
In addition to the physical benefits of having a steady supply of healthy water, there are also many social and emotional benefits from the process of consuming purified water. The most obvious is that having a readily available source of pure water can reduce the time spent on collecting it, allowing individuals to engage in other activities, such as working or spending time with family and friends.