We are what we absorb. And that includes the water we drink, cook with, and bathe in every single day.
When we talk about improving our health, we usually start with food. We talk about eating organic, avoiding pesticides, choosing whole foods, reducing processed ingredients, and making sure our bodies get the vitamins and minerals they need to function optimally.
But one thing we consume every day often gets surprisingly little attention: water.
Think about it. We drink water throughout the day, use it to make our morning coffee or tea, cook our rice and vegetables in it, wash our produce with it, and bathe our children in it. Water is one of the most consistent environmental exposures we experience throughout our lifetime, yet how many of us actually know what is coming out of our kitchen faucet?
We have become increasingly conscious of what goes into our food, but I believe we need to start paying just as much attention to what goes into our water.
As a naturopathic doctor, I frequently discuss the importance of reducing environmental toxicants, supporting healthy mineral levels, and identifying factors that may contribute to chronic inflammation, hormonal imbalances, and other health concerns. Water quality belongs in that conversation.
We Are What We Absorb, Not Just What We Eat
The human body is approximately 50–60% water, depending on age, sex, and body composition. Water is essential for nearly every physiological process, including circulation, digestion, temperature regulation, kidney function, nutrient transport, and removing metabolic waste.
Every cell in our body depends on an adequate water supply to function.
But water is not simply a means of hydration. Depending on its source, it may also contain naturally occurring minerals, chemical residues, metals, microorganisms, and other substances that can enter the body.
When we drink contaminated water, some substances may be absorbed through our gastrointestinal tract and enter circulation. What happens next depends on the chemical itself, the amount consumed, how often we're exposed, and our body's ability to metabolize or eliminate it.
Certain substances, such as lead, can accumulate in tissues. Others, including some PFAS chemicals, may remain in the body for years. Some contaminants interfere with hormonal signaling, while others can affect neurological development, kidney function, or cardiovascular health.
Most of the time, our bodies eliminate most contaminants on their own, but over time, they may not keep up.
Drinking is not our only potential route of exposure. Depending on the chemical, bathing and showering can also contribute to exposure through skin contact or inhalation. Volatile compounds, including certain disinfection byproducts, may enter the air when you use warm water. This does not mean that every contaminant in drinking water is readily absorbed through the skin, but it does mean that water quality involves more than the glass sitting on your kitchen counter.
One fundamental principle of naturopathic medicine is to identify and reduce obstacles to health. In environmental medicine, that means considering the exposures we encounter repeatedly, even when we cannot see, smell, or taste them.
Clean-looking water is not necessarily contaminant-free water.
How Far Have We Moved Away From Natural Spring Water?
For much of human history, people obtained water directly from springs, streams, rivers, and underground sources. As water moved through soil and geological formations, it naturally interacted with rocks and minerals, sometimes acquiring calcium, magnesium, bicarbonate, and other dissolved substances.
These minerals influence the taste, hardness, and chemical characteristics of water. Calcium and magnesium can also contribute to our daily nutritional intake.
Of course, natural water was never automatically safe. Historically, untreated water also carried bacteria, parasites, and other pathogens responsible for devastating infectious diseases. Modern drinking water treatment has saved countless lives by reducing the spread of waterborne illnesses such as cholera and typhoid fever.
I want to make that distinction because I am certainly not suggesting that we abandon municipal water treatment or start drinking untreated creek water!
However, our relationship with water has changed dramatically.
Today, water may travel through agricultural regions, industrial areas, reservoirs, treatment facilities, and miles of distribution piping before it reaches our homes. Depending on the source and treatment process, it may contain residues from fertilizers, pesticides, industrial chemicals, naturally occurring metals, or compounds formed during disinfection.
Some households then take additional steps to purify their water using reverse osmosis, distillation, or other filtration systems. These technologies can be highly effective at removing unwanted contaminants, but some methods also remove naturally occurring minerals. This creates an interesting situation: we are working harder to remove harmful substances from our water while sometimes removing beneficial minerals at the same time.
Are We Becoming More Dependent on Vitamin and Mineral Supplements Because of Our Water?
