Natural mineral water vs 'reverse osmosis'?!
Natural mineral water vs 'reverse osmosis'?
ive been confused all my life- in my country, they sell two types of bottled waters, in which the first, states 'natural mineral water', and the other one states ' drinking water, treated with reverse osmosis'.. can anyone plz, plz help me to explain wut are da differences between those two, and probably which one is best to consume? plz...
Answers:
Drinking water purification
In the United States, household drinking water purification systems, including a reverse osmosis step, are commonly used for improving water for drinking and cooking.
Such systems typically include four or five stages:
* a sediment filter to trap particles including rust and calcium carbonate
* optionally a second sediment filter with smaller pores
* an activated carbon filter to trap organic chemicals and chlorination
* a reverse osmosis (RO) filter with a thin film composite membrane (TFM or TFC)
* optionally a second carbon filter to capture those chemicals not removed by the RO membrane.
* optionally an ultra-violet lamp is used for disinfection of the remaining microbes.
In some systems, the carbon pre-filter is omitted and cellulose triacetate membrane (CTA) is used. The CTA membrane is prone to rotting unless protected by the chlorinated water, while the TFC membrane is prone to breaking down under the influence of chlorine. In CTA systems, a carbon post-filter is needed to eliminate the chlorine.
Natural Mineral Waters must:
* Come from an identified and protected source
* Be bottled at source
* Be of known and consistent quality with a composition that is stable over time (the label carries the typical mineral analysis)
* Must be naturally wholesome without treatment
* Contain no additives except, in some cases, carbon dioxide to make the water sparkle
* Have nothing removed that changes the unique characteristics of that particular water
* Be free from pollution
In a nut shell, I think both are safe but there might be stuff in the spring that you might not like. Yes, the spring waters are protected but do bear and other animals walk (pee!!) in it?!?!? I prefer Reverse Osmosis water
Reverse osmosis is a process in which all the toxins are removed from the water and creates a more pure product. Natural mineral water is spring water that has been bottled and not necesarily treated. The best choice IMO is purified or treated water that has minerals added to it. Because all the toxins have been removed, but you need the minerals in it because without them, the water becomes more acidic because it absorbs carbon dioxide from the air and can also leach minerals from the rest of your body when it's absorbed into the body. Over the long term this can cause problems.
Reverse Osmosis is safer than any other type of mineral water but mind it, there are no minerals of any kind in there, no microorganisms will make it thru, therefore, just water. Safer though, I am drinking RO water for over a year now..... it's cleaner and safer....no sediments what so ever.