There are two major problems in choosing a filter. Firstly, it is impossible to tell if the product is working properly, without chemical analyses, although if it has a serious defect, a smell of chlorine in the filtered water might be noticeable. Secondly, there are no British Standards for domestic water filters at present. As a customer, you therefore need to be well informed about what you are buying. Some of the filters at present on the market actually remove very few contaminants from the water supply. Others may work well at first, but their performance drops off sharply – long before they have filtered the number of gallons claimed by the manufacturer.

The only country to apply consumer standards to domestic water filters is the USA, where the Environmental Protection Agency requires filters impregnated with silver to be registered and sets a limit on how much silver can leach into the water. In Britain, the Water Research Centre operates an approval scheme for some aspects of water filters, but not for their overall performance. It seems likely that the approval scheme in Britain will be improved in the next few years.

The vast majority of water filters bought in Britain are of the jug type. The advantage of these is that the initial outlay is very low (£10-15). The cost per gallon is between 12 pence and 30 pence, which is cheaper than bottled water, although the taste of the water is not as good.

The prime objective of the jug filters is to improve the taste and appearance of water, and to remove hardness (calcium carbonate or ‘chalk’) so that kettles do not

become lined with scale. They contain an activated carbon filter to remove chlorine and another component, an ion exchange resin, which takes out the calcium carbonate. The latter component also removes lead and some other metals. Calcium carbonate is not injurious to health and cannot cause sensitivity reactions, so it is the kettle that benefits rather than the drinker.

*420\180\8*

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