This is a question worth exploring, particularly from a functional medicine perspective.
Magnesium, calcium, and other essential minerals support hundreds of biological processes. Magnesium supports muscle and nerve function, energy metabolism, blood glucose regulation, and cardiovascular health. Calcium is essential for bone health, muscle contraction, and cellular signaling. Naturally mineralized drinking water can contribute to both.
However, the mineral content of drinking water varies tremendously. Some groundwater sources are naturally rich in calcium and magnesium, while other sources contain very little. Municipal treatment does not always remove minerals, and conventional filtration methods differ substantially in what they remove.
Reverse osmosis and distillation, specifically, can remove most dissolved minerals, including beneficial ones.
If someone drinks two liters of water daily containing 20 mg of magnesium per liter, that water provides approximately 40 mg of magnesium. Although that does not meet the entire daily requirement, it is a meaningful contribution over time. Water containing very little magnesium provides almost none.
This becomes especially relevant when someone is already consuming a diet low in mineral-rich foods.
We are also living in a time when dietary quality, food processing, agricultural practices, digestive health, medication use, and individual metabolic demands can influence nutritional status. It is reasonable to consider whether reduced mineral intake from water adds another small piece to the larger nutritional picture.
What we cannot conclude, however, is that modern water treatment is the primary reason people need more supplements today. Rather, I see water as one potentially overlooked contributor to overall mineral intake.
From my perspective, the goal should not simply be to remove everything from our water. It should be to reduce harmful exposures while preserving or restoring beneficial mineral content when appropriate. That is a much more individualized approach than assuming every household needs the same filter or every person needs the same supplements.
What Does the Environmental Working Group Tell Us About Drinking Water?
One of my favorite resources for evaluating drinking water is the EWG Tap Water Database.
The Environmental Working Group is a nonprofit environmental health advocacy organization that compiles drinking water testing information from public water systems across the United States. Its database allows consumers to search for their water utility and review contaminants reported in their drinking water.
What I find particularly interesting is the distinction EWG makes between federal legal limits and health-based guidelines.
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) establishes enforceable maximum contaminant levels for many drinking water pollutants. These standards consider public health, as well as factors such as the feasibility and cost of treatment.
EWG, by contrast, uses health-focused benchmarks drawn from scientific literature, state public health goals, and its own assessments. These benchmarks are frequently more conservative than federal legal limits.
It's important to understand that exceeding an EWG guideline does not automatically mean your water violates federal law or will cause disease. Many of these guidelines are highly precautionary estimates for lifetime exposure, and some rely on assumptions about very small increases in cancer risk. Nevertheless, I believe this information is useful because it encourages us to think beyond whether our water simply passes a regulatory inspection.
The more meaningful question is whether we understand what we're exposed to, particularly when those exposures occur every day for decades.
EWG's database is an excellent starting point, but it also has limitations. It relies on reported testing data, which may not reflect the exact water coming out of your faucet today. It also does not replace testing for contaminants introduced by your home's plumbing, and private wells require their own evaluation.
What Contaminants Are Being Found in Our Drinking Water?
Water contamination is not a single problem with a single solution. Different geographical areas have different risks, and the contaminants found in a farming community may differ greatly from those found near industrial facilities or in areas with naturally occurring mineral deposits.
The following contaminants deserve particular attention because of their potential effects on long-term health.
1. PFAS: The Forever Chemicals
PFAS, or per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, are a large family of synthetic chemicals used in manufacturing, nonstick coatings, stain-resistant fabrics, certain food packaging materials, and some firefighting foams.
Two of the most extensively studied PFAS are PFOA and PFOS. They are frequently called ‘forever chemicals’ because many are extremely resistant to environmental degradation. Certain PFAS can also persist in the human body for years.
PFAS have entered water supplies through industrial discharges, waste disposal, firefighting activities, and contaminated groundwater. Because these chemicals can travel through water and persist in the environment, contamination is not limited to areas immediately surrounding industrial facilities.
From a medical perspective, I am particularly concerned about their effects on immune, endocrine, reproductive, and cardiovascular health.
