Which are the Best Types of Water to Drink?

Rezident

I drink a lot of tap water but am only now becoming aware of the different types of water: distilled water, de-ionised water, mineral water, spring water, reverse-osmosis etc. it’s quite confusing.

I drink several litres of tap water a day. From googling the topic (which produces wildly different results) too much chlorine from tap water has links to cancer, allegedly  – is this true in the Irish context?

Also, what are the healthier types of water to drink and is it worth getting some sort of filtration system for tap water at home?
 
Many thanks for any pointers.

seamus

Water is water. So long as it's clean of disease and contaminants, it's worth drinking.

When water is purified, it's typically for scientific or industrial use. Drinking purified water has never been shown to have any health benefits and a couple of studies suggest that removing the mineral content from water is actually detrimental to your health.

Mineral water and spring water, especially fresh from a stream can be very refreshing, but to the best of the my knowledge most of the stuff bottled and sold as mineral or spring water is basically no different than that which you get from your tap.

Filtration systems at home do very little except remove any chlorinated taste from tapwater. The water from the public mains is clean and safe, so there is no health benefit to installing a filter on water from the public supply.

the groutch

the only real use for filtered/de-ionised water is for car engines or scientific use.
for drinking just go straight from the tap, unless you're living in one of the parts of Galway proven to have contaminated water.

Aquarius34

Rezident wrote: »

I drink a lot of tap water but am only now becoming aware of the different types of water: distilled water, de-ionised water, mineral water, spring water, reverse-osmosis etc. it’s quite confusing.

I drink several litres of tap water a day. From googling the topic (which produces wildly different results) too much chlorine from tap water has links to cancer, allegedly  – is this true in the Irish context?

Also, what are the healthier types of water to drink and is it worth getting some sort of filtration system for tap water at home?
 
Many thanks for any pointers.

If you can get non fluoridated high quality bottled water that would be your best.

Or Distilled water (but you'd have to take mineral supplements)

It also depends on what water you're drinking. Are you drinking city/town fluoridated water or are you drinking spring groundwater from the countryside? Natural springs should be ok to drink from if it is not contaminated or is near anything that would contaminate it.

The water in Urban areas is a shambles. More to the fact we have plenty with a small population and we still somehow manage to dump shiit in it make it unsafe to drink. But that's a whole different topic for a very different type of thread who'd I'd like to snarl at a whole different type of people. Some people are just simply not human. Why do people poison our water. Oh it's such a good question.

tHE vAGGABOND

I like sparkling water, and folks have been telling me for years its evil [a relative term, clearly, but compared to still water] - Im not going to stop drinking it, but always wondered if they are full of it or not

nice_guy80

water that is free.
that's my preference

Knockout_91

tHE vAGGABOND wrote: »

I like sparkling water, and folks have been telling me for years its evil [a relative term, clearly, but compared to still water] - Im not going to stop drinking it, but always wondered if they are full of it or not

I too am a divil for sparkling water

3qsmavrod5twfe

the groutch wrote: »

the only real use for filtered/de-ionised water is for car engines or scientific use.

This.

DI/RO water is unsuitable for drinking as it will extract salts from your system.

av8r10

Tap water is fine mate, dont be worrying about what type of water to drink.

Aquarius34

av8r10 wrote: »

Tap water is fine mate, dont be worrying about what type of water to drink.

:rolleyes:

john_cappa

Aquarius34 wrote: »

:rolleyes:

After your posts in the "healthy takeaway" thread i dont think you should use that smiley in anyones direction.

aah yes

seamus wrote: »

Water is water. So long as it's clean of disease and contaminants, it's worth drinking.

When water is purified, it's typically for scientific or industrial use. Drinking purified water has never been shown to have any health benefits and a couple of studies suggest that removing the mineral content from water is actually detrimental to your health.

Mineral water and spring water, especially fresh from a stream can be very refreshing, but to the best of the my knowledge most of the stuff bottled and sold as mineral or spring water is basically no different than that which you get from your tap.

Filtration systems at home do very little except remove any chlorinated taste from tapwater. The water from the public mains is clean and safe, so there is no health benefit to installing a filter on water from the public supply.

Hmmm, not exactly there Seamus.

If drinking water in regular plentiful amounts is good for you, then being put off drinking water and a lack of hydration I expect is then not so good for you ?

