Big Berkey Water Filters

Good strong teeth in a child is a priority to conscientious parents and fluoride in water is considered by many to help achieve that. Yet, in spite of the advancements in dental care, more than one fourth of 2 to 5 year olds, and half of kids 12 to 15, have one or more cavities. Further, tooth decay has affected two thirds teenagers between the ages of 16 and 19. These statistics and other disturbing facts about the dangers of fluoride in water have parents increasingly purchasing fluoride water filters.

Many agree with studies that seem to indicate that adding fluoride to public water will decrease the problem of tooth decay, while others strongly disagree.  Fluoride is the 13th most common element in the earth’s crust and exists naturally in water. Some water has sufficient natural fluoride, but what if it is not naturally present? Should fluoride be added to water systems? The debate about fluoride won’t be settled here. Rather, the purpose of this article is to consider a few of these points, and to give you some options.

Supporters of Fluoride in Water

Supporters of fluoridation state, “Today, water fluoridation is estimated to reduce tooth decay by 20-40%….It is well known that fluoride helps prevent and even reverse the early stages of tooth decay.â€� These statements have the authority of a trained doctor. Similarly, “For over 60  years, water fluoridation has proven to be a safe and cost-effective way to reduce dental cavities.â€�

Those favoring use of fluoride in general claim that its presence combats tooth decay in two ways. First, it strengthens the developing teeth and second, it aids the surface of the teeth by preventing the acid produced by the bacteria in plaque from dissolving, or demineralizing tooth enamel. Fluoride also allows teeth damaged by acid to remineralize, or repair themselves. It won’t repair cavities, but it can reverse minor tooth decay and prevent new cavities from forming.

Opponents of Fluoride in Water

The evidence for fluoride as part of dental care is well supported, however the data supporting the benefits of adding fluoride in water is not as strong. Opponents state; “There is no difference in the tooth decay rates of the fluoridated and nonfluoridated water regions surveyed.â€� They claim that increased amount of fluoride in children can actually increase tooth decay. Too much fluoride during the teeth developing years can cause enamel fluorosis, a mottling or discoloration of the permanent teeth. To add fluoride to water, along with toothpaste and treatments can exceed the maximum level that is safe.  Read the back of your toothpaste and you’ll learn that fluoride poisoning is accompanied by vomiting, nausea, abdominal pain, diarrhea, increased salivation, or increased thirst with symptoms lasting up to 24 hours but appear within 30 minutes after ingestion.  Are we slowly poisoning our bodies with continuous low levels of fluoride in our water?  Wouldn’t younger children be more susceptible?

Those opposed to the added fluoride say the studies have not considered it’s long range effects. They claim it is directly linked to changes in bone structure and strength, cancer, impairs the immune system, causes birth defects and perinatal deaths, causes initial stages of skeletal fluorosis, inhibits key enzymes, causes osteoarthritis, and suppresses thyroid function. What do they say about the studies that prove that fluoride in water is good for dental hygiene? The studies had several flaws. First, they did  not consider the differences between “natural fluoride” (ex: CaF)  and added fluoride in water (ex: NaF). Second, these studies did not consider the other minerals in the water and these could actually be the cause of decreased instances of tooth decay. Third, adequate risk analysis was lacking with dental fluorosis as the only barometer for safety being included.

Berkey Fluoride Water Filters

Fluoride Water Filters

If your conclusion from these points is that fluoride should not be in your drinking water, what are your options? Some opt for bottled water, but this can get expensive. A better alternative is to purchase a fluoride water filter. Some expensive units do this, yet there are also more affordable systems that provide optional fluoride water filters.  Berkey water filter systems, for example, have available an additional fluoride filter that can be attached below the primary black berkeys and will remove fluoride from the water. If you don’t want fluoride, you don’t have to drink it.

In another damning blow to our US drinking water quality, the New York Times printed another article today as part of their “Toxic Waters, Outdated Laws”, series.  (Last week’s drinking water article commentary here) I stumbled across this as I raced through the airport trying to catch a flight to Nashville. There I see it, at the airport mini-mart kiosk on the front page of the NYT; That tap water is legal, but may be unhealthy. As I read these sorts of articles and scientific reports often, I was expecting some more rehashing of the usual dismal conditions of our municipal water systems. This was the case, however there was an important connection made relating the growing problem of our water quality to the shrinking amount of funds to fix it.

