Does boiling your tap water sterilize it?

Question

I know that you can use filters, but I've heard that they have found prescription drugs, fluoride and other contaminants in water....do the filters actually remove this? Would boiling the water be a better option?

I know that the filters and boiling the water will remove bacteria, but will they actually remove the other stuff?

Answer 1

Boiling will kill harmful bacteria if you boil for at least 5 minutes, but it will not REMOVE anything.  That is the work of a filter.  a 5 micron filter would be best..but extremely slow.

Answer 2

Just boiling the water would not work because the clean water is what is evaporating, what's left in your pot would be the contaminates.  You would need to create a system that allows the evaporating steam to be caught and guided to a sterile location.  That condensation would then be clean.

Answer 3

it helps it a little

=]

Answer 4

yes, the heat kills germs

Answer 5

It will help i believe, it would be better then the water you are drinking anyways

Answer 6

Yes, sterilizing means to kill any microbiological agents, basically bacteria and viruses.... and bringing cold water up to a boil and boiling for 5 min will sterilize it from any common factors.

What others are saying it doesn't remove contaminants... harmful chemicals, most drugs (some are destroyed by heat) are still there: toxic waistes, lead, ect.

Answer 7

The drugs are a new discovery. Filters and purification systems have not been tested or rated to remove them. Filters are basic while purifiers actually help with health issues. While it may be possible that purification systems do remove it it will be a while yet before the makers and independent labs study them and release the results.

Boiling water won't work at all. Water is boiled off as steam and all of the contaminates are left behind. Now more conentrated than ever. While boiling may kill organisms it won't remove them.

The only way boiling will work is by using a distillery. This captures the steam and runs it through coils where it is cooled and collected in another container. In this container will be pure water with nothing else in it.

Answer 8

yes!

Answer 9

Yes it does. Bringing your water to really high temp will destroy all contaminants and most drugs, fluoride on the other hand is put in the water for your own good so no need to remove this. The problem with boiling is that you also remove remove the oxygen is the water which is beneficial to your body.