Would the distilling process remove trace pharmaceuticals from drinking water? I have a filter with a carbon and ceramic cartridge but I don't think they get everything. Or do they? Sorry that's two questions, and sorry if someone already asked.
Distilling water would give you absolutely pure water. Ceramic and carbon filters remove many impurities like bacteria, giardia, chlorine, and lead but neither would remove mineral salts that are dissolved in the water. I think that some trace pharmceuticals could be in the form of dissolved mineral salts, such as Lithium.
so the water would have nothing at all in it? what would be the ph?
could the water that comes out of my tap have trace pharmaceuticals? how would they get there? If they come from reclaimed water I am thinking that I should get a distiller because so many people are on meds these days. I just want the ones I have to take.
wait, would that be bad? how would I get the minerals I need?
Right when the water is distilled, the pH would be 7.0, however, if it sits in an open container for a long time, distilled water can absorb carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and the dissolved CO
2 makes carbonic acid and lowers the pH.
Some pharmaceuticals can be flushed into wastewater, but their concentration would be extremely low and I doubt that they would show up in appreciable quantities in tapwater, maybe in parts per billion or even parts per trillion. An activated carbon filter would be sufficient to remove most of them except for mineral salts like Lithium. If you want to get a water distiller for your own peace of mind or because your tapwater is kind of brackish, get a good one, preferably with stainless steel or glass parts and keep the collecting jar very clean to prevent microbial growth.
I think that most people get the majority of their minerals from food rather than their water, anyway.
I'm lucky because the tap water is great here, but it does have lots of dissolved minerals.