So if from a taste point of view or source preference or philosophical or political viewpoint, if many things are off-putting on your tongue or in your mind such as the chlorine taste, the mindful risks of chlorine as a toxin, or chlorine mixing with natural tannins to form THM's trihalomethane recently in the news, or the ongoing debate of fluoridation in water supplies whether right or wrong, or cryptosporidium out breaks and general boil water notices, or lead from old pipes a neuro-toxin and carcinogen, or just aesthetic scum on tea and coffee, if any of these or all of these put you off from easy and cheap access to good water, I would agree that is not so beneficial.

Properly filtered water can correct for all the things above. Drinking good clean water therefore is a much more viable proposition, than going without.

discus

Literally the most vested interest since that lad was on here shilling his mates crossfit gym

micosoft

seamus wrote: »

When water is purified, it's typically for scientific or industrial use. Drinking purified water has never been shown to have any health benefits and a couple of studies suggest that removing the mineral content from water is actually detrimental to your health.

In fact demineralised water is highly toxic to animal life. For industrial use only. We had to be very careful to "dirty it" before it got in contact with the environment.

Nonsense about the perfectly safe levels of chlorine and fluoride in Irish Public water is entirely unscientific.

micosoft

aah yes wrote: »

Hmmm, not exactly there Seamus.

If drinking water in regular plentiful amounts is good for you, then being put off drinking water and a lack of hydration I expect is then not so good for you ?

Does not follow.

aah yes wrote: »

So if from a taste point of view or source preference or philosophical or political viewpoint, if many things are off-putting on your tongue or in your mind such as the chlorine taste, the mindful risks of chlorine as a toxin, or chlorine mixing with natural tannins to form THM's trihalomethane recently in the news, or the ongoing debate of fluoridation in water supplies whether right or wrong, or cryptosporidium out breaks and general boil water notices, or lead from old pipes a neuro-toxin and carcinogen, or just aesthetic scum on tea and coffee, if any of these or all of these put you off from easy and cheap access to good water, I would agree that is not so beneficial.

Properly filtered water can correct for all the things above. Drinking good clean water therefore is a much more viable proposition, than going without.

Interesting that you slip philosophical and politician viewpoint after the reasonable "taste" point. But I guess you are right - we should filter out the Dihydrogen Monoxide as well just to be sure.

aah yes

oooh yeah, dodgey tackle that DHMO stuff

Di H Mono O .... 2 H O, mmm sounds familiar

if it is too hot it can burn ya, and if too cold can cause ye some distress alright

and them rottweilers drink it and nazis too, ooh its scary stuff

i hear it is in all the bad storms and acid rain, erosion etc, by eckers

aah yes

micosoft wrote: »

In fact demineralised water is highly toxic to animal life. For industrial use only. We had to be very careful to "dirty it" before it got in contact with the environment.

Nonsense about the perfectly safe levels of chlorine and fluoride in Irish Public water is entirely unscientific.

That demineralised rainwater falling out of the sky for millions of years that animals and plants feed off of, surely sounds scary stuff, proper DHMO like

aah yes

seamus wrote: »

Water is water. So long as it's clean of disease and contaminants, it's worth drinking.

When water is purified, it's typically for scientific or industrial use. Drinking purified water has never been shown to have any health benefits and a couple of studies suggest that removing the mineral content from water is actually detrimental to your health.

Mineral water and spring water, especially fresh from a stream can be very refreshing, but to the best of the my knowledge most of the stuff bottled and sold as mineral or spring water is basically no different than that which you get from your tap.

Filtration systems at home do very little except remove any chlorinated taste from tapwater. The water from the public mains is clean and safe, so there is no health benefit to installing a filter on water from the public supply.

When water is just H2O molecules and odourless, colourless, tasteless, pH 7, is it like Polonium - that stuff the Ruskies used to sort out dissidents ?

When blokes crawling through the desert after a few days without water, nearly at deaths door, is it shown that the re-hydrating effects of clean water would show no health benefit to these poor aul' wee scithers ?

Are popular water distillers used to make drinking water for millions of Americans and other nationalities around the globe over the last 100 years killing millions of Americans more than their guns or cars ?

Even though Google does not show one single case of death in the last 100 years caused by drinking distilled water regularly, across the planet.

nhunter100

Just don't drink 'yellow' water.

aah yes

you could also do your back in, arching back over trying to drink it ?

ohmplate

For someone selling water filtration products you don't have a very good understanding of water.

discus

aah yes wrote: »

When water is just H2O molecules and odourless, colourless, tasteless, pH 7, is it like Polonium - that stuff the Ruskies used to sort out dissidents ?

When blokes crawling through the desert after a few days without water, nearly at deaths door, is it shown that the re-hydrating effects of clean water would show no health benefit to these poor aul' wee scithers ?

