(ARA) -- Ahhh, nothing quite so refreshing as a clear, clean drink of water … unless, of course, you stop to think about exactly what else you could be ingesting with your good old H2O. Nearly nine out of 10 Americans are thinking just that, reports a 2001 survey by the Water Quality Association (WQA).

The WQA National Consumer Water Quality Survey indicates that 86 percent of the United States population is concerned about the quality of their drinking water. More than half of those surveyed worry about possible contaminants in that water. When asked about issues of water taste, smell and hardness, 66 percent reported concern -- and well-founded concerns they are.

The Culprits

What causes these problems? High concentrations of dissolved calcium and magnesium result in water hardness. Water that tastes or smells bad is caused by the presence of organic matter or chemicals. Chlorine kills bacteria and other pathogens and is widely used as the primary line of defense in municipal water supplies. However, pathogens like cryptosporidium and giardia, are resistant to chlorine disinfection, and high chlorine concentrations can react with water creating trihalomethanes (THMs), carcinogenic compounds.

Industrial solvents and agricultural pesticides and herbicides, Volatile Organic Chemicals (VOCs), can be particularly insidious as they are often tasteless, odorless contaminants that are difficult to detect. In particular, methyl tertiary-butyl ether (MTBE), a highly soluble gasoline additive resistant to natural biodegradation, is a VOC that has gained recent notoriety for contaminating water supplies in relatively small amounts. Low levels of MTBE can render water undrinkable with an offensive, turpentine-like taste and odor. Ironically, MTBE was added to gasoline in the 1970s to remove the lead.

Lead can leach into water supplies, but the bigger problem is lead getting into your tap water from plumbing. Homes built before the 1930s utilized lead pipes. Builders then switched to copper pipes, but the solder used in joining them contained lead. Both lead pipes and lead solder can leak lead into your drinking water and there are no safe levels of lead exposure.

Results of Exposure

Names alone not scary enough? Consider the potential impact on your quality of life. Every year, millions of Americans suffer some form of gastrointestinal illness from drinking water contamination. While most often showing up as diarrhea or nausea, these illnesses are associated with thousands of related deaths. Also, scientists suspect that THMs, VOCs and other toxins can contribute to cancers, miscarriages and birth defects.

People with compromised immune systems -- children, the elderly, chemotherapy patients, transplant recipients, and AIDS patients -- are especially susceptible to illness, or even death, from water contamination. A cause for alarm is that their numbers are increasing as the U.S. population ages.

Waterborne contaminants do not discriminate between major metropolitan areas and rural areas, though problems in big cities get more press. In 1993, there was a highly publicized outbreak of cryptosporidium contamination in Milwaukee that killed 111 people and sickened 403,000. Cities throughout the nation, including Las Vegas, Nevada, and Austin, Texas have also had widely publicized outbreaks. But, in fact, more water problems tend to exist in smaller communities, private developments, highway rest areas and other rural areas where modest water systems may lack the resources or equipment to meet and monitor water quality standards. The reality is that any community is at risk of having poor water quality.

The Solutions

Addressing the potentials for such widespread water contamination, The Safe Drinking Water Act was revamped in 1996 to help water systems serving more than 25 people, and state regulatory programs, comply with laws governing safe water supplies. While providing more money and resources for compliance and enforcement, the Act also improved the education and notification of consumers about the quality of their water.

Beginning in October 1999, as part of a federal "right to know" program, consumers were to receive annual reports from local water systems detailing violations of safe drinking water laws. Since then, the 2001 WQA study reports that 69 percent of Americans surveyed never received a water quality report from their local utility. Only 17 percent indicated receiving and then reading such a report.

Respondents cited the news media as their primary source of information about water quality. Augmenting such media coverage are popular books and movies such as Erin Brockovich and A Civil Action, both based on actual water contamination incidents and resulting health issues. The scrutiny of water quality by news, advertising and entertainment media is fueling growth in consumer awareness and creating expectations for better regulation and quality control. The WQA survey indicates that nearly half the U.S. population believes that drinking water laws are not as strict as they should be. At the same time, Americans are becoming less complacent about leaving this control to others, with a majority expressing willingness to spend more money on utility bills or home water treatment systems to address contamination and taste and odor issues.

Taking control of the quality of drinking water is exactly what many consumers are doing. The percentage of Americans using some type of home water treatment system has increased by 66 percent since the WQA first began surveying consumer attitudes in 1995 -- to the point where 41 percent of Americans now take it upon themselves to treat that water at home. What began as a bottled water phenomenon has burgeoned into an entire industry of water filtration products. In fact, manufacturers and others providing water quality solutions spend an estimated $100 million annually on advertising.

Filtration Systems

Most home water filtration solutions are point-of-use (POU) systems, meaning the treatment of water occurs at the tap. Others are known as point-of-entry (POE) or whole-house treatment systems, and treat the water as it enters the home. Selecting the right home water filtration system is a function of economics, convenience, specific water contamination or aesthetic issues, and personal preference. All systems have advantages and disadvantages that should be considered.

