Omron Blood Pressure Monitors

Being able to catch only the sulfur and chlorine in your bath water, Google gives this shower filter (the cheapest) a price tag of only $10. However, the most costly captures chlorine, organic carbon compounds, and volatile organic compounds – for $379.90.

Some difference. Really, though, what do all these claims mean? Are these just words thrown out to catch a consumer’s eye? Or is there an actual meaning to them?

Total Organic Carbon (TOCs)

Simply put, Total Organic Carbon is used as a general indicator of water quality. It is the total count of carbon in the sample that is not in an inorganic compound. More generally, a high TOC, it’s possible you might be getting showered with contaminants such as: detergents, decaying plant matter, herbicides, or pesticides. Mostly, public water systems succeed in keeping the TOC content as low as possible, although some of these contaminants can get through.

Volatile Organic Compounds

Benzene or trichloroethylene in the water make up the measure known as VOCs or Volatile Organic Compounds. Trichloroethylene, for instance, is used to clean septic tanks – an accidental spill or an careless worker might have introduced it into the water system. Gasoline and oil leaks might enter into the system through pipes and lead to you having benzene in your shower water. Usually these are monitored pretty strictly by public water systems, but if you live in an old industrial or agricultural region, it might be wise to get your water checked every so often.

Chlorination

The old disinfectant. Chlorine is usually used to treat and disinfect water at treatment facilities, making it safe to reintroduce to the public system. Chances are you’ve gone for a dip in a swimming pool at one point, and if so, you’ve probably gotten a bit of mild discomfort or frayed hair if you stayed in too long: that’s the power of chlorine, the most effective basic water disinfectant. Fortunately, even the cheapest charcoal shower filters will get rid of chlorine traces in the water.

Of the above, municipal services remove the first two (TOC and VOC) most effectively – paying $400 to get rid of what isn’t there is an unnecessary sacrifice. But even if chlorine was your main worry, the size of it in the public supply isn’t enough to truly harm you – only irritate you if you take special care of your hair. If you feel a filter is absolutely required for those nasty chemicals, though, you could probably pay less than $100 to get a sufficient filtration system made to remove at least some of the VOCs, TOCs, heavy metals and even restore pH balance.

Find relief from dry itchy skin at shower water filters and shower filters

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