Is boiling water the safest way to consume pure water? Let’s find out!
Most of us are aware that it’s necessary to purify water before drinking it. But we often are not sure about the best way of purifying it. One of the widely known practices to purify water, is to boil it. It’s widely construed that boiling water makes it safe for consumption. But is that the complete truth?
While boiling water is effective in removing the disease-causing pathogens like viruses, bacteria, and other microorganisms, it does not guarantee 100% safe drinking water. Here are the various impurities that boiling water may not effectively remove.
Doesn’t remove Total Dissolved Solids – If your drinking water contains a high amount of TDS, i.e dissolved solids of more than 300ppm, you need an RO water purifier to reduce it. Especially if the source of your water is borewell or ground water, an RO water purifier is a must to bring down the TDS of your water within consumable limits, making it sweet and potable. Boiling water does not impact the TDS in your water.
Does not remove heavy metals - When the water contains toxic metals like mercury, lead, arsenic, fluoride, etc, boiling water renders itself ineffective. Toxic metals do not vaporize during boiling and can continue to stay in the water making it unfit for consumption. Using an RO water purifier is the most effective way of removing these metals. RO water purifiers use semi-permeable membranes and create the right water pressure on the membrane, forcing out these contaminants as waste. This leads to only purified water coming out of the water purifier, which is safe for consumption.
Does not purify chemical pollutants – Apart from the various microorganisms present in the drinking water, it may also contain life-threatening harmful chemicals like Chlorine, Pesticides, etc. These chemicals if consumed for a long time may lead to gastrointestinal illnesses, neurological disorders, cancer, etc. Boiling water isn’t much effective in removing these. Hence, a good quality water purifier is required to ensure your safety and that of your family.
Does not remove odor and bad taste from water – Boiling water does not remove foul smell or odor from water. This can only be removed through a carbon filter often found in RO or UV water purifiers. If your water tastes bad, boiling it cannot enhance the taste of it. You need a RO water purifier to sweeten it.
Boiling needs to be done in the right way – Just boiling water is not enough. Doing it the right way is equally important. One should not believe that water purification happens as soon as water starts to heat up. According to EPA, it’s essential to bring water to a rolling boil for at least one minute. For people residing at altitudes above 5,000 feet, let water roll boil for three minutes. Also, post boiling, water must be cooled for some time before consuming it.
In case of an emergency or when there is no other mode of water purification available, boiling water is definitely the best choice as it can safeguard you from disease-causing microbes. But it’s important to understand that RO filtered water is beneficial for your health and comes with a lot of benefits as just compared to boiled water. Pureit range of RO water purifiers give you 100% safe drinking water with its advanced 7 stage of RO+UV+MF purification.
FAQs
Can boiling water reduce TDS?
Boiling water doesn’t impact the TDS in your tap water. Toxic metals which are present in the water don’t vaporize and can continue to stay in your drinking water making it unfit for consumption. Only by using a RO purifier, you can effectively remove TDS.
Can boiling water remove odor and chemicals from water?
Boiling water can remove harmful microorganisms from water but not odor and chemicals. Odor and chemicals can be removed using an RO water purifier.
What is the difference between boiled water and purified water?
The major difference between boiled water and filtered water is that boiling water cannot purify water completely and leave harmful contaminants like lead and chlorine behind which can cause serious illness upon consumption.
Is it safe to drink tap water after boiling?
Boiling does kill microorganisms like bacteria, viruses, or protozoans present in the water which can cause diseases. But it cannot remove toxic metals and other impurities. So, if your tap water has harmful TDS then it is best for you to buy a RO water purifier for you and your family.
Is boiling water enough to purify water with TDS?
Boiling water can remove pathogenic bacteria and protozoa. But it is not enough as the tap water contains other heavy metals, lead, and other contaminants which can harm your health. It is necessary to install a water purifier at home which can provide safe drinking water.
