This article explores why reverse osmosis is vital for water-producing companies in Nigeria. We make a case that Nigeria needs the best drinking water quality and must have water producers install a proper reverse osmosis filtration system with their existing water filtration system. Essentially we will detail all the health benefits of reverse osmosis.
We sometimes hear in the news that our boreholes are causing myriad health problems like increased lead content etc. Fortunately, Nigeria has an abundance of cities with great aquifers that have clean and drinkable water but must undergo proper treatment before it gets to consumers.
You have a family and don’t want to expose them to contaminated water; being careful is strategically more important than spending lots of money in treating illness arising from drinking bad water. You look into various water filtration methods. You look into standard water filters. But they don’t filter out enough of the lead, and other contaminates.
I believe all the companies producing pure water and bottled water should first learn and understand the essence of reverse osmosis water filtration system as a primary method for water filtration before a consumer comes into contact with it if you are considering purified water sources. Then, you begin to learn about the health benefits of reverse osmosis water.
Why reverse osmosis, you may ask; what are the benefits of reverse osmosis water? It filters out pollutants through a membrane filter that doesn’t allow solids and prominent microbes to pass through. Reverse osmosis water contains fewer contaminants, has lower sodium, has no parasites or bacteria, and is safer for cancer patients.
As a result, you get purified water that is free of contaminants. This article will explore how reverse osmosis water benefits our health.
Reverse osmosis water eliminates molecules that are harmful to the body. For instance, calcium deposits can harden your water and affect your skin negatively. The compounds in water untreated can have the following chemicals
- Phosphate
- Lead
- Arsenic
- Mercury
- Fluoride
- Chloride
- Cyanide
- Ammonia
These compounds will cause medical complications such as cancer, reproductive issues, eye problems, etc. Also, some borehole water may contain harmful fertilizers and pesticides that further contaminate water.
Many water systems throughout Nigeria contain excessive amounts of contaminants that can jeopardize human health. You can test your own water by sending it to a laboratory and understanding the contaminants in your water. Or, you can test your water by smelling it.
Water that smells like chlorine or rotten eggs indicates impurities in your water. The smell of rotten eggs, for example, notes the presence of hydrogen sulfide in your water. Further, water that has one contaminate may contain others that can affect your health in the long term. The well water or borehole water contaminants have been studied to have the potential to cause massive health challenges because of contaminants like microorganisms, nitrates and nitrites, heavy metals, organic chemicals, Radionuclides, and Fluorides
The RO water technology will filter out solids and chemical compounds. It also will remove pesticides and organic materials that are not good for human consumption.
Functions of the reverse osmosis system are as follows;
Removing lead from water
RO will remove lead compound from drinking water,
Lead is a dangerous chemical that we must eliminate from drinking water; that is the reason EPA recommends no lead presence in public drinking water whatsoever. Lead can cause the following health issues:
- Nerve damage
- Fertility issues
- Blood pressure spikes
- Muscle damage
- Developmental problems
- Brain damage
However, Using commercial RO water systems is the solution that purifies our borehole water systems for public consumption. It can also lower other elements suitable for consumption, such as salt.
RO system reduces Sodium Levels.
RO filters out sodium through the same thin membranes that expel contaminants. Water via reverse osmosis removes between 90 to 95 percent of sodium from water supplies. A glass of water may contain 12 mg of sodium on average. Additionally, bottled water may contain sodium.
Sodium can get into your water for the following reasons:
- Natural process
- Water treatment methods
- Ion water units
Even though a glass of water doesn’t contain a high amount of sodium, you can consume a fair amount of sodium when drinking multiple glasses of water per day. Health experts recommend drinking at least 8 glasses of water per day.
However, RO can filter out salt caused by natural or artificial processes.
RO removes Parasites or Bacteria.
RO can filter out parasites in the form of cryptosporidium. Cryptosporidium is a parasite that affects the small intestines and causes fever, cramps, and diarrhea. This parasite affects children, causing malnutrition and dehydration. RO filter gets rid of other waterborne parasites, such as giardia.
Giardia is another parasite that can cause intestinal complications. It’s most common in children. It can also cause death in children if left untreated.
Epoxy Oilserv experts recommend RO filtration if you live in an area that has a dirty water system. And RO filters can filter out bacteria because they are too large to penetrate through the membranes.
