Alachlor is an herbicide used to control annual grasses and broadleaf weeds in crops like corn, sorghum, and soybeans. Like other herbicides, Alachlor enters surface-water as a result of runoff, and enters underground-water by leaching - that's when water from rain, irrigation, or other sources flows through the soil, dissolves the chemicals in it, and carries them down into the groundwater that supplies wells and springs.

Short-term exposure to Alachlor can cause slight skin and eye irritation, while long-term exposure can cause damage to the liver, kidneys, spleen, lining of the nose & eyelids, and cancer.

Asbestos is a very durable, heat resistant Mineral Fiber found in a variety of building materials like insulation, floor & ceiling tiles, roofing, exterior siding, and fireproof boards. It can also be found in some appliances including toasters, broilers, slow cookers, waffle irons, dishwashers, and refrigerators.

Long-term exposure to Asbestos can cause chest & abdominal cancers and lung diseases.

Atrazine is an herbicide used to control broadleaf and grassy weeds. Like other herbicides, Atrazine enters surface-water as a result of runoff, and enters underground-water by leaching - that's when water from rain, irrigation, or other sources flows through the soil, dissolves the chemicals in it, and carries them down into the groundwater that supplies wells and springs.

Short-term exposure to Atrazine can cause: Congestion of the heart, lungs, and kidneys; Low blood pressure; Muscle spasms; Weight loss & Damage to the adrenal glands

Long-term exposure to Atrazine can cause weight loss, cardiovascular damage, retinal & muscle degeneration, and cancer.

Bacteria are everywhere. They are on everything we see and touch, in the air we breathe, and even in the water we drink. In fact, right now, the bacterial cells on (and in) your body actually outnumber your own cells. Much of this bacteria is beneficial, helping us to digest our food, fight off sickness, and even keep our breath fresh. "Good bacteria" also helps to displace, or crowd out, the bad bacteria, which when found in drinking water can cause symptoms like nausea, diarrhoea, cramps, and headaches. That can cause things like pneumonia, syphilis, cholera, and infections like Strep and Staph.

Benzene is a chemical compound used in the manufacture of plastics, rubber, resins, and synthetic fabrics like nylon and polyester. It is also used as a solvent in the printing, paint, and dry cleaning industries.

Short-term exposure to Benzene can cause temporary nervous system disorders, immune system depression, and Anaemia. Long-term exposure can cause chromosome aberrations and cancer.

Carbofuran is an insecticide used to control beetles, nematodes, and rootworm on crops like alfalfa, rice, corn, grapes, etc. Like other insecticides, Carbofuran enters surface-water as a result of runoff, and enters underground-water by leaching - that's when water from rain, irrigation, or other sources flows through the soil, dissolves the chemicals in it, and carries them down into the groundwater that supplies wells and springs.

Short-term exposure to Carbofuran can cause: Headaches; Sweating; Nausea; Diarrhoea; Chest pains; Blurred vision; Anxiety; Muscular weakness

Long-term exposure to Carbofuran can cause damage to the nervous and reproductive systems.

Chlorobenzene is a chemical compound with an almond-like smell. Chlorobenzene is used in the manufacture of chemicals & insecticides, and as a solvent for adhesives, drugs, rubber, paints, and dry-cleaning.

Short-term exposure to Chlorobenzene can impair the function of the liver and kidneys, while long- term exposure can cause liver, kidney, and central nervous system damage.

Chlorine is a chemical element - you may remember it from high school chemistry as atomic number 17 from the periodic table. Chlorine has been used by water treatment plants in the U.S. since the early 1900s because it is a very powerful disinfectant. It kills deadly germs and microorganisms that might otherwise cause life-threatening waterborne diseases such as cholera, typhoid, and dysentery.

So, Chlorine is a good thing... as long as you don't mind the bad taste and odour that comes along with it - remember the last time you swam at the neighbourhood pool? The good news is that your refrigerator filter will remove the Chlorine just before you drink the water. It's the best of both worlds really... your drinking water is safe & tasty!

