Many of us have chosen to drink natural spring water for its purity and its natural minerals for better absorption preventing dehydration and improving our overall health. Unfortunately, even natural spring water can be contaminated with natural carcinogenic chemicals such as arsenic.
I found this out first hand when I switched to Crystal Geyser’s spring water. Spring water is free of pharmaceuticals, chlorine, and many other inorganic and organic compounds that become carcinogenic when mixed with chemicals used to purify drinking water in tap water.
These compounds can still be found in nature and can accumulate in natural springs. I received a health alert article informing us of the possible arsenic contamination in some spring water sources.
I choose to drink Crystal Geyser’s spring water because it is the least expensive for the flavor and mineral content. There are 5 kids in my home, so water goes quickly and mothers need to save money where they can.
My drinking water made the list to worry about arsenic levels, so I did an investigation.
The Crystal Geyser drinking water I was buying comes from the Olancha, CA source. The company has other sources like Mt. Shasta. The Olancha water quality report showed up to 3 ppb of arsenic was measured. The water report at Mt. Shasta showed non detected so not all sources contain arsenic.
The maximum contamination level established by the FDA is 10 ppb of arsenic in a water source. This is how the water can still be distributed with some levels of arsenic.
The problem with up to 3ppb of arsenic in my spring water is the accumulation of arsenic in our bodies from drinking the water over a long period of time.
Prolonged ingestion of arsenic-containing drinking water is associated with an increased risk of bladder cancer and skin cancer, and medical exposure to arsenic has been clearly associated with skin cancer in epidemiological studies. In addition, cancers of the lung, digestive tract, liver, kidney, and lymphatic and hematopoietic systems have been linked to arsenic exposure. – Cancer.gov
The lower amounts that are acceptable with the FDA can accumulate over time.
Note: If you’re curious about heavy metals such as arsenic levels in your body currently, try this at home urine test by True Health Labs.
I thought I found the best spring water for the price, so what do I drink now?
I love the spring water and it works best for my body to absorb the water while getting the natural minerals I needed like magnesium and potassium.
I decided to look for the best, and again, the least expensive water filter to remove the arsenic and still maintain the minerals in the water.
Surprisingly, I only found 2 countertop water filters that I can pour my Crystal Geyser spring water into, remove the arsenic, and keep the healthy minerals in the water to drink.
Only 2 countertop water filters!
This actually helped me make my decision rather quickly.
The 2 water filters were from Aquagear and Berkey water filters.
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About the Berkey countertop water filter
The Berkey countertop water filter was by far more impressive filtering out a list that goes on of contaminants. It also filters out the arsenic while maintaining the mineral content, which is what I’m only concerned with since my spring water doesn’t have much to filter, to begin with.
I would highly recommend the Berkey countertop water filter if you plan on filtering tap water! This is a great option if you want to reduce plastic waste. The Berkey water filter can be used while camping, at home, or anywhere outdoors. It removes viruses, pathogenic bacteria, and parasites along with all the other hundreds of harmful chemicals.
About the Aquagear countertop water filter
The Aquagear water filter is also a countertop water filter removing more than 99% arsenic and keeping beneficial minerals like magnesium and calcium in the drinking water.
This small and mighty filter was tested in Flint, MI removing the lead from the water to nondetectable limits.
This water filter also proudly removes chromium-6 from drinking water.
The Aquagear water filter can also remove 2000% more contaminants compared to the popular Brita countertop systems. The Aquagear water filter is at comparable prices to the Brita system but twice as much as it does so much more.
Which countertop water filter did I choose to filter the arsenic out of my spring water?
While the Berkey water filter can be used with any water source even camping or make a good end of days water filter, I chose the Aquagear water filter this time.
The Aquagear cannot filter all the bacteria and parasites so it has to be used with water already sterilized. My spring water is already sterilized and the cost of the Aquagear is a fifth the price of the Berkey filter.
They both have amazing reviews on Amazon and both do what I need to do. I think I will get the Berkey, later on, to add to my survivalist and camping gear!
Conclusion
There are only 2 countertop water filters that clearly state they remove arsenic from drinking water and of the two, I chose the smaller and less expensive water filter for now but the Berkey water filter is the best and would be the only water filter I would trust to filter tap water.
Choosing to drink spring water is the healthiest option for your health but do check the yearly water reports of your drinking water sources to know if it is contaminated with any level of arsenic.
Choosing spring water causes plastic waste. Do reuse the plastic bottles for something creative like my DIY mini greenhouses and recycle them once you are finished with them.
The New Health Cycle 