Tap into safer water: how to make sure your tap water is safe to drink.

Every day more than 298 million Americans turn on their taps for water to drink, cook with, and bathe in. New research shows something as simple as using an inexpensive carbon filter pitcher can help make your water safer.

The vast majority of our homes are served by municipal water suppliers (many of which use reservoirs and other treated sources of surface water). Under the federal Safe Drinking Water Act, municipal water must contain little or no contaminants (such as bacteria and pesticides) that could make us sick. But that doesn't mean water is always contaminant-free. Some suburban and rural communities get their water from wells, which may become contaminated from pollutants in ground water.

"Most states are doing a very good job providing us with water that's safe to drink," says Ann Lemley, PhD, a water quality specialist and professor at the College of Human Ecology at Cornell University in Ithaca, New York. "That doesn't mean that all water always meets all standards, but I have no qualms about drink- ing tap water anywhere where in the United States."

When to worry

"Most of what we don't like about our water is aesthetic: color, taste, or odor," says Lemley. "Hard water, which has high levels of minerals, can leave crusty deposits around fixtures, and iron may leave reddish-brown or orange stains on our clothes or in the sink. A water-treatment device can fix this, but it's really not a health issue," says Lemley. Hard water also reduces the cleaning power of detergent, so clothing may look dingy.

You can often recognize a problem yourself, such as an unpleasant odor or color. For example, hydrogen sulfide is a harmless substance that gives off a rotten-egg odor; it's unpleasant but not unsafe. However, most harmful substances are undetectable. Some problems are caused by heavy rains, flooding, or a breakdown in the municipal treatment system. "States are required to test regularly for microorganisms or coliform, and E. Coli bacteria. If either one of these comes up positive, there will be a boil water advisory," says Lemley.

Boiling benefits