The most basic and least expensive water-filtering alternative is the POU pitcher, pioneered by Brita and now offered by several other manufacturers. An economical choice, priced under $20 for the pitcher and about $8 per replacement filter, water is poured into the top tier of the pitcher, passes through a carbon and resin filter, and flows into the bottom of the pitcher where it is ready for consumption. Carbon filters come in several types and effectiveness levels. They employ adsorption, the most common filtration method. During adsorption, targeted contaminants adhere to absorbent pores in the carbon filter.

The downsides of filtration pitchers are: three to five minutes of waiting required to filter a relatively meager quart of water; large amount of space consumed in the refrigerator or on the countertop for a small amount of water; and family members or roommates who don't fill it back up.

More recently, the pour and flow-through filtration concept has been adapted to portable water bottles from Rubbermaid and other manufacturers, providing the mobility that made bottled water so popular. Like filtering pitchers, these bottles have limited filtration capabilities and water capacity, but do provide a very economical and convenient approach to clean water for around $10 for the bottle and $6 for replacement filters.

At the opposite end of the spectrum are the whole-house systems that can incorporate water softening or reverse osmosis capabilities. Water softening involves reducing the amount of calcium and magnesium particles to eliminate mineral buildup in appliances and reduce the amount of detergent or soap needed to clean and bathe. During reverse osmosis water is pressured through semi-permeable membranes, converting it from a concentrate to a more dilute solution and eliminating a large number of undesirable contaminants -- everything from ammonia to zinc. Even fluoride is removed, a concern for families that want it for their children's teeth. The reverse osmosis process is lengthy and quite wasteful, requiring up to three hours and up to a dozen gallons of water to process just one gallon of filtered water. The cost of these systems ranges from several hundred to several thousand dollars, depending on the size of the house, water usage and specific contaminants. Nonetheless, reverse osmosis systems are the most comprehensive approach to water purification.

Want drinking water from the good old tap? It is possible as a result of advances in faucet filtration. PUR created one of the first faucet-based filtration systems -- a filter made to attach to the spout of kitchen faucets. Incorporating carbon filter technology, the user turns a dial on the device and water diverts from the regular tap, to flow through the filtering mechanism. Though somewhat more expensive than pitchers, these faucet attachments have the advantage of providing more filtered water as desired at one time. Now offered by several manufacturers, these faucet attachments get the job done, but have gained the reputation of being bulky and unattractive.

To overcome that flaw, several faucet manufacturers now provide faucets that seamlessly integrate water-filtering capabilities with attractive styling. One of the most successful is the PureTouch by Moen, where, with the push of a button, water from the tap is easily and conveniently filtered for drinking, cooking and rinsing in the kitchen. These faucets include a filter life indicator, signaling when the filter needs changing -- after about 200 gallons or three months for a family of four -- which is a simple snap-in process. The PureTouch filter also has the advantage of allowing fluoride to remain in the water for the benefit of the family's teeth. This style and other filtering faucets range in price from about $50 to $450 and provide convenient, quality water filtration.

Still other filtration systems are under-the-sink units. These provide effective levels of filtration and sufficient filtered water on demand, but take up storage space under the sink and can be difficult to access for filter changes. An alternative to these bulky, under sink models and to dedicated filtering faucets is an auxiliary spout for positioning next to any existing faucet on any sink in the house - bathroom, kitchen or bar. The PureTouch AquaSuite provides this alternative. Two spouts are included, one high and one low profile, which adapts for either the kitchen or bath. Unlike typical under-sink units, its spout comes in a variety of finishes and its attractive styling complements most existing faucetry. Price ranges for under-sink units are from about $50 to $400.

With so many innovative water filtration options available, consumers can take charge and do something to improve the safety and quality of the water they drink, leaving one less thing to worry about in our complicated world. Find out more about your own water quality by contacting your local water supplier or state drinking water agency and then pick a solution that makes sense for you and your family. And then, by all means, go ahead … drink the water.

For more information on the PureTouch Filtration System by Moen, contact Moen Incorporated at 25300 Al Moen Drive, North Olmsted, Ohio 44070-8022, call toll free 1-800-BUY MOEN (800-289-6636) or visit the web site at www.moen.com.

Courtesy of ARA Content

EDITOR'S NOTE: For information contact Ginny Long, director of public affairs, Moen Incorporated, (800) 321-8809, Ext. 2019, or Chris R. Lynch, Robert Falls & Co. Public Relations, (216) 696-0229.

Moen Incorporated is one of the world's largest producers of residential and commercial plumbing products. Moen is the number 1 brand of faucets in North America. The company manufactures a complete line of single and two-handle faucets in a wide assortment of styles and finishes. It is also a leading producer of residential and commercial sinks, a variety of shower accessories, bathroom accessories and a complete line of plumbing parts and accessories (sold under the brands Moen, Cleveland Faucet Group, Creative Specialties International, Dearborn Brass, Hoov-R-Line and Wrightway).

Moen Incorporated is an operating company of Fortune Brands, Inc. (NYSE: FO, www.fortunebrands.com), the consumer products company.