Study Finds Americans Believe These 6 Myths About Water

A woman drinking a glass of clean water

On the surface, water seems fairly mundane. Yet, mix a pinch of hydrogen with a dash of oxygen and you get a substance powerful enough to sustain life itself. In recent years, that ubiquitous liquid has gotten a bad rep in large part due to human activity. If you’re paying attention to the news, you know that new contaminants enter our drinking water every day.

Reports of water pollution can be so pervasive and inevitable, sometimes it feels better to tune them out. But disengaging can also pose a risk to your health. Having a full understanding of all the benefits and risks associated with drinking water will ensure you’re doing everything to avoid the dangers and take advantage of the benefits.

A 2021 study from Toluna and Culligan International, Quench’s parent company, found a general lack of knowledge around drinking water. The study collected the answers from 500 people in North America. Here were the top 5 myths about water most people in North America believed.

Myths About Water

 

Myth #1: Reverse osmosis (RO) water is bad for your health.

Fact: Scientists have yet to find tried-and-tested evidence to suggest that RO water is harmful to your health. Those who fear pure RO water are often concerned that the water will leach their bodies of important minerals.[1] However, if you eat a balanced diet, drinking RO water should have no impact on your overall wellbeing, especially since RO water still contains a small number of healthy minerals that increase water’s alkalinity. Since RO water is more basic than acidic, those who suffer from acid-related illnesses like severe acid reflux or gastrointestinal ulcers often benefit from RO water.

Quench offers a special kind of mineral-infused water called quenchWATER+, which can allow your body to absorb water more readily.

Myth #2: Sodium in water is dangerous.

Fact: Sodium is an electrolyte the body needs to function. It can be found in all body tissues, and it’s generally not harmful at normal levels. It can even improve the taste of water.[2]  People on low sodium diets and those with high blood pressure, cardiovascular or heart disease, or kidney problems should talk to their doctor about adjusting their medication based on levels of sodium in their drinking water. An RO system for your business or home is another effective way to limit sodium intake.[3]

Myth #3: Calcium in water causes kidney stones

Fact: The pain of passing a kidney stone has been compared to the pain of childbirth. So, it only makes sense you would want to do whatever it takes to avoid them at all costs. If your instinct is to reduce your water intake for fear of calcium build-up, you may want to reconsider. Most water does not contain high enough levels of minerals to be dangerous and drinking more water can actually help prevent kidney stones.[4]

Myth #4: Coronavirus has impacted the quality of drinking water.  

Fact: Although Sars-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, can temporarily survive in water, research shows you can’t get infected from water under the conditions you would normally be exposed (i.e., drinking water from the tap).  The EPA confirms, “the risk [of contracting coronavirus from] water supplies is low. Americans can continue to use and drink water from their tap as usual.”[5]

Myth #5: Bottled water is safer than tap water.

Fact: It’s easy to assume water that comes in a sealed and chilled plastic bottle is cleaner than tap water you would dispense from a faucet. But think again. Most municipal water treatment facilities operate on stricter guidelines than bottled water companies. For example, municipal water systems are required to notify their customers if contaminants are found in their local water supply. Yet, according to the EPA, bottled water companies do not have to abide by those same strict standards. Bottled water companies are self-regulated and in charge of conducting their own tests. Contaminants are more likely to slip through the filters when looser restrictions are in place.[6]

Myth #6: Bottled water doesn’t contain microplastics.

Fact: Microplastics are tiny plastic particles found in the environment that are less than 5 mm in length. They come from a variety of sources, including from larger plastic debris that degrades into smaller and smaller pieces.

A study published in Frontiers in Chemistry concluded that those tiny plastic particles can be found in most bottled water containers. The research in that study revealed 93% of 259 bottled waters sold in several countries contained “microplastic” synthetic polymer particles. Many of the plastic particles within the bottles could be spotted with a magnifying glass or microscope. Not surprisingly, those plastic particles are showing in human bodies. The Center for International Law discovered that plastic consumption can lead to cardiovascular disease, cancer, and autoimmune conditions.[7]

Fin more myths about drinking water on culligan.com.

A Quench RO System Can Boost Your Confidence in Drinking Water

As you can tell, there are many rumors circulating around water quality. Yet, at the same time, the continuous pollution of our waterways and drinking water sources is a real threat to the population. It can be hard to distinguish between myth and reality.

An RO system can put your mind at ease. RO systems pull water from the tap and then use pressure to force water molecules through a semipermeable member, removing contaminants and reducing dangers like lead and forever chemicals.

If you’re an RO water skeptic, check out the Quench Q-Series machines. Those machines come with a proprietary 5-Filter Setup that moves tap water through a RO system and then adds back essential minerals your body craves. Click here to read more about this advanced filtration process.

Put your mind at ease once and for all. Fill out a “Get a Free Quote” form and a Local Water Experts will follow up with you to help set up a bottleless water cooler with an advanced filtration system to address all your local water concerns.


[1] https://www.uwhealth.org/news/dr-jacqueline-gerhart-theres-good-and-bad-to-using-reverse-osmosis-water-systems/36710

[2]https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK50958/#:~:text=Use%20of%20salt%20decreases%20water,1995%3B%20Hutton%2C%202002

[3] https://www.health.ny.gov/environmental/water/drinking/salt_drinkingwater.htm

[4] https://www.health.harvard.edu/blog/5-steps-for-preventing-kidney-stones-201310046721

[5] https://www.epa.gov/coronavirus/coronavirus-and-drinking-water-and-wastewater

[6] https://www.cdc.gov/healthywater/drinking/public/regulations.html

[7] https://time.com/5581326/plastic-particles-in-bottled-water/