Myths and reality.
Many people, when researching the purchase of a water filter, start their search because they have found that the network water in their area is hard. This is indeed a problem because hard water creates many problems in the pipes of the water supply network, in the electrical resistances of the washing machines and dishes, in the taps, heaters, radiators burners, etc. Another problem is that hard water does not foam with soaps and shampoos, while making laundry detergents ineffective. Hair washed with hard water is dull and conditioners become less effective. But what people do not know is that hard water is desirable within some reasonable limits as drinking water.
Let us try to explain as simply as possible what Water Hardness means. The Hardness of water represents the total of dissolved calcium and magnesium salts mainly. It is divided into two categories: Carbonate or otherwise transient Hardness, which is due to carbonate (bicarbonate) salts of water, and non-carbonate or otherwise Total Hardness, which measures the concentration of dissolved calcium and magnesium salts. What causes the well-known problem of scale deposits is the total hardness. The best source of soft water is rain and snow water.
In the big issue of drinking water, however, its Hardness is not measured as dirt. Today, it is increasingly believed that water without calcium and magnesium salts may be harmful to the human body, due to the high permeability of cells. For this reason, sea fish will die if we transport them in distilled water, because their red blood cells are destroyed. Extensive studies in recent years in very large samples of the population confirm the view that the consumption of drinking water rich in calcium and magnesium has a beneficial effect on the cardiovascular system and beyond. In areas with hard water, the incidence of cardiovascular diseases is reduced.
The World Health Organization (WHO) recently set up a research committee to determine the need for calcium and magnesium in drinking water. The following is a summary of some conclusions: The World Health Organization has organized an international conference on the health effects of calcium and magnesium in drinking water. At the conference, which was attended and attended by about 200 medical researchers, evaluated studies that suggest a possible link between magnesium deficiency and increased risk of heart attack, hypertension and even type 2 diabetes in humans, as well as many people living in areas with Mineral-rich water indicates lower rates of heart attack or high blood pressure… (Source: Water Technology News, April 2006). What the World Health Organization concludes is that long-term consumption of distilled water can lead to mineral deficiencies and health problems. So it seems that water in its natural form enriched with all its trace elements, calcium, magnesium, potassium, is what the human body during the hundreds of thousands of years of its evolution has adapted to drink.