Research has associated exposure to certain PFAS with increased cholesterol levels, reduced antibody responses to some vaccinations, pregnancy-related hypertension, lower birth weight, and changes in liver enzymes. PFOA exposure has also been linked to kidney and testicular cancers.
Not every PFAS chemical has the same toxicity, and evidence strength varies considerably between compounds. Nevertheless, PFAS contamination is an important environmental health concern because exposure can be chronic and hard to detect without testing.
2. Agricultural Chemicals: Pesticides, Herbicides, and Fertilizers
For families living near agricultural land, I believe water quality deserves special consideration. Agriculture plays an essential role in feeding our communities, but fertilizers, herbicides, and pesticides can enter surface water and groundwater through runoff, drainage, and infiltration.
Two contaminants I pay particular attention to are atrazine and nitrate.
Atrazine is an herbicide commonly associated with agricultural weed control. Experimental research has raised concerns about endocrine disruption, reproductive development, and hormonal signaling. Some epidemiological studies have also examined potential relationships between atrazine exposure and adverse pregnancy outcomes.
Nitrate contamination is especially relevant in regions with heavy fertilizer use, livestock operations, or septic system activity. Excessive nitrate exposure can interfere with oxygen transport in infants, causing a potentially life-threatening condition known as methemoglobinemia, sometimes called blue baby syndrome.
Long-term nitrate exposure has also been investigated for associations with certain cancers and adverse reproductive outcomes. These longer-term relationships are more complex and do not mean that every detectable nitrate level produces harm. EWG reports nitrate and nitrite contamination across thousands of public water utilities, illustrating how widespread agricultural and related runoff can be.
Glyphosate, another widely used herbicide, is also frequently discussed in environmental health. Its health effects remain scientifically and regulatorily contested, and detecting it in water does not automatically establish a health risk, but it's worth a note here, as I have seen it firsthand cause health issues in some of my patients.
For households near frequently sprayed fields, orchards, or other agricultural operations, I recommend identifying which chemicals are used locally and testing for relevant contaminants rather than assuming the water is clean.
3. Heavy Metals: Lead, Arsenic, and Chromium-6
Heavy metals and certain metal compounds are especially concerning because they can affect multiple organ systems, sometimes at relatively low concentrations. Lead is a well-established neurotoxicant. Children are particularly vulnerable because their developing nervous systems are more sensitive to its effects. Exposure has been associated with reduced IQ, attention difficulties, learning problems, and behavioral changes. In adults, chronic exposure can contribute to hypertension, kidney dysfunction, and cardiovascular disease. No safe blood lead level is known for children.
Lead in drinking water frequently comes from plumbing materials rather than the original water source. This is one reason a community water report cannot tell you everything about the water reaching your glass.
Arsenic can occur naturally in groundwater, particularly in certain geological regions. Chronic exposure to inorganic arsenic is associated with increased risks of skin, bladder, and lung cancers, as well as cardiovascular disease and other systemic effects.
Hexavalent chromium, sometimes called chromium-6, is another contaminant of concern. It may enter water through industrial activities or occur naturally in some geological settings. Certain forms of chromium-6 are carcinogenic, and evidence from animal studies raises concerns about ingestion exposure.
4. Disinfection Byproducts: When Water Treatment Creates New Chemicals
This category is especially interesting because it highlights a major challenge in modern drinking water treatment.
Chlorine and other disinfectants are incredibly important for preventing infectious diseases. However, when disinfectants react with naturally occurring organic material in water, they can produce chemical compounds known as disinfection byproducts.
Two major groups are trihalomethanes (THMs) and haloacetic acids (HAAs). Long-term exposure to certain disinfection byproducts has been associated with increased bladder cancer risk. Some studies have also examined links to pregnancy and reproductive outcomes, although findings are less consistent.
Another important consideration is that certain volatile disinfection byproducts can be inhaled during showering or bathing. This is one reason I encourage families to think about water exposure beyond drinking and cooking.
We should not eliminate necessary water disinfection simply because byproducts exist. Rather, we can explore appropriate filtration methods that reduce unwanted compounds while maintaining microbiologically safe water.
