Should consumers of water from public or private drinking water supplies be encouraged to use home water filters?
Treating a home water supply is a matter of individual choice. Point-of use treatment devices such as an activated carbon filter or a reverse osmosis, which usually have activated carbon filters, can be effective in removing pesticides and their breakdown products, as well as other contaminants. For any treatment unit to be effective, it must be properly maintained, and any filters must be replaced in a timely manner. For consumers who receive drinking water from a municipal source, suppliers are required to test water quality and provide notification of contamination above levels of concern. Detections of the parent atrazine compound in public water supply systems in Minnesota are rare and the Department of Health believes that based on current, available data, the current drinking water guideline of 3 ppb is protective of human health, including more vulnerable populations such as children or pregnant women. For water supplies from private wells, the consumer is responsible for well