A cyst is a survivable form that parasites take on when they leave the host (you, me, your dog, etc...). The parasite goes dormant and grows a thick covering like an egg which allows it to survive in water or soil for long periods of time. The covering even allows it to survive the chlorine-based disinfectants typically used by the water treatment industry. The most common types of cyst that cause disease in humans are Giardia and Cryptosporidium.

These intestinal parasite cysts "hatch" when ingested by humans and cause intestinal disease. The diseases are not life-threatening if treated, but can be dangerous to people with weakened immune systems.

Symptoms Include: Diarrhoea; Abdominal cramping; Nausea; Vomiting; Fever; Headache & Loss of appetite

Dichlorobenzene is a colorless organic compound with a pleasant, aromatic odor. Dichlorobenzene is used in the manufacture of agricultural chemicals & herbicides, and as a solvent for things like wax, gum, resin, wood preservatives, and paints. It's also found in some insecticides, dyes, coolants, deodorizers, and degreasers.

Long-term exposure to Dichlorobenzene can cause nervous system damage, as well as damage to the liver, kidneys, and blood cells.

Ethylbenzene is a chemical compound with a gasoline-like smell. Ethylbenzene is primarily used to make the chemical compound Styrene, which is used in the manufacture of a variety of plastics.

Ethylbenzene is also used as a solvent, and to make some rubber and plastic wraps.

Short-term exposure to Ethylbenzene can cause drowsiness, fatigue, headaches, and mild eye and respiratory irritation. Long-term exposure can cause central nervous system damage, as well as damage to the liver, kidneys, and eyes.

Fluoride is the common name for a group of chemical compounds containing the element Fluorine. In the US, Fluoride is added to things like toothpaste, mouth-rinse, and drinking water because studies show that it helps strengthen tooth enamel.

If you've ever washed your hands at a friend's house and you just can't get the soap to lather up, then you've experienced "hard water". Hardness is the measure of the mineral content of water, and hard water typically contains excessive amounts of dissolved Calcium, Magnesium, Bicarbonates, and Sulphates. Hard water shouldn't pose any health concerns, but it can sometimes make drinks like coffee and tea taste bitter.

Lead, symbol Pb (for the Latin word Plumbum) from the periodic table, is extremely toxic to humans. Unfortunately, the toxicity of Lead wasn't truly understood until it had been used for many, many years in things like paint, solder, water pipes, brass plumbing fixtures, gasoline, and pottery. In fact, 75% of the houses built before 1978 contained lead-based paint, and before 1987 the solder used for plumbing typically contained 50% lead. Contact with water slowly corrodes the inside walls of the pipes & fittings, as well as the solder used to connect them. As this happens, the dissolved metals flow through the pipes and out through the faucet.

The health effects of lead exposure are most severe for infants and children. For them, exposure to high levels of lead in drinking water can result in delays in physical and mental development, learning disorders, behavioural problems, and reduced attention span. Lead can also cause abnormal fetal development in pregnant women. For adults, exposure can cause damage to the kidneys, central nervous system, and brain, as well as high blood pressure.

Lindane is an insecticide used on pets, livestock, fruits, vegetables, cotton, wool, tobacco, and various other plants & trees. It's also used as a wood preservative, and for treating head lice & scabies on humans. Like other insecticides, Lindane enters surface-water as a result of runoff, and enters underground-water by leaching - that's when water from rain, irrigation, or other sources flows through the soil, dissolves the chemicals in it, and carries them down into the groundwater that supplies wells and springs.

Short-term exposure to Lindane can cause high body temperature and pulmonary edema, while long-term exposure can cause damage to the liver and kidneys.

Mercury is a shiny, silver-grey, liquid metal named after the closest planet to the Sun. Symbol Hg (for the Latin word hydrargyrum which means "liquid silver"), Mercury is used in things like thermometers, barometers, fluorescent lamps, and batteries. Mercury has also been used since the early 1800s in dental fillings, commonly known as Amalgam - an alloy containing Mercury, Silver, Tin, and Copper.

Exposure to Mercury can cause neurological & kidney damage.

One micron is one-millionth of a meter or approximately 1/25,000 of an inch. For comparison, a human hair is about 70 microns thick.

