Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

We like tap water because it’s quick and eco-friendly, but it can be host to unwanted chemicals like fluoride and chlorine, as well as hundreds of contaminants. Some contaminants are reported, others aren’t. Some are fairly benign, others are more harmful. However, they all have one thing in common; they don’t belong in the water you drink. Call us old-fashioned, but when we think of water, we think of H2O, not the seven-syllable chemicals that come out of the tap.

Our filters remove a number of contaminants that effect taste, such as chlorine, sulfates, and copper. We have found that many of our users choose Epic Water Filters to improve the flavor profile of their water, coffee, and tea. Some minerals in your water may cause your water to still have a slightly “hard” taste, depending on the mineral content of your local water supply. However, these minerals are actually healthy and the filter is designed not to remove them.

BPA stands for Bisphenol-A, a contaminant found in most plastics. BPA can adversely affect your health if consumed at high levels. All of our products are BPA free and our filters reduce BPA levels in your water.

Fluoride may occur naturally but the fluoride used in municipal water systems is anything but natural. The main chemicals used to add fluoride to drinking water are known as “silicofluorides” (i.e., hydrofluorosilicic acid and sodium fluorosilicate). Silicofluorides are not pharmaceutical-grade fluoride products (meaning: for human use), they are unprocessed industrial by-products of the phosphate fertilizer industry.

Since these silicofluorides undergo no purification procedures, they can contain elevated levels of arsenic — moreso than any other water treatment chemical. In addition, recent research suggests that the addition of silicofluorides to water is a risk factor for elevated lead exposure, particularly among residents who live in homes with older pipes, which is much of the United States.

Fluoride has long been known to be a very toxic substance and considered by recent medical studies to be a neurotoxin. This is why fluoride has been used in pesticides and rodenticides (to kill rats, insects, etc). It is also why the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) now requires that all fluoride toothpaste sold in the U.S. carry a poison warning that instructs users to contact the poison control center if they swallow more than used for brushing.

Excessive fluoride exposure is well known to cause a painful bone disease (skeletal fluorosis), as well as a discoloration of the teeth known as dental fluorosis. Excessive fluoride exposure has also been linked to a range of other chronic ailments including arthritis, bone fragility, dental fluorosis, glucose intolerance, gastrointestinal distress, thyroid disease, and possibly cardiovascular disease and certain types of cancer.

While the lowest doses that cause some of these effects are not yet well defined, it is clear that certain subsets of the population are particularly vulnerable to fluoride’s toxicity. Populations that have heightened susceptibility to fluoride include infants, individuals with kidney disease, individuals with nutrient deficiencies (particularly calcium and iodine), and individuals with medical conditions that cause excessive thirst.

All water treatment chemicals, with the exception of fluoride, are added to make drinking water safe and pleasant to consume. Fluoride is the only chemical added to treat people who consume the water, rather than the water itself. Fluoridating water supplies can thus fairly be described as a form of mass medication, which is why most European countries and many local municipalities in the United States have rejected the practice.