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Dr Mehmet Oz on Oprah - Drinking Water Filter Helps Solve Bottled Water Addiction

Writing for Oprah Winfrey, Dr. Mehment Oz talks with author Elizabeth Royte about the uproar surrounding the economic and environmental impact of the bottled water industry. In her book, "Bottlemania: How Water Went on Sale and Why We Bought It," she explores the huge environmental damage of our bottled water addiction and the possibility of water wars.

When it comes to solving the problem, one of the easy solutions she mentions is a drinking water filter. She tells Dr. Oz that "Carbon filters also work well for removing chemical tastes from water, and on-tap or point-of-use filters use carbon blocks or reverse osmosis to help water taste fresh."

While Royte is spot on about filtering or purifying your tap water, there is one significant problem to point out. Since conservation is the cornerstone of her argument, a reverse osmosis system doesn't fit well with her eco-friendly answer to the crisis. Reverse osmosis systems can waste 4 to 8 gallons of water to produce one gallon of purified drinking water!

A point-of-use drinking water filtration system that utilizes a carbon filter requires no electricity and wastes no water.

Royte tells Doctor Oz that "If drinkers continue to flock to bottled water, municipal supplies will suffer and public water sources will decline to a dangerous point." Without a doubt, the backlash against bottled water is growing. So now let's break down the entirely feasible solution of a drinking water filter even more. Here are three key ideas.

1. Cost - A drinking water filter can produce better than bottled water quality for less than 10 cents a gallon. There are 128 ounces in a gallon. That means you are getting the equivalent of eight 16 oz. bottles for less than 2 cents each. Now, I'll bet the last time you bought a bottle of water at the store, it cost more than two pennies.

2. Safety - Maybe you are thinking to yourself, "is filtered water from my sink really better than bottled water?" The answer is yes in almost every case. The reason is simple, but scary. According to the NRDC (Natural Resources Defense Council),"An estimated 25% or more of bottled water is really just tap water in a bottle-sometimes further treated, sometimes not." More current studies have put that 25% number closer to 40%.

3. Quality - If you can get tap water that is filtered with a quality multi-stage drinking filter that includes carbon, you are very likely getting healthier water than what was in your last water bottle. The best rated countertop drinking water filter starts at under $100 and utilizes sub-micron filtration to deliver fresh filtered water for less than 10 cents a gallon.

How pure is it? It is so effective that it kills microbial organisms such as cyst parasites (including giardia and cryptosporidium). Look for a system that filters out contaminants greater than 0.5 microns in size. This ultra-filtration will make you want to reach for a cold glass of water from a reusable bottle and you'll be sending a message to the bottled water companies. You'll also be doing your part to stop "Bottlemania!"

Conclusion
One of the reasons that environmental advocates like Royte are being heard is that solutions to the environmentally unfriendly and ridiculously marked-up price of bottled water are simple and easy to implement. Consumer education is the key. The advertising efforts of the $11.5 billion bottled water industry have paid off. Many people still think bottled water is their safest choice and that it comes from pristine sources. Both notions contain more falsehoods than truth.

Kudos to Dr. Oz and Elizabeth Royte for bringing more awareness to this issue. On "The Dr. Oz Show," Mehment Oz has warned audiences about the dangers of cancer-causing chemicals that a shower head water filter can reduce. Consider also protecting yourself from harmful chemicals in the shower as you research water filters.

I suggest that you shop for a drinking water filter that has at least a 60 day guarantee; is NSF certified; and provides 0.5 micron filtration.

Want more information about Dr. Oz's advice on bottled water and drinking water filters?

About the Author

Learn more about the Aquasana water filter that won the prestigious "Best Buy" award six straight years 2003-2008!

For free information about protecting you and your family from harmful water contaminants, such as pesticides, herbicides, pharmaceutical drugs, sex hormones and parasites, visit http://www.aquasana-shower-and-water-filters.com

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