Drinking Water Quality Downtrend

Not only are we failing miserably in keeping pace by defining and categorizing all the chemicals that continue to show up in our drinking water.  But, even if we do, the majority of municipalities are going to be unable to afford the type of upgrades or replacement treatment facilities that would be needed to remove these chemicals. This is a scary thought, trying to fix a behemoth of a problem that continues to grow fast, with limited funds and resources to do so. The reality is that the water quality challenges the US and most other developed countries are facing would be intimidating if we had unlimited funds and finances. As a society are we really ready to acknowledge the severity of this problem and fight this uphill battle? Home water filters are only a short term solution to a long term problem. Here are some of my favorite quotes that appear in the article.

“Only 91 contaminants are regulated by the Safe Water Drinking Act, yet more than 60,000 chemicals are used withing the United States according to the Environmental Protection Agency.” Mind you, the Safe Water Drinking Act is 35 years old and no additional chemicals have been added to the regulated list since 2000!

“People don’t understand that just because water is technically legal, it can still present health risks” Dr. Pankaj Parekh - Director of the water quality division for LA, California. - Speaking in regard to challenges he’s faced in trying to reduce/remove chemicals that are not on the SDWA watch list.

“For years, people said that America has the cleanest drinking water in the world.  That was true 20 years ago.  But, people don’t realize how many new chemicals have emerged and how much more pollution has occurred.  If they did, we would see very different attitudes.” William K Reilly, EPA administrator under President George H. W. Bush

“Government scientists have evaluated 830 contaminants most often found in water supplies…and they have determined that many of them are associated with cancer or other diseases, even at small concentrations. Yet, almost none of these assessments have been incorporated into the SWDA or other federal laws”

“In May, the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee passed the Water Infrastructure Financing Act which, if approved by congress and signed by President Obama, would authorize $14.7 Billion in loans to help states improve their systems.” A step in the right direction, but the article also quotes that a new system for LA could be upwards of $800M.  We simply need to move faster and act with more urgency.

This week, the New York Times reported on it’s disturbing findings of an investigation into the US municipal water systems that serve millions of Americans. It highlights failures and obvious enforcement gaps in current government regulations that we’ve assumed are protecting our drinking water, including the realization that 20 percent of the nation’s water treatment systems have violated key provisions of the Safe Drinking Water Act.

Water Quality (Un)enforcement

The discovery that municipalities fail water quality reports is nothing new, but what’s a little surprising is that the majority of  municipalities that received violations were never penalized for their failures in meeting water safety requirements. Many were given a pass under the impression that fining would be counterproductive to cash-strapped municipalities. This has serious ramifications to our public health and needs to be regarded as such.

Contaminants in our Drinking Water

As I’ve written about in earlier articles, this is partly a byproduct of the public’s assumption that our drinking water is safe with no spotlight being placed on the regulators. The American people are coping with many other personal and financial issues, and unless it makes headlines, they are unaware of the continuing destruction of our water sources thanks to human pollution.  As the NYT points out, water treatment facilities are struggling with the current identified list of monitored contaminants, but this is only half the story. The cold hard fact is that there exists an inability for private and government organizations to keep pace in identifying and filtering out the swelling number of chemicals that continue to show up in our water supply. As long as we continue to increase our use of chemicals in products and manufacturing, then it’s a safe bet to assume that the chemicals and contaminants found in our water will continue to increase in lockstep.

We Must Improve Our Drinking Water Quality Regulations

In this New York Times report, many of the water contaminants that show links to cancer were the very same contaminants that these towns were found to be in violation of.  In one referenced example, “the E.P.A. has reported that more than three million Americans have been exposed since 2005 to drinking water with illegal concentrations of arsenic and radioactive elements, both of which have been linked to cancer at small doses.” As was mentioned in our lead in our drinking water post, schools are far from exempt from this poor water quality problem, as a more recent article by the NYT on Dec 8th covers; Senate Environment and Public Works Committee hearing on EPA School Water Quality We need to continue to increase out awareness of how we affect the water supply through pollution and daily living habits, but we must also be aware that water we had originally assumed was healthy for consumption may require a run through a quality water filter prior to drinking.

