Filtering Complex Chemicals

Filtering Complex Chemicals

WES Water published a detailed article arguing that chlorine disinfection alone isn't enough to handle modern water contamination challenges. The Scottsdale, AZ company walks through how traditional municipal treatment plants were never designed to filter complex chemicals like antibiotics, antidepressants, hormones, and industrial byproducts that now routinely show up in drinking water. The post covers pharmaceutical contamination from medications that both humans and animals excrete, plus unused pills flushed down toilets that eventually reach tap water. The team covers industrial chemicals too, focusing on PFAS that now persist in the environment and human tissue for decades. WES positions advanced filtration technologies like reverse osmosis, activated carbon filters, and ion exchange units as practical solutions for households, particularly for families with young children or immunocompromised individuals who face higher risks from contaminant exposure.

Water Testing Options

Water Medic put together a blog post walking homeowners through water testing options, from DIY kits to professional lab analysis. ​​The Florida company breaks down three main DIY methods: test strips for quick screening of basics like pH and chlorine, color disk kits for more accurate readings on specific contaminants like iron, and digital meters for precise measurements of TDS and pH. The guide emphasizes that DIY kits work well as screening tools but can't detect dangerous compounds like VOCs, arsenic, or specific bacterial strains that require certified lab equipment. The team provides detailed instructions on proper sample collection, noting common mistakes like using hot water, not flushing pipes long enough, or holding reagent droppers at an angle that affects drop size. The post includes a comparison table showing that professional lab tests cost more but detect a full spectrum of contaminants with certified accuracy, while DIY methods range from $10 strips to $100+ digital meters with varying reliability.

PFAS in Unexpected Places

Alamo Water Softeners put out an article explaining how forever chemicals can infiltrate daily routines beyond just drinking water. The Texas company walks through cooking scenarios where foods like rice, pasta, and vegetables absorb PFAS from boiling water, noting that heat doesn't neutralize these chemicals like it does bacteria. The post covers an often-overlooked exposure route: laundry washed in PFAS-contaminated water can absorb chemicals that then transfer to skin through clothing, towels, and bedsheets worn for hours each day. The company notes that basic filters won't cut it for PFAS and explains that only specialized technologies like whole-home filtration, reverse osmosis, and ion exchange systems can effectively reduce these contaminants. Alamo provides an action plan including water testing, whole-house filtration installation, point-of-use RO systems for cooking, and using filtered water for laundry.

Is Your System Good Enough?

Pristine Water Softeners drops a blog post designed to help homeowners identify whether their current filtration setup is good enough. In it, the Arizona company walks through five common warning signs: strange taste or smell indicating chemicals or metals, white film on fixtures from hard water minerals, dry skin and dull hair from chlorine and hardness, rust stains on laundry from iron, and frequent appliance repairs or slow water flow from mineral buildup. The company uses these symptoms to explain how impurities travel from treatment plants through pipes into homes, collecting minerals and metals along the way. Pristine positions their multi-stage filtration systems as superior to generic filters by using a comparison table showing 4+ filtration layers versus 1-2 for basic systems, plus longer lifespans and lower maintenance. The guide covers how different contaminants affect daily life, from mineral deposits clogging appliances to chlorine drying out skin and hair. 

What else is happening:

• Wisconsin Public Radio writes about how the state is proposing to adopt new, stricter federal PFAS drinking water standards

• Culligan ZeroWater pitcher joins humanoid robots and AI drones on TIME’s Best Inventions of 2025

• Earth911 has Culligan CEO Scott Clawson on their Sustainability In Your Ear podcast

• More in podcasts: WQA CEO Pauli Undesser joins the WQA Podcast to talk about her experience as a TED speaker

• Family-owned Meadow Lake Water Treatment writes about the five industries that benefit most from commercial water treatment