What is the best way to treat contaminated water: filtering or distilling? The debate rages on.

It's not news that all around the world we have a serious water contamination issue that puts thousands of people at risk health wise. The most frightening thing is that water contamination isn't "just" water contamination; it may actually be classified into four different categories – radioactive, organic, biological pathogens, and inorganic. Well, take your pick, as they're all bad.

Given that there are these various categories, one wonders which, overall, is the most commonly used contaminant. If you were about to say chlorine, you’d be right. The reason is because it's inexpensive, and since money is the bottom line these days with every "business," which includes local governments, it is still being used in staggering quantities.

It goes without saying that chlorine has a history of being toxic, even way back in the late 1800's when Europeans began to use it to disinfect water. Scary thought isn't it? If we had contaminated water back then, and not much has really improved, this doesn't say a lot about the state of our critical water supplies. Chlorine also has a nasty rep for being a chemical weapon, used during WWI.

It isn't just one or two glasses of water treated with chlorine that happens to be the problem. It's the constant exposure to it that has now raised the risks of getting breast cancer, bladder and colorectal cancer by at least 93%. You should know that your municipal government likely uses chlorine in the water in an effort to kill off biological pathogens.

Ranking in at number two in the most common contaminants list is lead, usually from home water pipes and fixtures with leaded solder joints. If you've ever looked closely at your home water system, you'd see for yourself the amount of lead on board. It's so bad that the US Environmental Protection Agency estimates that 98% of America's homes are using lead contaminated water. Makes you want to put that glass of tap water back on the counter, doesn't it?

We have so much garbage piggybacking along in our water, it's enough to make our heads spin. Pathogens (nasty microbes and viruses) are becoming more common than they ever were, and their entrance to your home is through your taps. There are very few products on the market that effectively remove it, and bottled water certainly isn't a viable option.

In truth, the only water purification system able to provide the purest, freshest water is distillation; the only process that ensures water is clean and safe to drink. No other water purification method is as effective as distillation.