While we should all be aware of the dangers of lead poisoning; Let’s recap:

1. Lead affects every organ and system in the body causing permanent brain, kidney, liver, spleen, and nervous system damage.
2. Children and infants are at a significantly higher risk to lead poisoning at smaller doses.
3. High lead levels damages the male reproductive system and can cause a blood disorder called Anemia.
   
4. Even at relatively low exposures, decreased intelligence, short-term memory loss, reading under-achievement, impairment of visual-motor function, loss of auditory memory, poor perceptual integration, and impaired reaction time occurs.

Beyond lead paint, one of our primary exposures to lead poisoning comes from our drinking water.  Lead pipes and/or lead soldering is still prevalent in many older homes, bldgs, and distribution systems.  Water filters are required for protection in such circumstances.  Dr. Marc Edwards of Environmental Engineering at Virginia Tech spoke this past summer at the Yale University Drinking Water Symposium.   Following up on Dr. Oz’s water filter segment, this is a great clip of Dr. Edward’s presentation on the dangers of lead in our municipal water and school buildings.

The general public is slowly beginning to understand that our water supply has been compromised.  Whether it be our well water that is being affected by general pollution, or our municipal water that is being heavily treated with disinfectants, our water is not as pure and pristine as we would hope.  In response, much of the population has turned to bottled water and home water filters.  Unfortunately, bottled water adds to pollution, it can get expensive, and in some cases is simply municipal water that’s been bottled in a city like Atlanta.  When it comes to home water filters, all water filter systems are not created equal.  Many of the most popular water filters on the market remove or reduce some chemicals and contaminants, but leave gaping holes for other contaminants to pass through to our drinking glass.  As I mentioned in my last home water filter post, I will be evaluating many of the other water filter solutions on the market over the next couple months, but would like to begin this journey comparing the berkey water filter against the models; Aquasana, Pur, and Brita.  We’ll call them the big three.

The High Quality of the Black Berkey Filter

It seems nowadays health is a topic of conversation on everybody’s mind.  The nutritional supplement and organic foods markets continue to grow by double digits year over year and is a testament to the customer’s search for higher quality and better health.  Water filtration seems to be slightly behind this awareness curve and is most likely due in large part to the public just recently coming to terms with what’s really happening with our water supply.  Just turn on the TV or go out on the internet and you’ll see some other type of contaminant or chemical that’s now being found in our drinking water.

The big three of Pur, Aquasana, and Brita are decent at filtering out some of the more well known disinfectants such as chlorine, but they do so only at ranges between 96-99%.  Comparably, berkey water filters remove chlorine to beyond detectable levels.  The Berkey also reduces heavy metals such as aluminum and lead, removes pathogenic bacteria and E-coli, nitrates and nitrites, and radon.  The other water filters fail to address these contaminants and instead pass them through to your drinking glass completely.  Even when it comes to very dangerous VOC’s and THM’s, that have been shown to have correlations to increases in illnesses such as cancer, only Aquasana and Pur have some impact at the 98-99% level.  Yet these levels are well below the reduction levels of the Berkey which reduces both VOC’s and THM’s to beyond detectable limits.  Finally, it’s important to note that one of the fastest growing water concerns of the public is the fluoridation, or the addition of fluoride, to our municipal water supplies.  Again, none of the big three water filters address fluoride.  Conversely, Berkey systems have an add-on filter option for the black berkey filter elements called the PF-2 filter that specifically targets both fluoride and arsenic to reduce it by over 99.75%.

Save Money When You Buy a Berkey Home Water Filter

I don’t think there’s anyone in the US or Canada that hasn’t been impacted by the economic depression.  It’s been a tough couple years, and while wall street and the government talk about a recovery underway, many of us on main street simply don’t see it.  Every decision we make needs to be one that maximizes that value of our hard earned dollar.  That leaves many of us spending our time trying to determine how to get the highest quality the for the least amount of money.  When it comes to water filtration, if you start to do the math, Aquasana, Pur, and Brita are simply not the most cost effective.  A one-time investment in a standard Berkey home water filter such as the Berkey Light or the Big Berkey will cost the consumer $209 or $250 respectively, and provide at least 5 years of high quality filtration.  Comparably, the big three require many filter replacements across this 5 year period and result in a total cost ranging between $560 and $658.  That’s more than twice the cost for inferior water filtration.  Even when the Berkey secondary fluoride filters are added on, the black berkey / PF-2 combination is still cheaper.  (chart below)  Addt’l details can be found at berkey home water filters comparison chart.

