Brita® Filtered Water

Glossary

Brita Words to Remember:

Fluoride - A water additive which promotes strong teeth. The most common source of fluoride is tap water. (Brita® systems remove only a trace amount of fluoride over the life of a filter.)

Chlorine - Used widely by water utilities for water disinfection. It may produce undesirable taste and odor in drinking water.

Turbidity - A fine particulate matter that makes water appear cloudy. Increased turbidity decreases the effectiveness of chlorination or other types of disinfection.

Cryptosporidium - A chlorine-resistant cyst which contains parasites. If ingested, cryptosporidium can cause disease with symptoms of severe abdominal cramping and diarrhea.

Giardia - A chlorine-resistant cyst which contains parasites. If ingested, giardia can cause disease with symptoms of severe abdominal cramping and diarrhea.

Lead - A metal found in natural deposits as ores containing other elements. Sometimes used in household plumbing materials or in water service lines. Exposure to high levels of lead can cause interference with red blood cell chemistry, delays in physical and mental development in babies and young children, slight deficits in the attention span, hearing, and learning abilities of children, and slight increases in the blood pressure of some adults. Long-term exposure can cause a stroke, kidney disease and cancer.

Mercury - A liquid metal found in natural deposits as ores containing other elements. Exposure to high levels of mercury can cause kidney damage.

Copper - A metal found in natural deposits as ores containing other elements. It is widely used in household plumbing materials. Exposure to high levels of copper can cause stomach and intestinal distress, liver and kidney damage and anemia.

Links

Brita provides the following links for your benefit. If you have any direct questions about the water in your neighborhood, consult the links below and your local government.

To find out what’s in your local water supply, consult the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

A 1996 Amendment to the Safe Drinking Water Act states that public water suppliers must provide a Consumer Confidence Report which includes basic information about the condition of their drinking water.

To locate your water supplier’s Consumer Confidence Report, click on the EPA’s directory of local water reports listed below. If your supplier is not listed in the EPA directory, call your water supplier directly and request a copy of their Consumer Confidence Report.

EPA Office of Ground & Drinking Water-Local Water Report

In addition to the Consumer Confidence Reports, the Environmental Protection Agency is a terrific resource for a wide-range of other topics concerning the state of drinking water in the United States. The following EPA links may be of particular interest:

EPA Office of Ground Water & Drinking Water

Turbidity

EPA: Current National Drinking Water Standards

EPA: Current National Drinking Water Standards - Individual Contaminants

EPA: Guidance for People with Severely Weakened Immune Systems

Other resources that can provide valuable information about the quality of your local water:

U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention - Information on Cryptosporidium

U.S. Water News - America’s premier water news publication

Water Quality Association: All Brita® water filtration systems and filters are certified by WQA and received its Gold Seal for Water Quality.

WQA’s in-house laboratory tests a wide variety of water treatment devices, components and additives. Many of these products are awarded the WQA’s Gold Seal Mark from its ANSI-accredited Gold Seal Product Certification Program. WQA only awards the Gold Seal to those systems, components, or additives that have met or exceeded industry standards for contaminant reduction, structural integrity and material safety. Consumers can easily identify WQA Certified products by looking for the Gold Seal Mark. www.wqa.org

The Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota - General Health Information

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