What Is the Ideal pH for Drinking Water?
What Is the Ideal pH for Drinking Water?
A pH level is a measurement of acid-base equilibrium, and that number can indicate whether a substance is acidic or basic. The pH scale ranges from 0-14, with levels less than 7 considered acidic, levels greater than 7 considered alkaline, and a pH of 7 considered neutral. To ensure your drinking water is healthy and safe for consumption, you will want to verify that the pH level falls within a specified range.
Why 6 - 8.5 pH is ideal for Drinking Water
Water with a pH level between 6 and 8.5 is safe to drink because it is neither acidic nor alkaline enough to be dangerous in the human body. Water with a pH of less than 6 can be corrosive and filled with toxic metals. Water with a pH of higher than 8.5 can be hard, which poses less of a health risk than acidic water but can taste bad and leave scale deposits on dishes, sinks, and more.
Is it safe to drink natural alkaline water?
Natural alkaline water is safe for you to consume. However, it often tastes sweeter than neutral water (thanks to minerals in it), and claims that it offers more health benefits than neutral water -- like increased metabolism, cleansed colon, boosted immunity, and more -- have not been officially proven.
What is the pH level of tap water?
The pH level of tap water depends on where that water is coming from. Places like New York City boast tap water with a pH level of 7.2, while places in the desert, like Las Vegas, Nevada, often have hard tap water with a high pH. Drinking water pH can be affected by things like the composition of an area's bedrock, the presence of chemical detergents or cleaning agents in the water, and ways that municipal water processing plants choose to treat it.
What are the benefits of drinking alkaline water?
There are several supposed benefits to drinking alkaline water, including the fact that it can neutralize acid in the body, lead to increased oxygen levels in the blood, improve metabolism, cleanse the colon, rejuvenate skin, support the immune system, and protect bones. Many of these claims have not been proven, and the human body tends to be quite successful at regulating its own inner pH.
Other concerns and benefits of water with different pH levels
Water with low pH levels is not only corrosive and metallic, it can also leave a blue or green stain on drains, sinks, and more, due to its breaking down of metal (copper) fixtures in your plumbing system. Alkaline or high pH water tends to taste bitter and leave scale. It can also make soap and detergents difficult to lather.
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