5. Industrial Solvents and Emerging Contaminants
Industrial chemicals such as trichloroethylene (TCE), tetrachloroethylene (PCE), and 1,4-dioxane have been detected in drinking water sources. These chemicals can enter groundwater through industrial waste, manufacturing processes, historical spills, and contaminated disposal sites. Depending on the compound and level of exposure, health concerns include liver and kidney injury, neurological effects, immune dysfunction, reproductive toxicity, and increased cancer risk.
For example, TCE is a recognized human carcinogen, and evidence also links exposure to kidney cancer and certain immune-mediated health effects. EWG includes these substances in its database and provides information about associated health concerns and filtration technologies.
We are also learning more about microplastics, pharmaceuticals, and other emerging contaminants in water systems. Microplastics have been detected in drinking water, but research on the health implications of typical human exposure is still developing; it is still a bit obvious that plastic has no nutritional value, as it was never intended for human consumption…
What concerns me most is that environmental exposure rarely involves only one chemical. We may encounter small amounts of multiple substances through our food, drinking water, household products, and air. Understanding the potential cumulative effects of these exposures remains an important area of scientific research.
Could Our Water Be Contributing to Chronic Health Conditions?
This is where the conversation becomes particularly relevant to functional and naturopathic medicine.
Many of the health conditions we see today are multifactorial. They develop through interactions between genetics, nutrition, lifestyle, metabolic health, infections, stress, and environmental exposures.
Water contamination may contribute to some individuals, but it is rarely possible to attribute a complex chronic condition to a single environmental exposure. Research has identified relationships between specific drinking water contaminants and several important health concerns, including:
Hormonal and reproductive health: Certain PFAS and pesticides have been associated with altered endocrine signaling, reproductive effects, and adverse pregnancy outcomes.
Neurological and developmental health: Lead exposure is strongly associated with neurodevelopmental harm, while some other metals and solvents can affect nervous system function.
Cardiovascular and metabolic health: Arsenic and certain PFAS have been associated with cardiovascular risk factors or disease outcomes, including hypertension and altered cholesterol levels.
Immune system function: Certain PFAS are associated with reduced immune responses, while some industrial solvents have been linked to immune-mediated effects.
Cancer: Long-term exposure to specific contaminants, including arsenic, certain PFAS, and disinfection byproducts, has been associated with increased risks of particular cancers.
I want to emphasize something important here. These relationships do not mean that water contamination explains every case of thyroid dysfunction, autoimmune disease, infertility, ADHD, or chronic fatigue. But when evaluating someone with complex or unexplained health concerns, I believe it is reasonable to ask about environmental exposures, including drinking water.
We cannot change every environmental exposure we have encountered in our lifetime. We can, however, make informed decisions about the exposures we have control over today.
Living in Colorado: Does Mountain Water Mean Cleaner Water?
Living in a beautiful mountain community, it is easy to assume that our water must be cleaner because we are surrounded by snow, rivers, and relatively undeveloped land. And in some cases, mountain communities do benefit from high-quality source water. However, geography alone does not guarantee purity.
Groundwater can contain naturally occurring arsenic, uranium, radon, manganese, and other minerals or metals depending on local geology. Agricultural operations may contribute nitrates or pesticides to groundwater, while historical mining activity can affect certain watersheds.
Private wells introduce another consideration because they are not regulated and routinely monitored in the same way as public drinking water systems.
For Colorado families living on acreage, near agricultural land, or in rural communities with private wells, water testing is particularly important.
Even within the same county, two homes can have very different water quality depending on whether they receive municipal water or draw from a private well, the well's depth and geology, and the condition of the plumbing.
This is why I prefer testing over assumptions.
How to Make Your Drinking Water as Healthy as Possible
The good news is that improving water quality does not have to be complicated. You do not necessarily need an expensive whole-house filtration system, and you certainly do not need to purchase every water purification product advertised online.
The most important first step is understanding what is actually in your water.
