How Pure is Your Drinking Water?

On every inhabited continent, centenarians cite that their native water is responsible for their health and longevity - and the scientists agree with them. What they all have in common is pure water sources located far from any city, free from chemicals and toxins.
Tap water in urban areas contains pesticides, industrial pollutants, chlorine, fluoride, and other chemicals. Well water and mountain streams in some parts of the countryside are not much better because of the acid rain and toxic levels of minerals present in groundwater.

Your safest bet is filtered water. There are many different kinds of filtration processes available for removing contaminants. The best kinds use activated charcoal, which removes the impurities but leaves the water-soluble minerals. Avoid water softeners, which take away essential minerals. Also do not store water in plastic containers because the polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) can leach into the water.