#FINEWATERSThe Myth of Pure Water
Marketing campaigns for commodity bottled waters try to make us think water must be "pure" to be good. Being clean and healthy isn''t enough - water has to be pure, and the purer the better. These marketers tell us that nothing but hydrogen and oxygen should be in our water. Ironically, this misconception means people often drink distilled water when taking mineral supplements, which contain the same minerals that have been removed from the water.
Even distillation, which removes more contaminants than any other purification method, does not produce completely "pure" water. Rising steam is supposed to leave all impurities behind in the distilling process, but in fact gases, some chemicals, and some organic compounds can be taken along with the steam. Active carbon filters are used to eliminate those remaining contaminants from distilled water, but some impurity remains with this process, too.
In reverse osmosis (RO), water molecules are forced through a rubber membrane, leaving impurities behind. But gases, some chemicals (including chloramine and arsenic), and some bacteria can beat this technique, too.
So there is no such thing as pure water. It''s a myth. Natural water has mineral content. By removing minerals, water becomes acidic and aggressive, meaning it will seek to replace the minerals removed. Water treated by either distillation or RO will become acidic upon contact with air airborne carbon dioxide reacts with the water, taking the place of the removed minerals or contaminants.
Because water is a universal solvent, rainwater collects particles and chemicals even as it''s falling. Geological strata only add more to the composition the minerals and trace elements of the local area give each water its distinct terroir. Underground geology may filter water for decades or even millennia; when the water finally emerges at the source, it may not be "pure," but it is nevertheless clean and healthy. Clean, healthy water does not have to be pure. In fact, the waters with the most epicurean interest contain minerals and trace elements.
- In The News
- History of Bottled Water
Over the past two decades, bottled water has become the fastest-growing drinks market in the world. The global market was valued at $157bn in 2013 and is expected to reach $280bn by 2020.
Water is turning into wine. The same culture that surrounds the production and consumption
of wine is emerging around water. Water competitions akin to wine competitions
are now held.
Earth is old. The sun is old. But do you know what may be even older than both? Water.
Washington Post declares that unknown to many shoppers urged to buy foods that are “low sodium” and “low salt,” this longstanding warning has come under assault by scientists who say that typical American salt consumption is without risk.
Ours is the blue planet, and the hallmark of life on Earth is water. But where did this colorless, odorless liquid first come from? Recent discoveries in astrophysics suggest that water is not native to Earth.
This website appeared first in 2004 and the concept of considering water at the same level as wine and food as a natural product was still new and foreign to many.
