Because children have more delicate immune systems than adults, water contaminants pose a more serious threat to the young. Drinking only the highest quality water is one way that parents can contribute to keeping their children healthy, even before they are born.
Pregnant women need to be especially careful of the water they drink. Certain levels of some water contaminants such as lead, nitrate and chlorination by-products pose a serious threat to the well-being of unborn babies even at low levels that aren’t harmful to older children.
Parents with small children should also be conscious of microbiological contaminants like Cryptosporidium and E. coli that are more dangerous to this age group. Children who drink contaminated water can experience malnutrition, dehydration, and episodes of diarrhea, all potentially life-threatening conditions for the very young.
The whole family can be harmed by Cryptosporidium, a waterborne microscopic parasite that can withstand temperature extremes and chlorination. Contaminated water poses significant health concerns and currently no antibiotics or other medical treatments effectively kill this protozoan. High levels of Crypto passed through filters and were not eliminated by water treatments in Milwaukee in 1993, resulting in the largest documented waterborne disease occurrence in U.S. history.
Concerned parents should also make sure their water is free of certain deposits that can be picked up after leaving the treatment center. Harmful contaminants like lead can infiltrate the clean water supply as it travels through aging pipes. Lead is often referred to as the No. 1 environmental health threat to children in the United States, and lead poisoning can have serious lifelong effects that include permanent brain damage.
The best way to ensure that water is safe is to have it tested. Kinetico’s authorized dealers offer free water analyses and can tailor treatment systems to an individual’s specific needs. Innovative features like the MACguard® Filter and EverClean™ Rinse ensure that users receive only top quality water to help keep families healthy and strong. Because it produces bio-pure water through reverse osmosis and ultra-filtration, Kinetico’s Purefecta® water treatment system is one of the few certified multibarrier systems on the market that can claim status as a microbiological purifier according to stringent EPA guidelines. In addition to providing users with higher quality water than any other in-home drinking water treatment system, Purefecta® is more than 99.999 percent effective at removing protozoa and bacteria like Cryptosporidium and E. coli to ensure that water is free of contaminants that can make children sick.
For more information contact us at 806.771.7638
“City Well Reopens after Perchlorate Treatment Installed,” August 25, 2004, Redlands Daily Facts.
“Common Tap Water Contaminants,” Natural Resource Defense Council, www.nrdc.org/water/drinking/uscities/pdf/chap05.pdf, retrieved May 2, 2007.
Emily Main, “Water Woes on Tap,” Mothering, September/October 2006, p. 28.