Typically, water filters are rated by the smallest particle they can remove. Most filters can remove particles as small as 10 or 20 microns in size, but the best filters can remove particles smaller than 1 micron. Just remember, when it comes to removing particles, smaller is definitely better.

The term "Particulates" refers to particles of rust, dirt, sand, and sediment found in drinking water. Water that contains Particulates is typically cloudy, and as you might expect, tastes and smells "dirty". By themselves, Particulates are not known to cause any adverse health effects, but they can sometimes carry other harmful organic, inorganic, and microbiological contaminants through the drinking water system.

Particulates are removed to some extent by all of the filters we sell. In general, better filters will remove finer particles. Each filter's ability to remove particulates is measured against a certain "particulate class", or particle size.

Class I - 0.5 to 1 micron Class II - 1 to 5 microns Class III - 5 to 15 microns

Where one micron is one-millionth of a meter or approximately 1/25,000 of an inch.

For example, if a filter is rated to remove "95.1% of Particulates (Class II)", that just means that it will remove 95.1% of all particles that are between 1 and 5 microns in size.

pH is a measure of how acidic a liquid is. A liquid with a low pH is very acidic, while a high pH indicates alkalinity. Acidic water can be quite corrosive, leaching metals like Lead, Copper, Iron, and Zinc from the plumbing pipes and fixtures in your home. As you might expect, these metals flow down the pipes, and into your drinking water. Alkaline water is typical "hard" - meaning it contains a lot of dissolved minerals. Hard water isn't considered a health concern, but it can give drinks like coffee and tea a bitter taste.

Sediment is nothing more than dirt and rocks that settle on the bottom of lakes, rivers, and streams. Dredging, floods, or even bottom-feeding fish can sometimes stir sediment back into the water, and cause turbidity. Sediment doesn't cause any adverse health effects, but like particulates, sediment can carry other harmful organic, inorganic, and microbiological contaminants.

Sediment is removed to some extent by filters. In general, better filters (smaller pore size) will remove finer sediment.

Tetrachloroethylene is a chemical compound used mainly in aerosol dry-cleaning products and metal degreasers, and to a lesser extent in rubber coatings, solvent soaps, printing inks, adhesives, sealants, polishes, lubricants, and pesticides.

Long-term exposure to Tetrachloroethylene can cause liver problems and may increase the risk of getting some types of cancer.

Toxaphene is an insecticide used on cotton, vegetables, livestock, and poultry. In the past, it was also used to kill unwanted fish in some lakes. Like other insecticides, Toxaphene enters surface-water as a result of runoff, and enters underground-water by leaching - that's when water from rain, irrigation, or other sources flows through the soil, dissolves the chemicals in it, and carries them down into the groundwater that supplies wells and springs.

Short-term exposure to Toxaphene can cause restlessness, hyper excitability, tremors, spasms, and convulsions. Long-term exposure can cause degeneration of the liver and kidneys, damage to the central nervous system, suppression of the immune system, and cancer.

Turbidity is a measure of how clear the water is. Water with a lot of suspended solids appears murky and has a high level of Turbidity. Suspended solids can be anything from microscopic floating plants like Phytoplankton to clays and silts, or even sediment that's been stirred back into the water by dredging, floods, or bottom-feeding fish like carp. These suspended solids can sometimes carry toxic organic contaminants, pesticides, and heavy metals like cadmium, mercury, and lead.

VOCs include chemicals that are both man-made and naturally occurring. The VOCs we're most likely to be exposed to come in the form of pesticides, herbicides, or insecticides that enter the water supply as a result of runoff. Other VOCs enter the water supply through the disposal of industrial waste. This can include things like total trihalomethanes (TTHM), a by-product of the chlorination process.

2,4-D is a herbicide used to control broad-leaf weeds in crops like wheat and corn, and on pasture and rangelands. It's also used to control woody plants along roadsides, railways, and powerlines. Like other herbicides, 2,4-D enters surface-water as a result of runoff, and enters underground- water by leaching - that's when water from rain, irrigation, or other sources flows through the soil, dissolves the chemicals in it, and carries them down into the groundwater that supplies wells and springs.

Short-term exposure to 2,4-D can cause damage to the nervous system, while long-term exposure can cause damage to the liver and kidneys.