Are popular water distillers used to make drinking water for millions of Americans and other nationalities around the globe over the last 100 years killing millions of Americans more than their guns or cars ?

Even though Google does not show one single case of death in the last 100 years caused by drinking distilled water regularly, across the planet.

Please for the love of god, stop posting. I don't want to see your enterprises go down the drain because of your utterly **** posts. Go back, delete what you've said in this thread and move on with your life.

mickof

Get the home water cooler from Tipperary water - then you use the 19L drums that only cost €9.99 delivered to your door.

Special Circumstances

This posters agenda is actually trying to promote something? Anyone reading this scutter would run a mile!

Special Circumstances

mickof wrote: »

Get the home water cooler from Tipperary water - then you use the 19L drums that only cost €9.99 delivered to your door.

I find tipp philosophically distasteful.

micosoft

aah yes wrote: »

That demineralised rainwater falling out of the sky for millions of years that animals and plants feed off of, surely sounds scary stuff, proper DHMO like

You don't do science do you? Firstly rainfall tends to have trace minerals as the atmosphere contains particles. Secondly unless the water is collected on a inert un-reactive surface (i.e. stainless steel) it is immediately minaralised as it falls to umm, earth... You've not really thought this through have you?

micosoft

Special Circumstances wrote: »

I find tipp philosophically distasteful.

Given at some point in the past it has cycled through a Lowry I'd say it's politically distasteful as well...

micosoft

aah yes wrote: »

oooh yeah, dodgey tackle that DHMO stuff

Di H Mono O .... 2 H O, mmm sounds familiar

if it is too hot it can burn ya, and if too cold can cause ye some distress alright

and them rottweilers drink it and nazis too, ooh its scary stuff

i hear it is in all the bad storms and acid rain, erosion etc, by eckers

Slowly but surely getting here. Everything is toxic. The dose is the problem. Conversely too small a does also has negative effects. Luckily we have qualified science folk to make these decisions and not shills trying to flog filters.

Mellor

aah yes wrote: »

Even though Google does not show one single case of death in the last 100 years caused by drinking distilled water regularly, across the planet.

