KBB - April 2009 - (Page 18)

Focus Uncharted Waters Whole-home ﬁltration systems protect and conserve The results of a March 2008 Gallup poll say it all: More than 80 percent of respondents worry “a great deal” or “a fair amount” about the pollution of drinking water. This isn’t surprising considering the news surrounding an Associated Press investigation, also released in March 2008, in which trace pharmaceuticals— including antibiotics and sex hormones—were found to be lurking in the drinking water of at least 41 million Americans. Although found in minute concentrations, their presence alone begs the question: What else is in the water? As K+BB reported last September, it also contains more than 600 potentially harmful disinfection byproducts, only a few of which have been studied. Add to that chlorine, bacteria, viruses and other water-borne contaminants and it’s no wonder that wholehome water ﬁltration has emerged as a popular trend. Wellness Enterprises’ new cartridge-based ﬁltration system uses a carbon block ﬁlter as well as additional media designed to remove microscopic contaminants, including bacteria and viruses. magniﬁed by the energy and emission costs associated with producing and transporting the water. (The Paciﬁc Institute estimated that in 2006 the production of bottled water for U.S. consumption required the equivalent of more than 17 million barrels of oil, which released more than 2.5 million tons of carbon dioxide.) As for ﬁnancial beneﬁts, the savings from replacing bottled water with a whole-home ﬁltration system are huge. “There’s no cheaper way to get this type of water into your house,” said Hillard. At a fraction of the cost of bottled water, these systems may one day render even the Brita pitcher obsolete. One added incentive: Some bottled water companies simply repackage tap water and are not required to test for contaminants. As Joe Hutko, marketing manager—Everpure High-End Residential, noted, “One thing we’ve known is that most consumers don’t know what’s in their water.” As such, they presumably don’t know what’s in their bottled water either. QUALITY CONTROL Whether there’s serious cause for concern or consumers are simply acting out of perceived fear, whole-home water ﬁltration systems not only offer a level of protection against most pollutants, but also provide “an unlimited supply of better-than-bottled-quality water from every tap in the house,” said David Fowler, CEO of Wellness Enterprises, which, considering the nation’s immense consumption of bottled water, is important to today’s consumers. “About 20 years ago, when bottled water became popular, people’s awareness of water quality was elevated,” explained Dan Hillard, marketing director for LifeSource Water Systems. “They became more sensitive to the taste and smell of water.” With the explosion of the organic food industry—amid alarming reports of contaminated products—this focus on water quality seems a natural progression. And homeowners installing whole-home ﬁltration systems are not just protecting themselves from ingesting contaminants, but absorbing them too. As Hillard noted, consumers now realize that their bodies absorb pollutants while bathing, and that studies have linked bathing in unﬁltered water to an increased risk for cancer, as well as potential adverse reproductive and developmental effects. PRODUCT CALL Luckily, whole-home water filtration options abound. Everpure’s Protega (to be released later this year) is an NSF-certiﬁed system that uses a hollow ﬁber membrane to eliminate contaminants such as bacteria and viruses. It also has a carbon filtration element for chlorine. Wellness Enterprises’ new EPA-approved cartridge-based system (yet to be named, but scheduled for launch this May) removes chlorine, chloramine, bacteria and viruses using a carbon block ﬁlter in conjunction with additional media designed to eliminate microscopic particles. And LifeSource Water Systems’ chlorine-rated, NSF/ANSI-42-certiﬁed offerings use a sustainable coconut shell-based ﬁlter and granular activated carbon to trap pollutants, including petrochemicals. As Hillard said, “Nothing gets rid of everything” and these systems are only as effective as their maintenance routines. “Generally speaking, safe water is delivered throughout America,” he noted. “But if people want to go the extra mile to protect their home and their family, they should consider a whole-house system.” Reducing one’s exposure to contaminants, helping the environment and saving money, these systems deliver great-tasting, clean and healthy water that will leave your clients thirsty for more. s —Sallie Moffat ECO- AND WALLET-FRIENDLY Another important factor to consider is the significant impact that these systems can have on the environment and the wallet. As the number one consumer of bottled water, the U.S. bought 8 billion gallons in 2006, according to Beverage Marketing Corporation, and consumes around 30 billion bottles of water a year (or roughly 80 million per day!), of which only about 14 percent are recycled. The repercussions are only 18 + K BB April 2009 / www.kbbonline.com / The Ofﬁcial Sponsor of K/BIS www.kbis.com http://www.kbbonline.com http://www.kbis.com

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of KBB - April 2009

KBB - April 2009
Contents
Online Contents
Online News
Editorial
Focus
Trends
Products
Options
Profile
Abroad
Design
On the Hill
Mixed Message
Green
Tech
Additions
Education
Editorial Index
Ad Index
Favorites

KBB - April 2009