Back in the day, you could just pick a few regular bottled water on the shelves when shopping. But thanks to the advancement in science and new forms of water treatment, there are various types of water you can go for – sparkling water, alkaline water, purified water, and even distilled water. Yeah, you read that right-distilled water.
Many individuals claim that distilled water has loads of benefits for the human body. Meanwhile, some don’t fully understand what it is, what it does, and other details. So, is distilled water safe to drink?
Yes. You can drink distilled water. It is safe to drink and is considered a form of purified water. Although it seems beneficial to some individuals, it isn’t always recommended to people. Why? Few health risks are associated with drinking distilled water. The next segment discusses some of the benefits and health risks of drinking distilled water.
In the rest of this article, you will have all your drinking distilled water questions answered. Then I will elucidate what distilled water means, why you should and should not drink it, and other vital details.
What Exactly is Distilled Water?
Distilled water is water that has undergone the process of distillation. By distillation, we mean the initial liquid is steamed, condensed, and allowed to return to its liquid state.
In other words, one boils water into vapor and condenses the steam again to return to its original state. This process removes the condensed liquid of all impurities, pollutants, bio-contaminants, minerals, and dissolved gasses. Thus, it is incredibly pure.
Benefits of Drinking Distilled Water
- Purer than Water from Other Sources
A major advantage distilled water has over water from other sources. It is purer and more refined than other forms of water – mineral, sparkling, or spring water. On many occasions, it is even purer than the regular water gotten from the tap. Hence, if the water in your environment is contaminated or harmful to your health, you can drink distilled water for your safety.
- Reduces Disease
The distillation process purifies water and removes any forms of contaminants embedded in it. If it is pathogens – bacteria, viruses, or algae – that cause water-borne diseases and harm to human health, distillation eliminates all forms of pathogens. Without this, the pathogens could invade the body system and make you sick.
- Removes Harmful Chemicals
Distillation eliminates 99.9 percent of contaminants polluting the water. Distillation reduces the risk of ingesting these harmful chemicals, whether harmful dissolved solids or chemicals injurious to human health. Even though the EPA allows the presence of these harmful chemicals at a low level, distilled water eliminates these chemicals, rendering it safe for you to drink.
- Excellent for People Placed for Diet
Since distilled water eliminates essential minerals such as sodium in water, it is an excellent choice for people on salt-restricted diets. People suffering from hypertension or similar health issues can drink distilled water due to the absence of essential minerals in it.
Side Effects From Drinking Distilled Water
After knowing some of the main benefits of distilled water, here are some side effects of drinking distilled water.
- Make You Nutrient Deficient
Since the essential minerals in water are eliminated through the distillation process, it can put you at risk of being nutrient deficient. For example, only drinking low magnesium and calcium water could put you at risk of fracture or heart disease.
- Lack of Electrolytes
Drinking distilled water may not be the right decision if you are an athlete or an individual who engages in strenuous activity. Since you sweat, you lose electrolytes. Drinking mineral water or a sports drink is a better choice than distilled water that can’t make up for the electrolytes you expel from your body.
- Bland Taste
Distilled water may not suit your taste due to its blandness. Since most of the essential minerals are eliminated, all you have left is hydrogen and oxygen, which may not taste good to you.
How To Make Distilled Water at Home?
The distillation process starts by heating water in a tank or any container. Once the water begins to boil, it evaporates and releases vapor. The vapor gets cooled after passing it through tubes of a low temperature.
This allows the vapor to condense and return to its liquid form, leaving behind any pollutants in the water.
Finally, the distilled water is stored in a sterile container and ready for use. Depending on the distillation method you intend to use, the process could take hours before you get the result. For instance, a countertop distiller takes about 4-6 hours before a gallon of water is distilled. You can distill the water twice to maintain relative purity.
Types of Distillation
Three types of distillation exist. They include:
- Simple Distillation
This process involves boiling water to vaporize and then leaving it behind non-H2O components to allow condensation to occur.
- Multi-Stage Flash (MSF) Distillation
This process involves passing liquid from one container under high pressure to another with low pressure. The pressure enables the liquid to be converted into gas which is finally condensed. This method uses pressure rather than heat to enable vaporization and condensation. Large seawater desalination plants often use the MSF method.
- Fractional/Differential Distillation
This method also produces distilled water and processes crude oil into various petroleum products. Here, the evaporation and condensation stages are repeated several times and at different temperatures to remove different impurities in the water.
What Does Distillation Remove from the Water?
The process of distillation removes various contaminants from the body of water. Here is a list of contaminants removed through the water distillation process.
- Heavy Metals – Mercury, Lead, Copper, Arsenic, Fluoride, Barium
- Total Dissolved Solids – Magnesium, Iron, Potassium, Zinc, Lead, Chloride, Sulfates, Bicarbonates, and Calcium.
- Dissolved chemicals – Pesticide, chlorine, chloramine
- Sediment – Sand, dirt, silt, rust
- Electrolytes – Phosphate, calcium, chloride, sodium, potassium
- Pathogens – Bacteria, algae, viruses
- Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) – tetrachloroethylene (perchloroethylene), trichloroethylene, an industrial solvent, benzene, dichloromethane.
- Bad taste and odors – bacteria, sulfate, chloride ions, heavy metals.
- Pharmaceuticals – phenytoin and carbamazepine (anticonvulsant medications), meprobamate (an anti-anxiety medication), atenolol, gemfibrozil.
Conclusion
You can drink distilled water as it is purer than other sources of water. However, if it poses more harm than good to you, you may not need it and should stop drinking it.
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