Bacteria, especially Escherichia coli (E. coli), can be found in drinking water and pose a serious health risk. E. coli is often an indication of fecal contamination and can cause diarrhea, abdominal cramps and, in severe cases, kidney failure. Children, the elderly and people with weakened immune systems are particularly at risk. To prevent this, strict water quality tests are carried out. Water filters can help remove E. coli from drinking water and thus reduce the risk of illness.

Industrial chemicals, heavy metals, radioactive substances… definitely things that our body does not need and that are harmful to it. “Dirt cleans the stomach” is far from true in this case. Effects such as allergies and neurodermatitis, heart/circulatory problems, infertility and others cannot be ruled out.

There are limit values ​​for over 40 different substances and parameters. But are the test criteria defined clearly enough? Is the drinking water regulation up to date or does it even have loopholes? There are no limits for medications and their residues, nor for hormones (several times on public broadcasting)

The limits for foreign substances in our drinking water are complied with by suppliers in most cases, otherwise publications are made (see regional maps on bestestrinkwasser.de). The fundamental question, however, is how many substances are examined, how high the limits are set and how often changes are made. Germany, for example, was given a procedure by the EU Commission with the threat of legal action for non-compliance with groundwater protection.

A test for drug residues is not comprehensively carried out in drinking water analysis, nor is a test for possible viruses, and the list could go on and on. With this knowledge, you must now decide for yourself and your family what you consume as your “number one food” and whether filtering drinking water would make sense for you. We provide an overview of various options below.