Pure water - H2O and Nothing Else

What is tap water?

UK tap water, harvested from reservoirs (surface water) and aquifers (groundwater), is of exceptionally high quality. To make it safe to use, the water is filtered and disinfected before entering the mains water supply. After the filtration process, chlorine is added to the water.

Acting as an oxidising agent to microorganisms, whose surfaces are typically negatively charged, chlorine effectively breaks pathogens apart, either killing them or rendering them inactive and unable to multiply.

What is purified water?

Purified water is H2O. Nothing else. Just molecules made up of three atoms: two hydrogen and one oxygen.

Pure water has no taste or smell, and it doesn’t conduct electricity.

 

Can you purify tap water by boiling it?

When water is boiled, almost all pathogens – i.e. potentially harmful living organisms – are killed.

Bacteria that might find their way into the water supply include:

• Escherichia coli, which can cause urinary tract infection (UTI), cholecystitis (inflammation of the gallbladder), and pneumonia.
• Vibrio cholerae, which can cause cholera.
• Legionella pneumophilia, which can cause Legionnaire’s disease.

Potentially harmful viruses are sometimes found in mains water supplies. They include:

• Rotavirus A, B, and C, a cause of gastroenteritis.
• Enterovirus B, a cause of gastroenteritis, respiratory disease, and meningitis.
• Norwalk virus, the cause of winter vomiting bug.

Waterborne fungal pathogens include:

• Candida albicans, the cause of candidiasis.
• Candida parapsilosis, which can cause sepsis.
• Acremonium strictum, a cause of mycetoma.

These are a few examples of the microorganisms that are sometimes found in our water supply.

Very few living things can survive at temperatures of 100°C and above. Therefore, boiling tap water will almost certainly kill any pathogen. Boiled water is sterilised water.

But boiling doesn’t purify tap water.

Can boiling tap water remove metals and minerals?

Although boiled mains water is sterile, it will still contain traces of inorganic material – for example:

• Minerals, metals, and microplastics that originate from the source.
• Metals and plastics from the supply’s physical infrastructure.
• Chlorine and other sterilising additives.

Boiling water will not remove metals and minerals. In fact, because some of the water evaporates in the boiling process, the remaining water will contain a slightly higher concentration of inorganic material. Traces of calcium, manganese, magnesium, sulphur, copper, iron, potassium, chlorine, etc. won’t do you any immediate harm, but over a long period of time, the accumulation of these materials can affect your immune system.