By Anna Böhlmark

Water filters – for a holistic approach to the planet and health

More and more people are concerned about the many chemicals and toxins in our environment that negatively affect our health. But these worries can be put to rest if you make conscious choices and invest in taking responsibility for living as toxic-free and natural as possible.

Instapure water purifier for tap

The Aronia store’s handy filter provides clean water straight from the kitchen tap with an easy-to-install carbon filter.

Advantages of our water filter for kitchen faucet:
– Easy to assemble (requires no tools, you do it in a couple of minutes).
– Low cost.
– Has a switch so you can choose filtered or unfiltered.
– Carbon filter based on coconut carbon is efficient, proven and environmentally friendly.

Why do you need a water filter for your tap?

We humans are constantly affected by water. Internally, through the water we drink, and externally, by washing ourselves daily. A major threat to our health is the microplastics and synthetic substances we are exposed to daily. Perhaps the greatest danger to our health is our own municipal drinking water, which contains high levels of microplastics called PFAS. Research shows that PFAS can be harmful, especially to children. However, it is possible to avoid being exposed to constant external influences.
Aroniabutiken has a long experience and a holistic approach to what a healthy environment means. This is why it has been working for many years on products that purify drinking water.

Contaminated water – a health hazard

In recent years, the media and authorities have drawn attention to the dangers of microplastics, or PFAS. Recently, it has been discovered that wine can also contain PFAS. Unfortunately, it has also been discovered in ordinary municipal drinking water in several places in Sweden. This is a potential health hazard for thousands of people. A ticking time bomb, which can eat away at the body. The damage is usually not detected immediately, but the health hazard can build up over a long period of time, like kidney stones, for example. PFASs are stored in the liver, kidneys and blood and can lead to cancer. It also damages our reproductive capacity, hormonal system and cell functions. An international research group has recently raised the alarm about these so-called ‘perpetual chemicals’ because of their persistence in the environment. They are a group of over 4,700 chemicals called ‘high fluorinated’ that are associated with immune system damage. These substances are found in products that people use every day: from electronics to frying pans to cosmetics.

PFAS – the perpetual chemicals and microplastics

PFASs are found in groundwater, surface water in our waterways and now also in drinking water. Plastic residues from condoms, diapers and other rubbish that should not be washed down contribute to the problem. At the Henriksdal wastewater treatment plant outside Stockholm, it has been found that as much as 2156 tons of these residues are mixed with the water to be treated. Unlike fecal residues, which can be easily biodegraded, many of these pollutants take an exceptionally long time to break down. The fact that they are not broken down allows them to be stored in our body organs instead. Research is only just beginning to understand the extent of the problem and how dangerous these substances are to our health and our environment. For example, large amounts of PFAS have also been found in the oceans, which means that fish also store them. These substances then spread throughout the food chain. Right up to humans. It’s no wonder that the development of boys in particular during the fetal stage is particularly affected by plastic toxins, and some of them affect the reproductive capacity of men later in life.

Other hazards in drinking water – microplastics and more

It is not only microplastics in drinking water that can be directly harmful to health. The presence of other contaminants such as agricultural fertilizers, microorganisms and lead is worrying scientists. The ever-worsening water quality has led the Karolinska Institute to conduct a study to take a closer look at our drinking water and found something equally worrying – our drinking water contains antibiotic residues and other pharmaceutical residues that are flushed down and end up in the treatment plants.

Chemical spills can also happen suddenly. For example, last year a resident in Unnaryd had his drinking water poisoned with chemicals to such an extent that he could not even use it for cooking or washing. The same thing sometimes happens on the island of Sollerön outside Mora, where villagers’ drinking water turns brown. Everyone is advised not to use the water until the cause is known. Sometimes the municipal water is replaced by large water tanks where residents can fill up with clean water. Another danger researchers have found is that weathering in the bedrock can release asbestos, which can be picked up by the rain and travel into the waterways. Scientists cannot rule out the possibility that asbestos will eventually end up in our municipal drinking water.

What about bottled water?

Nor is it a good solution in the long run. Studies have shown that bottled water is not as clean as you might think. But the worst part is probably the amount of plastic you ingest by drinking bottled water, which is said to be equivalent to one credit card per year in the amount of plastic you ingest if you drink all your bottled water.

