Is RO UV Water Safe to Drink? Let’s Find Out!
Written by: Gene Fitzgerald // Last Updated: Jun 23, 2023
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If you’re thinking about installing a reverse osmosis + UV system in your home, then the odds are good you’ve run into several sources claiming that low-mineral water is exceptionally harmful.
While it’s true that the RO filtration process strips beneficial minerals from drinking water, the issue is far less concerning than some of these sources claim – think remineralization.
RO water, and especially RO UV water, is some of the cleanest drinking water available, which is why the benefits of removing nearly all contaminants far outweigh any potential issues with consuming low-mineral water.
But let’s take a deeper look at this hotly contested topic – and examine how RO UV water may affect our health.
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Key Takeaways
- RO UV water is one of purest forms of water available, but as a consequence of the reverse osmosis membrane filtration process, beneficial minerals are removed along with harmful contaminant particles.
- Low-mineral RO water can affect your health when consumed long-term.
- Good news is, remineralization filters are widely available to add back the beneficial minerals into your reverse osmosis water and solve any potential issues.
What Is Reverse Osmosis and Ultraviolet Water Purification?
Reverse osmosis water purification is a process that involves forcing unfiltered feed water through a semi-permeable membrane to remove any potential contaminants. RO filters are capable of capturing even microscopic particles that other filters would simply miss – down to just .0001 microns!
In addition to the primary reverse osmosis membrane, RO systems also integrate several pre and post-filters removing even more contaminants. The two most common filter types are sediment filters to remove larger particles and carbon filters to remove chlorine/chloramine and other chemicals among other stuff.
When you add it all together, RO systems remove an incredibly wide range of contaminants.
Ultraviolet water purification is a method that eradicates microbial contaminants by passing water through a powerful UV light. The UV light scrambles microbial DNA and kills over 99.9% of bacteria, viruses, and cysts.
While UV filters are incredibly effective at eradicating any microbial contamination, they are useless at removing contaminant particles of any type. This is why UV filters are typically combined with another filter type to address this issue.
All in all, RO UV systems combine the best of both worlds, using an RO filter with a UV stage added on gives you unparalleled water quality ready for consumption.
What Contaminants Are Removed?
RO systems remove a wide range of contaminants including heavy metals, VOCs, chlorine/chloramine, nitrites/nitrates, fluoride, pesticides and herbicides, sediment, minerals, and salts, as well as a large percentage of microbes.
They are so effective at removing impurities from water that they also remove somewhere between 85% and 98% of minerals. Unfortunately, this means they remove some good with the bad – but more on this later.
An added UV filter stage is effective against microbial contaminants like bacteria, viruses, protozoa, and cysts. That said, they are incredibly effective at this task, and will eliminate anything that makes it past the RO filter.
Is RO UV Water Safe to Drink or Is It Bad for You?
So, is RO UV water safe to drink?
Generally speaking, yes, RO UV water is safe to drink. It is among the purest drinking waters available.
The most commonly voiced concern about RO water is that its low mineral content has a detrimental effect on human health. And it’s true, the WHO suggests that drinking low-mineral water may, for example, increase the risk of cardiovascular disease, low-birth weight, and fracture risk in children.
At the same time, according to a 2015 paper by the Water Quality Association, “there are no known scientific data which clearly demonstrate that the consumption of low TDS (total dissolved solids) water by humans will or will not lead to harmful effects on the human body.” There are many real-world examples of large populations provided with exclusively low-mineral water with no ill effects. The US Navy, Army, and NASA all provide servicemen with this type of water for long periods, with no reported harmful effects reported by any group.
Another point to note is that water is not a significant source of minerals in the human diet. In fact, only 5% of our mineral intake comes from drinking water – with the vast majority coming from food.
Still, we recommend remineralizing RO water before use. It’s a simple and cheap process (more on this below).
Other Popular Safety Concerns for Reverse Osmosis Water
Detractors of RO water typically criticize several of its characteristics that may sound bad on paper, but in reality, are overblown. Let’s break each of these down one by one.
RO Water Being Acidic
The process of contaminant removal strips nearly all suspended impurities from RO water. This includes minerals that increase the water’s pH level.
Typical tap water has a pH level between 6.5 and 8.5. This is a rather large range, and the EPA states that water within this range is safe to drink.
Typical RO water will have a pH level between 6 and 6.5, meaning it’s slightly more acidic than tap water. The reason for this is when water is stripped of its dissolved solids, it will rapidly change to the pH of anything it comes in contact with.
So, when RO is dispensed from its faucet, it will absorb carbon dioxide from the surrounding air. This lowers its pH, but it’s a very weak effect.
Another way of saying this is that because RO water is so pure it will easily change pH to whatever it comes into contact with. This makes the acidic pH of RO water a non-issue.
Additionally, most people consume beverages with much lower pH levels regularly. Black coffee has a pH of 4, while soda and sports drinks have a pH of 2.5 and 3 respectively. Our bodies have no issue dealing with these far more acidic drinks, so assuming that the slight pH decrease in RO water would be an issue makes no sense.
Further Reading:
Myth: Reverse Osmosis Water Will Attack Your Body
Perhaps the most outlandish claim made about reverse osmosis water is that it will actually attack your body due to its acidity and low mineral content.
There is absolutely no evidence for this whatsoever.
The Solution If You Are Concerned: Remineralization
If you’re concerned about the safety of using an RO UV system in your home, there is an easy and low-cost solution to the above concerns:
RO UV systems can be outfitted with a remineralization filter as an optional add-on. These filters can be easily added to many existing systems, too, and provide the ideal mixture of beneficial minerals to your water.
A remineralization filter will add essential minerals like calcium, magnesium, potassium, and sodium back into your RO UV water.
This addresses both of the major criticisms: low mineral content and acidity. The low-mineral issue is self-explanatory, but an additional benefit of adding these minerals is that it raises the pH back to around 7.5, which is right in the middle of the EPA recommended range.
Another alternative is adding an electrolyte blend to your RO water before drinking it. Look for a blend designed to mimic the naturally occurring mineral content in drinking water.
If you have any thoughts about the question, is RO UV water safe to drink, please don’t hesitate to leave a comment below!
About the Author Gene Fitzgerald
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