Chemical compounds - What's Present in our Water?

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THMs - or trihalomethanes, are chemical compounds that may develop during the disinfection of water with chlorine. 

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VOCs - Volatile organic compounds 

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Obtaining pure water, crucial for various biological, chemical, and mechanical processes, proves surprisingly challenging. With chemical fumes affecting clouds and bacteria thriving in natural lakes, the water cycle offers ample chances for contamination. Even in nations with widespread access to safe drinking water, the typical household tap delivers more than just H2O. 

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Parts of the water cycle

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 Farming & chemicals: 12 pesticides that are banned elsewhere but still used in Australia. 

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Fertilizers, Blue Green Algae, animal wastes + processing and parasites like Cryptosporidium (Parasites capable of inducing respiratory and gastrointestinal illnesses) have all been issues when it comes to cleaning water nationwide. 

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Industry & pollution: Heavy metals, petroleum products and smokes/gasses. Many of these substances contribute to environmental fallout for instance cloud pollution resulting in acid rain. 

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Suburbia & Homes: Pesticides from gardens, human wastes, bacteria, pets and feral animals all contribute to contaminated water in the process. 

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Pipes: Some mains networks could have pipes lasting for as long as 80-100 years. Water travels through many kilometers before it reaches the tap. Although authorities do their best to flush out and maintain said mains, it doesn't mean bacteria, dirt, rust and slime build up can occur. Lead can also be found in water due to lead solders used to weld and connect copper pipe joints that can seep slowly into the water.

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What can we do about it? 

Luckily, removing THMs from your drinking water is a straightforward process. Many charcoal or activated carbon filters are specifically designed for effective THM removal. 

Another reliable option for ensuring THM removal, along with a wide range of other contaminants, is through Reverse Osmosis (RO). Unlike typical tap filters with cartridges ranging from 10 to 0.5 microns, RO systems utilize a semipermeable membrane with pores as small as 0.0005 microns, effectively eliminating the majority of impurities.