Making choices that affect the health of you and your family are some of the most important choices that you can ever make.  Berkey water filters are considered one of the highest quality filtration systems on the market, and they’ll save you money while providing you the healthy drinking water your family needs.  To learn more about which water filter system will suit you best, please read this article on how to choose a berkey filter system.

Just recently on Oct. 20th, 2009, Dr Oz did a segment on water quality showcasing some options for filtering your water.  This is a great primer for understanding why home water filters, including a quality shower filter, are critical for the health of you and your family.

Home Water Filters Comparison

Given this is only a 7 minute segment, Dr Oz is unable to explore in detail some of the other water filtration solutions on the market.  He covers filters representative of top consumer brands such as Pur, Aquasana, and Reverse Osmosis.  While these are quality filters, they do lack some filtration capabilities, and their yearly costs are significantly higher than a basic Berkey water filter.  I’ve gone ahead and created a berkey water filter comparison chart to stack up some of the more common and highly advertised water filters such as Pur, Aquasana, and Brita filters to our own Berkey filter.  In a follow-up post, I will go into a more detailed analysis on this comparison.

It’s been a few years since a new Berkey Filter System had been launched, but this week we have the release of the New Go Berkey Kit.  This kit includes a  new small and compact stainless steel housing that comes with 1 Black Berkey Element, 1 Sport Berkey Bottle, and a Vinyl carrying case.   This water filter system becomes the smallest of the line-up with a volume of 1 Quart.  It’s perfect for our customers who are looking for the highest quality in filtration in a small compact form that can be carried in a backpack, suitcase, or even a laptop bag.

The New Go Berkey Kit

Go Berkey Kit Specifications

• Kit Includes = Compact Berkey System w/ 1 Black Berkey (details below), 1 Sport Berkey Bottle, and Vinyl Carrying Case(w/ pockets)
• System Storage Capacity = 1 Quart (.95 Liters / .25 Gallons)
• System Height = 14″
• System Diameter = 4″
• System Weight = 2.4 lbs
• Life of Black Berky Filter = 3000 Gallons
• Portability = The upper chamber nests within the lower chamber for transport and stands only 10″ in height
• Flow Rate = Configured with 1 Black Berkey Element, the system can purify one gallon per hour with the upper chamber full the entire time

Review of The Go Berkey Kit

The Go Berkey Kit provides a long-awaited solution for many of our “on the go” customers.  The sport berkey bottle is great for hiking or backpacking, and the new Berkey system allows for a personal continuous passive filtration setup at base camp.  For those who travel often, this lightweight and portable system can be used in the car, hotel room, or remote office.  The Go Berkey Kit is also valuable for vacation destinations where the bacteria in the water is known to be disruptive to non-natives.  No matter how it’s used, it’s apparent that this new Go Berkey will be welcomed in many environments.

Customers must keep in mind that this is only a 1 Qt (,95 Liters/ .25 Gallons) system and would support only one person on a daily basis.  However, keeping that upper chamber full the entire time will result in 1 gallon/hour.  In the event of an emergency or disaster, this would be sufficient to support a 2-3 individuals over an extended period of time.

The Huffington Post is reporting that a pesticide commonly used by farmers in the US called atrazine was found to exceed EPA limits in drinking water within the four states of Illinois, Indiana, Ohio and Kansas.  The dilemma:  The customers were not told about the contamination, the EPA has not published the results, and misleading concentration levels were ultimately reported on water bills.

What is Atrazine?

Atrazine is a herbicide that was approved for use in 1958 and is used in the control of broadleaf weeds and some grassy weeds.  It’s estimated to be the most heavily used herbicide in the U.S.  with the majority of agricultural use areas in being the midwest, particularly Iowa, Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, and Nebraska, and Delaware.

What are the Effects of Atrazine?

The primary concern with atrazine has been from animal studies results showing that it affects hormone levels.  In one study, male frogs that were exposed to high Altrazine levels were shown to grow eggs.  Another study by the Biology or Reproduction released results this summer finding that exposure to atrazine in adult rats disrupted hormone production and triggered ovulation.  In the US, atrazine has the green light to be used across the nation, but in 2004 the European Union banned the use of atrazine as health officials were unable to prove it’s safety in drinking water.