• 1991, Andy Warhol: Five years after his death, Warhol's family publicly accused the hospital where he had had his gallbladder removed, of causing his death by water intoxication administered post-operatively. A claimed autopsy weight of 150 lbs, with his weight being 128 lbs when admitted, was cited as evidence that too much fluid had been given.
• October 24, 1995: Anna Wood, a 15-year-old Australian schoolgirl who died from the effects of water intoxication secondary to use of MDMA (commonly known as ecstasy).
• November 16, 1995: Leah Betts died as the result of drinking too much water, though in the media, her death was initially falsely attributed to taking an ecstasy tablet at her 18th birthday party.
• September 12, 1999: US Air Force basic trainee Micah J. Schindler died of heat stroke, severely complicated by water intoxication, two days after becoming seriously ill during a 5.8 miles (9.3 km) march. The Air Force changed its recruit training procedures as a result.
• 2002: Boston Marathon competitor Cynthia Lucero.
• June 9, 2002: 4-year-old Cassandra Killpack of Springville, Utah died as a result of water intoxication when her parents forcefully fed her as much as one US gallon (3.8 l) of water in a short period while she was being disciplined. Her mother, Jennette Killpack, was convicted in 2005 of child abuse homicide.
• October 12, 2002: 3-year-old Rosita Gonzalez of Hollywood, Florida died of water intoxication when her babysitter Nancy Gayoso punished her by forcing her to drink three US quarts (2.8 l) of water in a four-hour period. Gayoso was arrested and charged with murder in the first degree on March 10, 2003. After being declared incompetent to stand trial in 2004 and 2005. Gayoso was ruled competent on March 26, 2007 by Broward Circuit Judge Martin Bidwill.
• 2003: British actor Anthony Andrews survived a case of water intoxication. He was performing as Henry Higgins in a revival of the musical My Fair Lady at the time, and consumed up to eight litres of water a day. He was unconscious and in intensive care for three days.
• 2003: Walter Dean Jennings, a freshman history major at SUNY Plattsburgh, was pledging the Psi Epsilon Chi "when he was forced to drink urine, stay awake for days and consume vast amounts of alcohol during a 10-day initiation and hazing process." According to PressRepublican.com, "On his last night of pledging the unrecognized fraternity, the 18-year-old was forced to drink gallons of water through a funnel, which caused his brain to swell from water intoxication and ultimately resulted in his death." Eleven members of the fraternity were charged with criminally negligent homicide.
• 2005: In a much-publicized case of fraternity hazing, four members of the Chi Tau House at California State University, Chico pleaded guilty to forcing 21-year-old student Matthew Carrington to drink excessive amounts of water while performing calisthenics in a frigid basement as part of initiation rites on February 2, 2005. He collapsed and died of heart failure due to water intoxication.
• August 9, 2005: Washington, D.C. police officer James McBride died from water intoxication after riding 12 miles (19 km) during bicycle patrol training.
• On January 12, 2007, Jennifer Strange, a 28-year-old woman and a mother of three, from Rancho Cordova, California, was found dead in her home by her mother, hours after trying to win one of Nintendo's Wii game consoles. KDND 107.9 "The End" radio station's "Hold Your Wee for a Wii" contest involved drinking large quantities of water without urinating. A nurse called the radio station to warn them about the danger in which they were putting people, but the disc jockeys rejected the warnings. Lucy Davidson, the winner of the contest, was severely sickened while picking up her prize. Civil charges against the radio station were filed by Strange's family, and the family was eventually awarded $16.5 million in the ensuing wrongful death lawsuit. The FCC launched its own investigation to determine if the station violated the terms of its operating license.
• 2008: Jacqueline Henson, a 40-year-old British woman, died after drinking four liters of water in under two hours as part of her LighterLife diet plan.
• 2011: Jonathan Paul Dent, 29, became lost during a four-hour walk through Tasmania's Dial Range on April 19, 2011. He called his wife a number of times to say he was lost. Rescue crews found his body in bushland two days later. The coroner found that Dent most likely died from exercise-associated hyponatremia (EAH), a condition caused by drinking too much fluid during prolonged exercise.
• 2012: Alexa Linboom, a 5-year-old Tennessee girl, died after being forced to drink large amounts of grape soda and water as a punishment.
• 2012: Savannah Hardin, a 9-year-old Alabama girl, died after being forced to run for hours. 911 was called when she started suffering from seizures and became unresponsive. Three days later she died at the hospital. The cause of death according to her death certificate was "seizure disorder due to hyponatremia." Her grandmother was convicted of murder in May 2015, and sentenced to life imprisonment without the possibility for parole, dying in prison in February of 2016 of a massive heart attack.
• 2013: Luana Priscyla Fernandes Soares, a 21-year-old Brazilian woman, died during a radio contest in Brazil, where her group drank 54 liters (14 gallons) of water mixed with Yerba Mate (a plant used in South America to make a tea-like beverage), an average of 5.4 liters/1.4 gallons per person. She collapsed one hour after the contest began. She suffered a stroke during the event and died two days later in the hospital.
• 2013: 20-year-old Dutch student Lisa Nooij died from water intoxication four days after using MDMA at a festival.
• 2014: 17-year-old Zyrees Oliver died from water intoxication after drinking 4 gallons of water and Gatorade before and during football practice.
• 2014: The death of 17-year-old Mississippi high school football player Walker Wilbanks three days after he fell ill during a game was due to swelling in his brain possibly triggered by overhydration. Both before and during the game, Wilbanks drank Gatorade and Pedialyte.

Dtp1979

Mellor wrote: »

