One of the most common sources of toxic metals, pollutants, bacteria, and fungi come from home water or well water. Even though foods saturated with artificial chemical food additives are a source of many body pollutants at the root of human disease, one of the most common and prolific sources of man-made chemicals polluting the human body come from our drinking water.

The question you still may ask, why should I get my water tested?

The answer to this question depends on several factors. It concerns your health and the health of your family, so you need to know some basic facts.

In addition to illness, a variety of less serious problems such as taste, color, odor and staining of clothes or fixtures are signs of possible water quality problems. Other things to think about include the nearness of your water well to septic systems and the composition of your home’s plumbing materials.

Regardless of your water source, here are two situations that may require testing:

Do you suspect lead may be in some of your household plumbing materials and water service lines?

Most water systems test for lead as a regular part of water monitoring. These tests give a system-wide picture, but do not reflect conditions at a specific household faucet. If you want to know if your home’s drinking water contains unsafe levels of lead, have your water tested. Testing is the only way to confirm if lead is present or absent. Some faucet and pitcher filters can remove lead from drinking water. If you use a filter to remove lead, be sure you get one that is certified to remove lead.

Whether you live in the country and drink from well water or live in an urban area downstream from an industrial area, it is prudent to have your home drinking water tested for chemicals you may be exposed to daily. The average person uses 72.5 gallons of water a day. But is that water safe? Water testing is expensive, so make sure you know what to test for and when to do it. Water testing is a simple way to design future solutions for the health and safety or yourself, your family, and your pets. Remember to test your water every year for total coli form bacteria, nitrates, total dissolved solids and pH levels, especially if you have a new well, or have replaced or repaired pipes, pumps or the well casing.