The solution – carbon water filters

The list is long: the threats are many. Microplastics, fertilizers, micro-organisms, lead and asbestos. It can be easy to ignore the dangers, and easy to feel unsafe. But there is a solution that will allow you to safely continue drinking municipal drinking water without risking negative health impacts. The solution is called a carbon filter. It’s a relatively easy and inexpensive solution for the average person.

The carbon filter can effectively filter out up to 99% of lead, chlorine, microorganisms, pesticides and sediment. It also handles other hazardous substances such as heavy metals, pharmaceutical residues and the recently highlighted PFAS.
How does a carbon filter work?

A carbon filter is a form of water treatment with remarkable properties for reducing pollutants, chlorine, bad taste and bad odors. It uses a charred form of coconut shell, to attract contaminants and traps them as they flow past. Carbon filters remove contaminants through a process called adsorption. Absorption soaks up particles like a sponge to water. Adsorption, on the other hand, attaches particles to a surface like Velcro. Organic compounds bind or stick to the surface of a carbon filter because water and contaminants are both polar compounds that attract each other. Carbon filters are extremely porous and have a large surface area, making them effective in reducing bad tastes, odors and other particles in water. A low flow and low pressure on the water tap gives contaminants more time to attach to the carbon. The longer the contact time the water has with the surface of a carbon filter, the more effective the filtration will be.

A positive side effect of using carbon filters is not only that the water becomes clean from contaminants. It also tastes and smells better. Water treatment plants treat water with chlorine and chloramines that linger in drinking water and impair it with a chemical taste. Carbon cleans the water of organic compounds, making the filtered, crystal-clear water taste good, smell nothing and be healthy for both your body and the environment.

Why choose Instapure tap filters?

– Everything you need for assembly is included in the starter kit

– Fits the vast majority of kitchen faucets taps (22 mm / 24 mm thread)

– One of the most practical aspects of the Instapure water filter is its ease of installation and use. A simple faucet mechanism allows you to easily choose to let the water flow without filtration, for example when washing dishes, or activate the filter when you want purified water. At SEK 749, it is also an economical product compared to other water filters on the market.

– Proven technology. Carbon filters have been used for a long time and are probably the most cost-effective way to purify water.

– One filter cartridge lasts up to three months in normal use for a family of four. Replacement filters cost SEK 319. Aesthetically, you can choose between a white or a chrome-colored solution, depending on what you think looks best on the faucet in your home.

– If your filter doesn’t fit your faucet or you don’t want to keep it for any reason, you have the right to return it.

Link to video showing how the filter works: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AVx_-46fV7s

Remember to buy filter cartridges
– Filters are bought separately – they come in single and 4-packs
– A filter costs 319 SEK and normally lasts 3 months.

Sustainable and safe choice
– BPA-free plastic
– Used filters can be recycled
– For cold or lukewarm water only

1 year warranty and full return policy
– Warranty period 2 years
– Return policy if it doesn’t fit
– Support for questions

Unbeatable price – free shipping!
– Low price compared to competitors
– Free shipping

Frequently asked questions

How long does a filter last?
It normally lasts 3 months or 750 liters.

What if it doesn’t fit on my tap?
Then you can return it and get your money back. We have adapters for taps with slightly more unusual threads, so please contact us.

Does the carbon filter remove all pollutants?
It is not effective on certain substances, such as some heavy metals and uranium and fluorine. For that you need reverse osmosis. However, it is effective on most minerals and metals you have problems with, such as lead, lime, iron and more. It is also very effective on organic compounds, pharmaceutical residues, pesticide residues, PFAS and microplastics.

Does it also remove beneficial minerals?
Instapure’s carbon filter cartridge removes minerals and metals to a large extent, but not all. That’s the price you pay for also removing PFAS, microplastics, environmental pollutants, spores, etc. It is effective on iron, lime lead and the substances commonly found in municipal water (and own wells). It is not advisable to consume water with extremely high levels of, for example, lime and iron, which are found in some parts of Sweden, for a long time. But what kind of water you have in your tap depends on where you live. We have many customers who have their own well, with, for example, the problem of too high iron content, which our filter remedies. For those who want to increase the mineral content of your purified water, we sell mineral drops at Aroniabutiken, with which you can re-mineralize the water and get “mineral water” at home at a low cost. See for example Utah Mineral drops and Whole Health CMD drops under our water purification category.

Instapure water filters are sold with us at aroniabutiken.se