Safe water for Patients
Since RO water contains no parasites and harmful microbes, it is safe for cancer treatment patients. Radiation therapy weakens the immune systems of many cancer patients.
Tap water may contain bacteria or other malicious compounds. Drinking contaminated water of any kind could compromise their immune systems and cause health issues. Moreover, patients can use RO water when cooking. Therefore, they can avoid cooking with tap water.
Depending on the hardness of your well or borehole water, you may require a water softener. And while that may address low levels of iron or manganese, if these are present in higher amounts, then an oxidizing filter may also be in order. Otherwise, the rejection ability of the RO membrane will be compromised, requiring more frequent replacement (and therefore increased cost). Even if these are not challenges with your healthy water, a complete RO system requires a sediment pre-filter to remove sand, silt, dirt, and an activated carbon post-filter. Following this, it is not uncommon to incorporate a low-flow ultraviolet water treatment system to sterilize any bacteria, like coliforms or viruses not blocked by the membrane (where membrane integrity is compromised). Each of these filters is called a “stage” in industry terms, and this is how the Epoxy team categorizes it also. Hence the terms 3-stage or 4-stage RO system.
The Health Benefits of Drinking Osmosis Water
The health benefits of drinking osmosis water are purity levels. RO water is one of the few drinking sources that contain no minerals or impurities. Bacteria and parasites cannot enter through a filter.
Additionally, an RO system dispels contaminants in lead or mercury. Lead and mercury can degrade human health over time. And, the elimination of compounds gives the water a purified taste that’s clean and refreshing.
It also filters out sodium levels that can contribute to high blood pressure. However, we must note that the RO method is only as good as its filter. If you have broken filters, it will allow microbes and contaminants to pass through. Therefore, you must replace your filters frequently and as recommended.
Reverse Osmosis Filtered water is unsafe for Drinking?
The World Health Organisation (WHO) recommends that drinking water should contain 10 mg/L of Magnesium, 100 mg/L dissolved salts, 30 mg/L of Calcium and 30 mg/L of bicarbonate ion. A chapter in the WHO Guidelines for Drinking Water Qualityexplains:
“Demineralised water that has not been remineralized, or low-mineral content water — in the light of the absence or substantial lack of essential minerals in it — is not considered ideal drinking water, and therefore, its regular consumption may not be providing adequate levels of some beneficial nutrients… Sufficient evidence is now available to confirm the health consequences from drinking water deficient in calcium or magnesium.”
These health consequences include greater risk of heart disease, death from cardiovascular disease, “higher risk of motor neuronal disease, pregnancy disorders (so-called preeclampsia), sudden death in infants, and some types of cancer… a higher risk of fracture in children [and] certain neurodegenerative diseases.”
Because of this, the Desal plants in the Middle East (and most coastal countries you could name) using RO typically remineralize the water before it reaches the tap, says WHO, “by adding chemical constituents such as calcium carbonate or limestone, or blended with small volumes of more mineral-rich waters to improve their taste and reduce their aggressiveness to the distribution network as well as plumbing materials”. (The ‘aggressiveness’ refers to pure water stripping the metal pipes as it passes through.)
Therefore the team at Epoxy recommends that before the water gets to consumption, it must be remineralized.
The Nigerian food administration authorities make it optional as part of the filtration methods, the installation of a reverse osmosis system for companies that produce water for their production process in Nigeria because reverse osmosis is vital for water-producing companies in Nigeria
According to the World Health Organization, low mineral (TDS) drinking water produced by reverse osmosis or distillation is not suitable for long-term human consumption and in fact, can create negative health effects to those consuming it. This lack of minerals may also impact the taste negatively for many people. to drink reverse osmosis water it will pass another process of remineralization to include some useful chemicals
One of the major disadvantages of RO systems for the home is that they remove most of the minerals from the water leaving it with an acidic pH. … Another disadvantage of reverse osmosis systems is they take too long to filter water when they’re compared to a whole-house water filter system
Reverse osmosis is a method that can be applied to water filtration to help reduce unwanted minerals, substances, molecules, and other impurities in your drinking water
Here’s the quick answer: RO and DI filters use different physical reactions to clean water. Reverse Osmosis (RO) is used to partially clean up tap water to make it roughly 90% to 99% pure
Epoxy Oilserv has system professionals that have experience installing and selling RO systems nationwide in Nigeria.