Step 1: Test Your Water Before You Invest in a Filtration System
If you are connected to a municipal water supply, start by looking up your water utility in the EWG Tap Water Database. You can also request your utility's annual Consumer Confidence Report, which provides information about regulated contaminants and water quality testing.
If you have a private well, I recommend arranging testing through a certified laboratory. The EPA recommends testing private wells at least annually for total coliform bacteria, nitrates, total dissolved solids, and pH. Additional testing should be based on local geology, land use, potential pollution sources, and the well's age and condition.
For a more comprehensive assessment, particularly when there are known environmental concerns, testing may also include arsenic, lead, manganese, uranium, pesticides, PFAS, or volatile organic compounds.
A simple home water test strip may show pH or hardness, but it cannot reliably evaluate many contaminants at the extremely low concentrations relevant to human health.
For meaningful results, choose a state-certified or appropriately accredited laboratory that offers the specific tests you need. And remember that a total dissolved solids (TDS) meter does not tell you whether your water is safe. It measures dissolved ionic substances, including beneficial minerals, but does not identify individual toxicants.
Step 2: Choose the Right Filtration System for Your Water
Several excellent water filtration technologies are available, but they are not interchangeable.
Activated carbon filtration can be a practical option for many households. Depending on the product and its certification, carbon filters may reduce chlorine, certain disinfection byproducts, volatile organic compounds, lead, and some PFAS. However, ordinary carbon filtration is not a reliable solution for nitrate, arsenic, or many other dissolved inorganic contaminants.
Reverse osmosis (RO) is one of the most comprehensive home drinking water treatment options. RO systems force water through a semipermeable membrane that reduces a broad range of dissolved substances. Many systems combine reverse osmosis with carbon filtration, which helps address additional organic contaminants.
RO systems can be particularly useful when testing identifies nitrates, arsenic, certain pesticides, PFAS, or multiple contaminants requiring different treatment approaches. Effectiveness varies by model, so choose a system independently certified to remove the specific contaminants you need.
RO is a particularly effective filtration technology, though it also comes with higher cost, maintenance requirements, and water waste. If you live near heavily sprayed agricultural land, I would strongly consider a properly selected RO system for drinking and cooking water, especially if testing identifies nitrate or pesticide contamination. However, proximity to farming alone does not establish contamination, and the best filtration approach should always be based on actual water results.
For some households, a combination of carbon filtration and RO is ideal. For others, a certified carbon filter may adequately address the contaminants of concern. The key is to choose filtration based on evidence, not marketing.
Step 3: Don't Forget About the Water You Bathe In
Many people invest in drinking water filtration but never consider the water used for bathing and showering.
For most contaminants, swallowing contaminated water is the primary concern, especially if we have little ones that take regular baths and drink their bath water! However, certain volatile compounds can enter the air during showering, and some chemicals may also be absorbed through the skin.
If testing identifies volatile organic compounds or other contaminants with meaningful inhalation or dermal exposure potential, a properly designed whole-house treatment system may be worth considering.
For families primarily concerned about chlorine exposure, a shower filter certified to reduce free chlorine may be helpful. However, shower filters vary significantly in performance and should not be assumed to remove PFAS, heavy metals, or every disinfection byproduct.
If a household has significant microbial contamination, the priority is appropriate disinfection and fixing the water-source problem, not simply adding a shower filter.
Step 4: Consider Remineralizing Your Water After Reverse Osmosis
This is one step I believe deserves more attention.
Reverse osmosis is highly effective at reducing many contaminants, but it also removes much of the calcium, magnesium, and other dissolved minerals naturally present in water. Some RO systems include remineralization cartridges that add minerals back into the treated water. These may improve taste and contribute modest amounts of calcium or magnesium, depending on the product.
For individuals relying primarily on RO or distilled water, I recommend evaluating overall mineral intake rather than automatically assuming supplementation is necessary.
Ideally, minerals should come predominantly from a nutrient-dense diet. Magnesium-rich foods include pumpkin seeds, legumes, nuts, whole grains, and leafy green vegetables. Calcium-rich foods include dairy products, calcium-set tofu, certain greens, and canned fish with edible bones. If dietary intake is inadequate or laboratory testing identifies a deficiency, targeted supplementation may be appropriate.
