We visit homes, businesses and schools to conduct Water Quality Assessments of drinking and bathing water sources and water storage, which concentrates on identifying any potential contaminants that may arise from the pipes to storage vessels.

Water is essential for our survival; a person can only survive three to five days without water. Many Australians brag about “how good the water quality is” and the catchments around Melbourne are miles away from the city in protected forest catchments areas, where no one can access them. Sounds good right?
So what’s the problem? Well, we don’t actually drink this water, we drink water that has been treated to ‘purify and protect’ it, from the hundreds of kilometers of pipes through which it must travel to your home. Some of the chemicals used to ‘purify’ our water include:

• Flouride: a toxic substance, that is not essential for healthy living. It can inhibit calcium absorption leading to brittle bones, and as it is used as a medication, there is no monitoring of the dosage or the side effects. Applying fluoride directly to the teeth does strengthen them, but the toothpaste should not be swallowed.
Recent research has proven that drinking fluoridated water does not prevent tooth decay, which is the reason that fluoride was first introduced back in the 1970’s.
Water filters can reduce or remove fluoride, depending on the filtration system.

• Chlorine in the form of a gas, is used to purify our water, which is essential, however many people find chlorine to be a skin and airway irritant. Fitting a Shower filter in the bathroom and by using a water filter for drinking water, the amount of chlorine a family is exposed too can be reduced.

• Pesticides: are chemicals used to control plants and animal pests and may be used in and around the home. There are many types of pesticides including insecticides and herbicides. The use of DDT has been linked with cancer.

• Copper: can cause digestive problems, liver and kidney damage, and increase the risk of miscarriage.

• Discolouration of water may indicate the presence of iron.

The health concerns associated with water will depend upon the source of drinking water, whether tap, tank, bore or bottled. Building Biologists can test your tap water for up to 10 different contaminants.
I would recommend a water filter system for most households. No one water filter suits all homes, so each house needs to be individuality assessed.