Chemicals

The term "chemical" is an often overused, general term applied to synthetic substances, but as is commonly known, the earth and all organisms are made up of "chemicals". Innumerable chemical compounds are vital for all life forms and processes.

In discussions of water quality, "chemical run-off" or "chemical contamination" is commonly used to describe contamination by solvents, organic compounds, pesticides, herbicides and by-products of chlorination. These types of chemical contaminants are strictly regulated by EU standards, and most municipally treated waters are closed monitored. On private systems, chemical contamination can be a problem since these compounds are often undetectable by taste or smell.

Most of the chemical contamination has been a result of leaking underground storage tanks and waste drums, which can slowly contaminate the surrounding aquifer. Removal of trace amounts of pesticides and herbicides, or gasoline by-products from leaking underground storage tanks, is often accomplished with activated carbon, aeration, or membrane separation.

Pesticides and herbicides are rarely found in municipally treated waters. Many commonly sold water filters using activated carbon list dozens or even hundreds of these compounds in their sales literature, but are seldom used on water that actually contain these compounds. In some cases, if the source water is actually contaminated, whole-house systems designed to remove the contaminant are required, as skin absorption in the shower is possible.

If you suspect your water may suffer from this problem you should purchase a water test pack. You can also fill out our online query form and we'll get back to you very shortly.