Do not supplement magnesium, calcium, potassium, or trace minerals indiscriminately, especially in people with kidney disease or those taking medications that affect electrolyte balance.
One other point worth mentioning: RO filtration does not automatically create vitamin deficiencies. Water is generally not a meaningful source of most vitamins, and mineral supplementation should be individualized rather than prescribed simply because someone uses purified water.
Step 5: Maintain Your Filtration System and Verify That It Works
Purchasing a water filter is only the beginning. Filters require regular maintenance, cartridge replacement, and sometimes periodic professional servicing. A neglected filtration system can lose effectiveness and, under certain conditions, support microbial growth.
I encourage families to choose systems with independent performance certification, such as applicable NSF/ANSI standards, and to verify that the certification specifically covers their contaminants of concern.
For example, NSF/ANSI 53 addresses certain health-related contaminant reduction claims, while NSF/ANSI 58 applies to reverse osmosis systems. Certification under one standard does not mean a system removes every contaminant covered by that standard.
After installing a system to address a significant contamination problem, consider testing the treated water to confirm that the system is functioning as intended. For private wells, remember that filtration does not replace ongoing well testing or correction of the underlying contamination source.
A Practical Water Quality Checklist for Your Home
If you are ready to improve your household's water quality, here is where I would begin:
Identify your water source. Determine whether you receive municipal water, use a private well, or obtain water from another source. Review your local water quality report or arrange appropriate laboratory testing.
Evaluate your environmental surroundings. Consider nearby agricultural spraying, livestock operations, septic systems, historical mining activity, industrial facilities, and potential groundwater contamination.
Choose targeted filtration. Select a certified system based on the contaminants identified. Consider reverse osmosis for nitrate, arsenic, and certain other dissolved contaminants, and appropriate carbon filtration for selected organic chemicals and disinfection byproducts.
Evaluate bathing and shower exposure. If your water contains volatile contaminants, determine whether point-of-entry treatment is necessary rather than relying only on a drinking water filter.
Assess mineral intake. If you use RO or distilled water, review your dietary intake of magnesium and calcium. Consider remineralization or targeted supplementation when appropriate, but do not assume everyone needs additional minerals.
Maintain and retest. Replace filters on schedule, service your system appropriately, and periodically verify water quality, especially if you use a private well or have previously identified contamination.
Better Water Is One More Way to Support Long-Term Health
I often remind patients that improving health is not always about adding more supplements, more treatments, or more complicated routines. Sometimes it is about reducing the things that place unnecessary stress on the body in the first place.
We spend so much time thinking about the quality of our food, the supplements we take, the products we put on our skin, and the chemicals we use to clean our homes. Yet water, one of the most consistent substances we consume throughout our lives, is easy to overlook.
My goal is not to make you fearful of drinking tap water. Modern water treatment is one of the greatest public health achievements of our time, and many communities have excellent drinking water. Rather, I want you to become curious about your own water. Where does it come from? What has it been exposed to? How is it treated? Does your filtration system actually remove the contaminants you are concerned about? And if you have invested in extensive water purification, are you still meeting your body's mineral needs?
We cannot control every environmental exposure, but we can make thoughtful, evidence-informed decisions about the things we bring into our homes and bodies every day. And when you consider how much water you and your family will consume over a lifetime, I believe making sure it is as healthy as reasonably possible is a worthwhile investment.
Remember, we are not simply what we eat. We are what we absorb. And water is part of that equation.
Here to empower you with the knowledge of health,
Dr. Meg Holpuch
Disclaimer: The information provided on this blog is for educational and informational purposes only and is not intended as medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. The content shared here is not meant to replace or supersede the guidance or recommendations of your personal healthcare provider. Always consult your physician or qualified healthcare professional before making any changes to your diet, exercise routine, supplement regimen, or overall health plan. Your health and well-being are unique, and decisions regarding your care should always be made in consultation with your trusted healthcare provider.
