Is Reverse Osmosis (RO) Water Safe to Drink?
The short answer is yes. However, the process of reverse osmosis also removes beneficial minerals, such as iron, potassium, calcium, cobalt, and manganese.
With so many options for filtering your water, it is important to know the good and bad of the water you are drinking. After all, it is the most crucial aspect of life. Finding drinking water can be harder than it sounds. Let us examine the positives and negatives of one of the more popular water filtering treatments around today, the Reverse Osmosis water filter system, or RO for short.
What Is Reverse Osmosis Water?
Reverse Osmosis (RO) is a highly effective water filtration method that uses pressure to force water molecules through a semi-permeable membrane. This membrane allows water molecules to pass through while blocking larger particles, such as contaminants, dissolved salts, bacteria, and other impurities. As a result, the filtered water that emerges on the other side is highly purified, free from most harmful substances.
The process of reverse osmosis is widely used in various industries, including desalination plants, to produce clean drinking water from seawater, as well as in households to improve the safety and quality of tap water. RO systems can typically remove up to 99% of contaminants, making it one of the most comprehensive filtration methods available. This includes the removal of dissolved inorganic solids like lead, mercury, and arsenic, as well as organic compounds and pathogens.
Why RO Water is Lacking?
While RO systems effectively remove harmful substances, they also strip water of essential minerals that are beneficial to human health. These include important minerals such as calcium, magnesium, potassium, and iron. The removal of these minerals can result in water that is not only lacking in nutritional value but also described as 'flat' or 'lifeless' in taste due to the absence of natural minerals that typically enhance water’s flavor.
Furthermore, a study conducted by the World Health Organization found that when RO water is used for cooking, it can lead to a significant loss of minerals in foods, particularly in vegetables and meats. Essential minerals like magnesium and calcium can be reduced by as much as 60%, while other elements like copper, manganese, and cobalt may experience losses between 66% and 86%. This could impact your overall dietary intake unless the water is re-mineralized or supplemented.
In addition to mineral depletion, RO systems generate a substantial amount of wastewater. For every gallon of purified water produced, several gallons of wastewater are generated and discarded. This inefficiency in water use makes RO systems less environmentally friendly compared to other water filtration options. While the purified water produced by RO systems is safe and clean, the trade-offs in terms of mineral loss and water waste should be carefully considered.
What is a Good Alternative to Reverse Osmosis?
BOROUX water filters are a fantastic alternative to a reverse osmosis system. The first reason is the quality of the water. The black carbon filters used are equally as effective as Reverse Osmosis Systems due to their unique structure. The elements are comprised of microscopic pores, which trap harmful contaminants. The filters contain a revolutionary material with adsorption and ion exchange properties that attract molecules and contaminants. The filters have been tested by accredited third-party labs, which have reported that over 75 contaminants are removed.
An additional consideration is the taste of BOROUX filtered water. Many describe BOROUX filtered water as having a sweet taste, far more palatable than any other water they've ever tasted. This is due to the reduction of chlorine and other chemicals used in municipal water sources, while still leaving beneficial minerals in the water. A common complaint from users of RO systems is that their water has a flat taste, often described as "dead water."
Another advantage of BOROUX is the longevity and cost comparison to Reverse Osmosis systems. On average, each filter will effectively remove chlorine for up to 6,000 gallons. Each unit comes equipped with two black filters, which means you can get up to 12,000 gallons of filtered water. This equates to less than two cents per gallon of water, compared to RO systems, which on average cost about 25 cents per gallon if done at home with an under-the-counter system. That is more than 12x the cost of using a BOROUX water filter! Also, when you pour one gallon of water into the top chamber, you get one gallon of water in the bottom chamber. There is no wasted water, and it retains beneficial minerals found in water—unlike some systems. BOROUX is the most flexible and adaptable filtering system available. Considering the cost per gallon, the longevity of the system, and the vast list of contaminants addressed, BOROUX is sure to provide an economical solution to all your water filtration needs.