• 1991, Andy Warhol: Five years after his death, Warhol's family publicly accused the hospital where he had had his gallbladder removed, of causing his death by water intoxication administered post-operatively. A claimed autopsy weight of 150 lbs, with his weight being 128 lbs when admitted, was cited as evidence that too much fluid had been given.
• October 24, 1995: Anna Wood, a 15-year-old Australian schoolgirl who died from the effects of water intoxication secondary to use of MDMA (commonly known as ecstasy).
• November 16, 1995: Leah Betts died as the result of drinking too much water, though in the media, her death was initially falsely attributed to taking an ecstasy tablet at her 18th birthday party.
• September 12, 1999: US Air Force basic trainee Micah J. Schindler died of heat stroke, severely complicated by water intoxication, two days after becoming seriously ill during a 5.8 miles (9.3 km) march. The Air Force changed its recruit training procedures as a result.
• 2002: Boston Marathon competitor Cynthia Lucero.
• June 9, 2002: 4-year-old Cassandra Killpack of Springville, Utah died as a result of water intoxication when her parents forcefully fed her as much as one US gallon (3.8 l) of water in a short period while she was being disciplined. Her mother, Jennette Killpack, was convicted in 2005 of child abuse homicide.
• October 12, 2002: 3-year-old Rosita Gonzalez of Hollywood, Florida died of water intoxication when her babysitter Nancy Gayoso punished her by forcing her to drink three US quarts (2.8 l) of water in a four-hour period. Gayoso was arrested and charged with murder in the first degree on March 10, 2003. After being declared incompetent to stand trial in 2004 and 2005. Gayoso was ruled competent on March 26, 2007 by Broward Circuit Judge Martin Bidwill.
• 2003: British actor Anthony Andrews survived a case of water intoxication. He was performing as Henry Higgins in a revival of the musical My Fair Lady at the time, and consumed up to eight litres of water a day. He was unconscious and in intensive care for three days.
• 2003: Walter Dean Jennings, a freshman history major at SUNY Plattsburgh, was pledging the Psi Epsilon Chi "when he was forced to drink urine, stay awake for days and consume vast amounts of alcohol during a 10-day initiation and hazing process." According to PressRepublican.com, "On his last night of pledging the unrecognized fraternity, the 18-year-old was forced to drink gallons of water through a funnel, which caused his brain to swell from water intoxication and ultimately resulted in his death." Eleven members of the fraternity were charged with criminally negligent homicide.
• 2005: In a much-publicized case of fraternity hazing, four members of the Chi Tau House at California State University, Chico pleaded guilty to forcing 21-year-old student Matthew Carrington to drink excessive amounts of water while performing calisthenics in a frigid basement as part of initiation rites on February 2, 2005. He collapsed and died of heart failure due to water intoxication.
• August 9, 2005: Washington, D.C. police officer James McBride died from water intoxication after riding 12 miles (19 km) during bicycle patrol training.
• On January 12, 2007, Jennifer Strange, a 28-year-old woman and a mother of three, from Rancho Cordova, California, was found dead in her home by her mother, hours after trying to win one of Nintendo's Wii game consoles. KDND 107.9 "The End" radio station's "Hold Your Wee for a Wii" contest involved drinking large quantities of water without urinating. A nurse called the radio station to warn them about the danger in which they were putting people, but the disc jockeys rejected the warnings. Lucy Davidson, the winner of the contest, was severely sickened while picking up her prize. Civil charges against the radio station were filed by Strange's family, and the family was eventually awarded $16.5 million in the ensuing wrongful death lawsuit. The FCC launched its own investigation to determine if the station violated the terms of its operating license.
• 2008: Jacqueline Henson, a 40-year-old British woman, died after drinking four liters of water in under two hours as part of her LighterLife diet plan.
• 2011: Jonathan Paul Dent, 29, became lost during a four-hour walk through Tasmania's Dial Range on April 19, 2011. He called his wife a number of times to say he was lost. Rescue crews found his body in bushland two days later. The coroner found that Dent most likely died from exercise-associated hyponatremia (EAH), a condition caused by drinking too much fluid during prolonged exercise.
• 2012: Alexa Linboom, a 5-year-old Tennessee girl, died after being forced to drink large amounts of grape soda and water as a punishment.
• 2012: Savannah Hardin, a 9-year-old Alabama girl, died after being forced to run for hours. 911 was called when she started suffering from seizures and became unresponsive. Three days later she died at the hospital. The cause of death according to her death certificate was "seizure disorder due to hyponatremia." Her grandmother was convicted of murder in May 2015, and sentenced to life imprisonment without the possibility for parole, dying in prison in February of 2016 of a massive heart attack.
• 2013: Luana Priscyla Fernandes Soares, a 21-year-old Brazilian woman, died during a radio contest in Brazil, where her group drank 54 liters (14 gallons) of water mixed with Yerba Mate (a plant used in South America to make a tea-like beverage), an average of 5.4 liters/1.4 gallons per person. She collapsed one hour after the contest began. She suffered a stroke during the event and died two days later in the hospital.
• 2013: 20-year-old Dutch student Lisa Nooij died from water intoxication four days after using MDMA at a festival.
• 2014: 17-year-old Zyrees Oliver died from water intoxication after drinking 4 gallons of water and Gatorade before and during football practice.
• 2014: The death of 17-year-old Mississippi high school football player Walker Wilbanks three days after he fell ill during a game was due to swelling in his brain possibly triggered by overhydration. Both before and during the game, Wilbanks drank Gatorade and Pedialyte.

Jesus how long did it take you to find all that!!

Mellor

lol not very long at all

Dtp1979

Mellor wrote: »

lol not very long at all

Unfortunately aah yes was talking about distilled water!

Hanley

Dtp1979 wrote: »

Unfortunately aah yes was talking about distilled water!

Ouch. I was gonna say it was specifically about distilled water alright