Is Distilled Water The Same As Filtered Water

Side view of a woman drinking water from a bottle after exercising

A woman drinks bottled water after exercising.

Paradigm Credit: Thinkstock/Stockbyte/Getty Images

People in the United States beverage more than 2 billion gallons of bottled water each year, NYU Langone Medical Center estimates. Bottled water is defined every bit whatever water that is sealed in a bottle and intended for homo utilise. However, the bewildering array of options can make things disruptive. Filtered and distilled water are two types of bottled water that are available for drinking.

Filtered Water

All water that is intended for human being consumption undergoes a bones filtration process. In improver, the h2o is treated, often with dissimilar chemicals, to ensure that it meets the condom standards set out past the U.S. Ecology Protection Bureau. In the instance of tap water, the water is filtered for contaminants and particles, and and then treated past municipalities to ensure its safety. Nonetheless, filtered water that is available for auction in bottles is oftentimes subject to a specialized filtration procedure that may be more stringent than the standards fix past the EPA.

Micron Filtration and Purified Water

Micron filtration filters water through microscopic holes, which remove more contaminants than standard filters can. A good micron filter volition remove virtually chemic contaminants and microbes. In some cases, highly filtered water may be called purified h2o, which is legally required to comprise less than ten parts per million of contaminants. While not all filtered water is purified h2o, all purified water has been filtered.

Distilled Water

Distilled water has undergone a very specific treatment procedure. Water is outset boiled to produce steam, so the steam is allowed to condense in a separate container and is collected as distilled water. During distillation, all contaminants are boiled out of the water. This process also removes salts, metals and minerals, giving distilled water a curiously neutral or "flat" taste. Considering of its lack of sense of taste, distilled h2o is often used in science labs, although it is available for sale as drinking water.

Dangers of Drinking Only Distilled Water

Distilled h2o is not recommended as your master source of hydration, according to the World Health Organisation. Distillation removes potentially harmful contaminants, merely it also removes all benign nutrients, including essential minerals such equally calcium and magnesium, every bit well as fluoride, which is oft added to municipally treated h2o. Fluoride in h2o helps keep your bones and teeth healthy. Distilled water may likewise contain traces of chemical cleaning agents used on the distillation containers, some of which may evaporate with the h2o, potentially contaminating the fluid.