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Get Answers: What water should I use for making formula?
Healthy Child
Friday, August 27, 2010
This week, Angela, from our Facebook community, posted the following question on our wall:
“I'm lost on what water to use when mixing my daughters formula, I can't seem to find out what is the safest route. We rent our home so we cannot modify anything, pipes are old...
I have a drinking water quality report, to be honest it might as well be in Japanese. it has tables that state the levels of contamination & that it meets federal standards. I'm trying so hard to make sure she is safe but we are below the poverty level & everyone around us has very different priorities. Can you recommend a site that I can compare the levels to what is safe?”
ANSWER:
Use the EPA's local drinking water website and consumer information as well as the EWG's tap water database to learn more about what’s in your water and how it compares.
You could also call your local department of health to find out if there's anything specific to be concerned about. One of your main concerns should be lead (from old piping or solder). Lead contamination is tap specific and will not show up on your municipal drinking water test reports. Everyone should test their water for lead.
You can get a test kit from a hardware store (or maybe your local health department knows of options for low-income families). Until you test for lead, let your water run for a minute each morning before using for consumption (flushes lead out). And never use hot water from the tap.
Posted by ChristineKH on 09/01/2010 at 06:35 PM
You could purchase a Reverse Osmosis (“RO”) filter. It will filter away almost everything you have to worry about. We have one, but because of the cost, we only use it for our drinking water. The good ones are few hundred dollars. It filters away about a gallon for every quarter gallon of water used, so your water bill will be higher. I think they are a great investment if you plan to be in your home for a long time.
Posted by Lisa on 08/31/2010 at 04:01 PM
Our city tests for lead free of charge. Try contacting the city to see if they will give you a test kit.
Posted by Margaret Barry on 08/28/2010 at 02:43 PM
It’s important to make sure that the water you are mixing your formula with is fluoride-FREE. If not, you could be placing your baby at risk for fluorosis - a condition where his/‘her permanent teeth could have permanent spots on them (ranging from small, imperceptible white spots to very dark yellow and brown streaks).
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Posted by Susan on 11/10/2010 at 06:38 AM
I had my water tested for lead, arsenic, and volatile organic compounds, but I should have included aluminum, as well. The latter is used to remove disease causing micro-organisms in the water and residues may remain. My home is 50 years old, but I don’t have lead soldered pipes. However, there is arsenic (from agriculture) and volatile organic compounds from industrial chemicals and pesticides, plus I will have fluoride in my water because of a recently passed state law.
Hence, I wanted to remove the arsenic and VOC’s from my water. No one should drink fluoride for the rest of their lives, especially not babies. Fluoride increases Osteoporosis and creates another risk of Osteosarcoma (Bone Cancer). It’s one thing to brush our teeth with fluoride and another to risk our health by ingesting it.
Therefore, purchasing a reverse osmosis with activated carbon should remove both. I went to the CrystalQuest web site to look for a water filter with the NSF 53 health standard. There are people to help you.