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Water filters, by definition, remove impurities from water, usually by blocking impurities with a barrier. These impurities include sediment, chemicals, and other dissolved solids that might be present in a water supply. What happens, then, if some of these dissolved solids are beneficial, like minerals? Are they also removed during the filtration process?
Most tap water supplies in the United States contain beneficial minerals like calcium, potassium, magnesium, sodium, and zinc (1). Despite tap water undergoing a strict cleansing and filtration process before it ends up in your home, these minerals are purposefully kept in because your body needs them to function optimally. According to a study done at Harvard, these minerals help with bone and tooth strength, regulate blood pressure, make muscles contract, and boost the immune system (2).
The amount of each mineral present in a tap water supply varies based on geographic location, hardness of the water, and individual state filtration guidelines. Despite the presence of healthy minerals in tap water, tap water may not be safe to drink, and it is important to read your city’s water quality report before drinking water straight from the tap.
Because tap water often contains disinfection byproducts, heavy metals, and other harmful contaminants, it is recommended to run your water through a filter before drinking it. However, not all filters are created equal. Every water filter is designed to remove certain contaminants, and some of these filters have a more extensive list of contaminants than others. It is important to do your research before purchasing a water filter to better understand what is actually being removed from your water.
The following list outlines four of the most common water filters present in homes, and whether or not they are designed to remove beneficial minerals from their water supply.
Activated carbon filters
Activated carbon (AC) filters are the most common type of commercial water filter. They work by using activated carbon to trap and “remove contaminants as water flows through the filter” (3). Because these filters are so common, their effectiveness in removing contaminants varies greatly. Some AC filters are designed to only remove chlorine, which helps with taste and odor, while keeping in both beneficial minerals and harmful chemicals. Others can remove inorganic compounds, chemical compounds, and radioactive contaminants. It is highly uncommon for an AC filter to remove viruses and bacteria.
While each activated carbon filter is designed differently, these filters do not typically remove minerals during the filtration process. If you are looking to add beneficial minerals to your diet through your water, an AC filter is a good place to start.
Ensure you research the specific filter you are looking for before you buy it, and see if the filter is designed to keep in beneficial minerals. For example, Seychelle’s Gen 2 Dual Regular Water Pitcher is a great all-around filter, as it is independently lab-tested to remove 99.99% of aesthetic, chemical, inorganic, and radiological contaminants, all while keeping in healthy minerals. Be sure to read the full list of contaminants left in or taken out of tap water when you are researching your AC filter.
Reverse osmosis filters
Reverse osmosis (RO) filters come as a whole system installed in a home, and they are not typically as compact as an activated carbon filter. The reason for their size is because reverse osmosis is a multi-step process that purifies your water into the “most effective form of water filtration.”
In order to purify water by way of reverse osmosis, the water is first run through an activated carbon filter to remove initial contaminants like chlorine. Then, immense pressure is put on the water as it is pushed “through a semipermeable membrane that blocks any particles or contaminants larger than water molecules” (3). The process is extensive, but it requires immense amounts of water and is therefore criticized by some for not being eco-friendly. Through the filtration process, nearly all dissolved solids are removed from the water, including PFAS, heavy metals, and other harmful contaminants. However, beneficial minerals are also removed from the water.
Water softeners/Ion Exchange filters
Some people install water softeners, also known as ion exchange filters, into their homes to reduce calcium and magnesium buildup in their pipes and plumbing fixtures. These filters use an ion exchange process to remove calcium and magnesium from a water source, replacing them with sodium (3). In doing so, hard water becomes “softer,” which can make cleaning easier and help with calcium buildup.
Water softeners remove beneficial minerals like calcium and magnesium from a water source, but they do not target other contaminants, like bacteria, pesticides, silt, lead, or other organic andinorganic compounds (4).
Distillation
The process of distillation arguably creates the “purest” form of water, distilled water. In this process, water is heated to the point of becoming vapor, then it is condensed back into water again. It removes virtually every contaminant, including minerals, bacteria, viruses, and some chemicals. Chlorine, trihalomethanes, and VOCs may only be partially removed (3). Distillation systems are not commonly found in homes, as distilled water tends to be made in factories and bottled to sell.
Distilled water contains nearly no total dissolved solids, since everything is boiled out. This means that healthy minerals are also boiled out of distilled water.
No two water filters are exactly the same, and the filtration process determines what contaminants are removed from a water supply. Reverse osmosis filters, water softeners, and distillation systems all remove healthy minerals from a water supply. Activated carbon filters, on the other hand, tend to retain healthy minerals for the consumer’s benefit. However, it is important to double check what your AC filter is actually removing, as some AC filters are designed to remove more contaminants than others. Ultimately, drinking water does not need to come at the sacrifice of consuming beneficial minerals. By choosing a water filter that retains healthy minerals while filtering out harmful contaminants, you can get the best of both worlds from your water.
Do water filters remove beneficial minerals?
It depends on the filter. Activated carbon filters oftentimes keep in beneficial minerals, while RO filters, ion exchange filters, and distillation systems all remove minerals.
How to filter water without losing minerals?
Research your water filter. Most activated carbon filters keep in healthy minerals.
What are the downsides of reverse osmosis?
Reverse osmosis systems are critiqued for the amount of water that is wasted during the purification process. Additionally, RO systems remove beneficial minerals from the water supply.
References
ETR Laboratories,https://etrlabs.com/minerals-in-water-how-important-are-they/
Harvard Health Publishing,https://www.health.harvard.edu/staying-healthy/precious-metals-and-other-important-minerals-for-health#:~:text=Calcium%20builds%20bones%20and%20teeth,benefit%20bones%20and%20blood%20pressure.
EWG’s Tap Water Database,https://www.ewg.org/tapwater/water-filter-guide.php
Sharon O. Skipton and Bruce I. Dvorak, University of Nebraska- Lincoln,https://extensionpubs.unl.edu/publication/g1491/2014/html/view
