Hard water Water that has picked up minerals such as calcium and magnesium as it travels through certain types of rock and soil. Approximately 85 percent of the country has hard water. It is the minerals in water that can eventually form scale deposits in water-using equipment. The only good remedy is chemical oxidation followed by filtration. Lead Lead is a heavy metal that has gained a great deal of attention from the EPA, which in 1991 imposed new standards for lead levels in drinking water that are 10 times more protective than levels previously thought to be safe.
Lead poisoning can cause mental retardation adn birth defects.
Basic filtration rated for lead reduction will offer protection. A common gasoline additive that has been found to leak into ground water supplies and contaminate drinking water. The EPA has classified MTBE as a possible carcinogen. Basic filtration rated for MTBE reduction will offer protection. The independent testing agency that sets product standards for water filtration manufacturers, established its Drinking Water Treatment Unit Certification Program to determine if a water filtration system performs in the marketplace as tested.