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darth continent | December 25, 2008 01:09 AM | in Chemistry

How can I get my home tap water tested for contaminants (e.g. parasites, drug residue, heavy metals)?

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BEST ANSWER chosen by asker | carriep | December 25, 2008 02:03 AM

You've got a lot of options.

The first thing you want to do is contact your local water provider. They are required to do their own testing to meet EPA guidelines, so they can provide you a general profile of the water in your area, and if there were any problems with certain taps (lead, etc). They may also be able to give you some good ideas for reasonably priced and reliable testing.

Much will depend on how thorough you want to be and how much you want to spend. Kits run between $50 and $300 depending on how comprehensive you want to be.

You also want to make sure whoever does the testing is certified to do the type of testing you are asking them to do. You may not need to get every single thing tested depending on your situation. For example, well water needs more testing, as a general rule than municipal water.

You can do some tests at home if you're up for it, but generally you do get better results if you go with pros.

Because I don't know the specifics of your situation or your geographical area, I've not given a specific vendor, but there are several good links for additional research below.

Municipal tap water (aka "city water") tends to be really good overall. In fact, some bottled waters, up to 25%, come from city water.