We all want clean water for our families. And as the recent news reports have shown, it’s even more important for our children to have safe drinking water. Concerns about lead poisoning and questions about autism keep causing people to take a closer look at their water. It’s a huge topic, but we’ll try to distill some of the info.

Common Questions about ASD

Understanding the influences of an Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) diagnosis is incredibly varied and complex. Yet one trend appears to hold true: Neurodiversity is on the rise with more and more children. Of course, the prevalence may be partially linked to an increased awareness of autism. But what else is at play? There are lots of different theories about ASD and why its rates have gone up in the past few decades. Trying to determine whether the causes are purely genetic or environmental, or a combination of factors has proven difficult. Fortunately, some of the therapies used to help individuals with autism (like Applied Behavior Analysis—or ABA Therapy) are seeing great success. Other families also choose to adopt limited or special diets in an attempt to reduce autism symptoms for their children. Still, there’s no definitive answer for how to best help individuals with autism. Since every person is different, each strategy must be addressed on a case-by-case basis. A good place to start, though, often comes down to your drinking water.

Top Drinking Water Contaminants

Recent studies suggest that contaminants found in our municipal water supplies might be connected to these higher rates of autism. Because children are more susceptible to toxins, some of the chemicals found in drinking water may be putting them at risk. We already know that heavy metals in drinking water (like lead, copper, and aluminum) cause health problems. But there are other concerns, too. No less than 11 different chemicals have strong links to affecting brain development in children. And of the toxins on that list, many can be commonly found in our drinking water. In addition to lead and arsenic, manganese is also a risk factor. Studies also cite fluoride and pesticides. Unfortunately, water treatment plants alone can’t always remove these contaminants from our tap water. Finding pesticides in drinking water continues to be an issue—especially when families don’t have a good home water filter in place.

Switching to Clean, Filtered Water

Home water filtration is a great option for families who want to keep their drinking water clean and safe all day, every day. By choosing the right type of water filter for your needs, you can help keep contaminants like lead, chlorine, and even pesticides out of your family’s drinking water for good. We love working with reverse osmosis filters because they’re super powerful—even against the toughest contaminants. An RO water unit is a great addition to any home setup because it runs your water through a rigorous filtration process before it reaches your faucet. The result is great-tasting, healthy water! For more information on how to make the switch to home filtration, just reach out to Indy Soft Water. We’re proud to be your Indianapolis-area water filtration experts, and we love keeping families hydrated!