As more people realize that filtered tap water is healthier and much cheaper than bottled water, the home water filter industry continues to grow. The Wall Street Journal published an article about the industry on Wednesday, and it mentioned the fact that the Aquasana shower filter is now a best-seller nationwide. Shower filters are important because chlorinated water can produce carcinogens which can be inhaled in a steamy shower. By removing chlorine and other contaminants from water, shower filters also produce softer skin and hair.

“The economic downturn has whetted consumers’ appetite for tap water,” explains the article. “According to a Gallup poll released last year, pollution of drinking water is Americans’ No. 1 environmental concern. Many express worries about the risk of diseases, including cancer, that can be associated with contaminants such as arsenic, chlorine and pharmaceuticals sometimes found in drinking water.”

The EPA claims that tap water is safe, but the Environmental Working Group (EWG) found evidence which suggests otherwise. The EWG discovered 202 unregulated chemicals in tap water samples, including pharmaceuticals, hormone disruptors, perchlorate (a rocket fuel ingredient) and MTBE (a gasoline additive). The EPA does not even test for these chemicals. Jane Houlihan of the EWG explains, “In almost every case, the utilities comply with federal standards, but that doesn’t ensure that the water is safe to drink.”

Invest in a whole house water filter to purify your drinking water and shower water.

In December of this year, in the largest industrial spill in U.S. history, 5.4 million cubic yards of toxic coal sludge spilled into the Emory River, which flows into the Clinch and Tennessee rivers in TN. In March, the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA), a federally owned utility company, began sucking the sludge out of the water with giant hydraulic machines. But some scientists says that the river-cleaning efforts will stir up a deadly dose a selenium, an element found in coal that’s good us for in small doses but toxic at high levels.

Exposure to high levels of selenium in water can cause loss of hair and nails and tooth decay and discoloration, as well as mental problems. Furthermore, according to the EPA, selenium sulfide, a selenium compound, is a probable carcinogen.

Water treatment plants can filter selenium out of drinking water – but this doesn’t help people who eat contaminated fish or people who get their water from a well. If you live in the vicinity of Morgan County, TN, and if you appreciate your hair and your teeth, you should consider investing in a Rhino EQ300 Whole House Water Filter.