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Many years ago I started using a water filter on my kitchen sink and shower (so nice to not shower in chlorine) when I lived in a place with terrible water temporarily. I continued the practice when I got back to New York even though I know the water here is pretty good. Because this filter was the best back then for what I needed, I didn’t even think about it when having a kid. I just used the same system. It turns out different water filters are better for different contaminants and the ones in NYC water (however tiny) require a different filter than what I have been using.
The NYC water meets all the legal guidelines for water safety. It’s actually pretty darn good.
The 2017 New York City Department of Environmental Protection report (they do one every year) shows how the largest (9.5 million people) and probably best water supply utility in the US is doing a good job and meeting all water standards. They do continue to add fluoride to the water even though it probably has enough in the system and environment already from all the toothpaste and supplements (the public health reasons for it are pretty sound but I think they should err on the side of too little rather than too much of any chemical additive not necessary for disinfection) and chlorine (which is necessary for the system but you should filter out before drinking).
According to the Environmental Working Group (EWG) Tap Water database, New York City water has six contaminants over the federal government guideline levels (they have to pick a minimum acceptable for toxic chemicals, but it isn’t an exact science). This may sound scary (of course it actually is all scary), but most cities have even more and exceeding the guidelines is not the same as exceeding the legal limit. It is legal to have these chemicals in the water. From October 2014 to September 2017, New York City System was in violation of federal health-based drinking water standards according to the EWG report, but not according to their own water quality reports.
According to the EWG, NYC water shows tiny amounts of these six carcinogens:
- Bromodichloromethane
- Chloroform
- Chromium (hexavalent)
- Dichloroacetic acid
- Total trihalomethanes (TTHMs)
- Trichloroacetic acid
I checked my hometown and it has 10 over the limit including arsenic, so it could be a lot worse.
What about lead in water?
NYC water has virtually no detectable lead from the source, but everyone’s tap varies based on the pipes on their street and in their building. Even a little bit is bad for babies. EWG lists tips from the CDC to reduce lead in your drinking water and NYC has some too. Here is the summary:
- Run your faucet in the mornings for water sitting in pipes overnight and for 30 seconds before you use it
- Use cold water for cooking or bottles (never hot from tap, but you can heat up on the stove)
- Use a water filter that is certified to remove lead
So, what is the right water filter for NYC?
According to EWG, the filters that work best for TTHMs includes some expensive plumbed in systems and the cheap PUR counter top systems and a couple of Brita varieties. The list does not contain the more expensive one I have been using for years. This doesn’t mean it doesn’t work, but it may mean I don’t need the expensive kind. Yet, none of those remove the Chromium. You can get a Zero water pitcher that claims to remove Chromium, but not everything else on the list. So should you use more than one filter? Maybe. I am still trying to figure it out. Pick your own poison remover with the EWG water filter buying guide.
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*Contains Amazon affiliate links for which we get a tiny percentage. Or you can go to the EWG site and go through that to give them the percentage–that’s makes us happy too.
Photo by Carly Jayne
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