The Truth of Water - Answers

Anna from Wyoming Writes:

Hi, we get our water from a well and we use a water distiller for our drinking water. I am totally confused if this is the best water for us or not, because I am concerned about the water not having any minerals in it. Right now I add colloidal plant minerals to add some minerals, but please let me know if you have any better suggestions, the internet makes me scared with all their claims that distilled water leaches minerals out of your body!

Hi Anna, thanks for the question.

Two things happen to water when it passes through an R.O. membrane or a distiller:

1. The removal of minerals.  Water is the worlds most universal solvent, which is why you find naturally occurring minerals and metals in water.  Once these minerals are removed, it does allow for very fast ion transfer from a source of high ions (the minerals) to low or no ions (the “pure” water).   Think of it like heat - if you have one room at twenty degrees and another room of equal size beside it at ten, eventually both will be fifteen degrees.  This can suck dissolved minerals from your body and pass it into your urine, which can be a problem, assuming you have a major mineral deficiency in the first place.
2. The formation of carbonic acid.  With the minerals gone, the H2O is free to combine with the carbon dioxide in your water, forming carbonic acid. This will bring the pH of the water down to around 6.

The real question is will this do any long term damage.  The internet supports a lot of sensationalists that like to do fear mongering.  Fear mongering gets attention, and traffic, which is what webmasters like.  Creating this unfounded fear also drives sales for products that are not needed or just plain do not work, for the profit of these unethical business people.

I have not run across any sufficient long term studies stating if this lack of minerals is truly harmful or not.  The concept of “pure” water being harmful is a relatively new one and long term study is required.  However, there is no doubt that pure water is in reality an fairly aggressive and effective solvent.  That is scientifically valid.

My own personal thoughts are that if you are in good health, and have a healthy, balanced diet, there shouldn’t be any problems.  However, if you are very young (infant/toddler), very old, weak, infirm, or have or are at risk of having osteoporosis, than ingesting de-mineralized water might be a risk for you, a risk that you might not want to take.

Personally, I drink and cook with the municipally treated tap water available from my taps.  As a member of the municipal treatment industry, I am familiar with local and federal regulations as well as industry wide standards and have every confidence that I am getting safe water.

If you do feel that your distiller is no longer working for you, I would be happy to help point you in the right direction of other effective water treatments for your well water. But for now, happy drinking!

Karen Writes:

I have a home water distiller. How long is the water stored in glass bottles, safe for drinking?

Hi Karen, thanks for writing in.

Distillation of water is an effective way to ensure most chemical and biological contaminants are left behind.  It is an easy and fast way to treat water in your own home for drinking and cooking.

When purchasing store bought bottled water, a reputable manufacturer will ensure that the water is completely disinfected before bottling.  Most will add a disinfectant like ozone to the process, because it is a powerful disinfectant. The bottle is then sealed and any remaining ozone quickly converts to oxygen shortly after that.  It’s this disinfection/sealing process that allows bottled water to be stored indefinately.

The process you describe will allow for some interaction with the environment in the glass bottle.  Because there is no trace disinfectant left in your water, it could leave it open for propagation of bacteria.  In this case, you water should be consumed within the same amount of time that food can last in the fridge, within a week or two. Any longer and it could turn stagnant.

If you would like to produce water that would last longer for storage, you could follow a pasteurization technique as you would with producing home canned goods.  Using heat on a sealed bottle in the proper technique would ensure any bacteria allowed to enter the bottle is killed, and would allow you for longer storage of your water.

I hope this answered your question. If you would like further clarification or want to ask another question, please do not hesitate to write in again.

Mr. Barraza from California writes:

Is distilled water safe to drink?

The answer is yes and no.

Distilled water is very similar to reverse osmosis water.  Both techniques leave nothing but pure H2O behind, for the most part.  What happens then is because the dissolved minerals are gone, the dissolved CO2 is allowed to combine with some H2O to form carbonic acid, bringing the pH of the water down to about 6.

The other thing is that water is an excellent solvent.  It will dissolve trace amounts of just about anything given the opportunity, like a sponge.  Think of your tap water like a sponge full of minerals that cannot take any more.  Distilled water is like a dry sponge looking for minerals.

When the distilled water enters your body, the water in your body with a mix of dissolved minerals will pass some over to the distilled water to balance the ratio.  It works very much like air temperature, where warm air will pass its energy onto colder air until an equilibrium is reached.

Eventually, drinking too much of this water over a long period of time can deplete your body of much needed minerals and electrolytes.

While drinking the occasional glass of distilled water won’t harm you, but it can be a chronic problem if drank repeatedly over a long period of time, especially to women who are at risk for or suffer from osteoporosis.