Many countries, including the US, have guidelines to ensure that the harmful chemicals in your water, and your overall water quality, are tested and regulated.

In the US, the EPA has legally enforceable standards for all the different types of impurities in your drinking water, as well secondary concerns which can cause skin irritation or affect your hair. Your local water supplier must produce a new Consumer Confidence Report every year, and the EPA has a public database designed to make it easy for you to find the latest tap water report for your area. You can read the report and see if there are any worrisome pollutant levels in your water, but you can also rest safe in the knowledge that if any contaminants in the water exceed their legal limits, your community will definitely be notified.

If you are particularly concerned about lead, an easy way to reduce the risk is to run the tap water for a few minutes before using it. The most dangerous amounts of lead accumulate when water sits in your home’s pipes overnight, so if you flush that water out of the lines, you’ll be in better shape.

Lead and chlorine in drinking water

Even if your water smells and tastes good, that doesn’t mean your tap water is free of harmful chemicals. Water pollutants fall into different categories, but the main concerns in your shower water are toxic metals, chlorine (used as a disinfectant) and chlorine byproducts along with any other chemicals in the water. Either of these can put a big crimp in your shower experience.

The main toxic metals that often accumulate in water are arsenic, lead, cadmium and mercury, all of which make Top 10 list of the World Health Organization of “chemicals of major health concern.”

Lead is often considered the biggest contaminating culprit, even if your water supply is pure, the water slowly corrodes the lead in the home’s plumbing systems, and the toxic metal seeps into the water. Children are at particularly high risk for harsh chemicals and are reported to absorb up to 50% of their lead through drinking water. Even at relatively low levels, the WHO reports, lead exposure can cause irreversible neurological issues. That’s why water quality should always be considered.

Another main issue is connected to the chlorine that is used as a disinfectant in our drinking water. The main health concern is actually the byproducts that are created when chlorine reacts with natural organic matter in the water, creating harmful chemicals called chlorine. THMs. You’ve probably heard of chloroform, which is just a common THM, and high levels of THMs act as carcinogens.

A study found that people absorb more THMs from a 10-minute hot shower than from drinking a liter of water, so if you’re concerned about this, a shower filtration system can help actively removes chlorine.