Removing and Filtering Atrazine

Many water filters are not designed to remove atrazine.  The Black Berkey purification elements however are able to remove atrazine contamination from water to below detectable levels.  The Black Berkeys come standard in any of the available sizes of Berkey Filter Systems.

Watch This Video on Atrazine

In this article we’re going to walk you through 4 easy steps to help you choose the perfect Berkey Filter System to fit your needs.

Step 1: Understanding the Berkey Gravity Filtration System

Berkey filter systems take advantage of the extended time each water droplet is in contact with the filters and thus are able to achieve high performance filtration results that many other systems simply cannot match.  These are countertop systems only, starting from the smallest 1.5 gallon size housing to the largest at 6 Gallons.  The internal filtration elements like the black berkeys and the PF-2’s work in any of the system housing models we sell, allowing you to achieve the same desired filtration results for each size.

There are 6 system sizes in total (below), and all systems come standard with 2 upper chamber filters.  Larger systems have the capacity to utilize more filters thus increasing the speed of filtration.  (See Flow Rate @ Full  Expansion)

Step 2:  Choosing a Berkey Size

The golden rule for choosing a size is that bigger is usually better if you have the room for it.   Put simply, the larger the system, the less often you need to fill it, which ultimately translates into convenience.  In addition, the higher water volume in the upper chamber increases the pressure that is placed on the water helping to push it through the filters faster.   The differences in cost between the various housing sizes is nominal when you consider that you will be using the same housing for 10-20+ years.

Here are some sizing guidelines:

Travel Berkey ~ 1-2 ppl

Big Berkey ~ 1-3 ppl

Berkey Light ~ 1-4 ppl

Royal Berkey ~ 2-5 ppl

Imperial Berkey ~ 4-8+ ppl

Crown Berkey ~ 6-12+ ppl

Step 3:  Choosing Your Berkey Filters

Upper Chamber Filters

As mentioned above, all systems require 2 upper chamber filters standard to operate.  Increasing the amount of filters utilized in the upper chamber will not improve filtration quality, but will increase filtration speed and the volume of water that can be filtered. For example, increasing from 2 to 4 filters will approximately double your filtration speed and double the amount of volume that can be filtered; 6000 total gallons to 12000 total gallons.

You can choose either Black Berkey Elements or Super Sterasyl Ceramic Filters for your upper chamber filters.  These filters are comparable in terms of cleaning, volume of water they filter, and price.   However, the Black Berkeys, being a newer design, are able to filter everything the ceramics do, in addition to removing Lead and MTBE’s.  The Black Berkey’s also meet ANSI/NSF log 7 specifications as water purifiers and show off their prowess by being able to remove food coloring from water.  Read this article for more information on the differences between the black berkey elements and ceramic filters.

• • Black Berkey’s and SS Ceramic Filters last approx 6000 gallons for a set of 2

Lower Chamber Filters

The lower chamber filters are referred to as PF filters.  PF = Post Filtration.  There are 2 types of PF filters.  The PF-2’s are specifically designed to work with the black berkeys, and the PF-4’s are designed specifically to work with the ceramic filters.  The PF filters are easily installed by screwing them onto the stem of upper chamber elements so that they hang upside down in the lower chamber of the Berkey.

PF filters are optional.  If your municipality adds fluoride to your water, or you are concerned about arsenic seepage  into your well, then the PF-2 Filters as an add-on to your black berkeys are what you’re looking for.  PF-4 Filters also remove fluoride and arsenic in addition to other chemicals that the upper chamber ceramics do not remove.

• • PF-2 Fiters last 1000 Gallons or 2 Years, whichever comes first
  • PF-4 Filters last 6 months

Step 4: Understanding the Berkey Assembly

Watch this video of the Big Berkey

Begin Choosing Your Berkey Filter System HERE

In what appears to be another damning blow to water fluoridation, a recent study found blood fluoride levels significantly higher in patients with a rare bone cancer called Osteosarcoma when compared to control groups.  Prior studies have made similar claims and seem to reinforce these findings.   Let’s hope this makes more people aware of the critically important fluoride debate.

Read the Reuters Fluoride Article here.