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Feb 18, 2015·7 min read
side effects of ro water

Side Effects of RO Water? There aren’t any…

Side Effects of RO Water? There aren’t any…

Reverse osmosis water has no proven harmful side effects. While RO removes some minerals, the WHO and EPA confirm that dietary mineral needs are overwhelmingly met through food, not water. RO water is safe for daily drinking, cooking, and infant formula preparation—and far safer than unfiltered tap water containing lead, chlorine, and emerging contaminants.

Reverse Osmosis is one of the most advanced methods of cleaning your water. It ensures that all the harmful contaminants are fully removed from the water so that the health of you and your loved ones can be at its best. The importance of this technique has especially gained a lot of attention after people started realizing the fact that the water crisis is actually knocking at their doors and they need to protect their families from it. If you are a consumer who has heard a lot about RO technology as well as some of the side effects it might be having, then this article is just for you.

Here we have explained that why the so called “side effects of RO water” shouldn’t be a cause of worry for you.

  • Removal of Minerals

It is a fact that the reverse osmosis technology removes almost all minerals from the water as they have large molecules as compared to water. Some people claim that the removal of good minerals like calcium and magnesium is not a good thing as these minerals help our body.

But the question remains that do we actually get all the minerals required by our body from water? Well, obviously not. We eat food to complete our daily requirements of minerals and other vital nutrients. So what’s the harm in not getting a bit of minerals from the RO processed water when you can easily get the minerals from other food sources? There isn’t any, in fact we need water for hydration.

On the other hand, it is also a known fact that the harmful elements present in tap water can make you ill and harm you in more ways. Thus, wouldn’t it be smarter to remove all the contaminants from water and have a healthy body as compared to not using any RO based water purifiers and letting the contamination harm your body?

  • Change in the pH Balance

RO technology also reduces the pH level of water. It is also considered as a cause of concern for some people, especially the ones who think that low pH levels would harm their body. The fact is, when you drink water (or any other food or drink) with low pH levels, your body would automatically adjust it to the ideal level of 7.4. So as long as you have a healthy and fit body, you should not worry about the pH balance of the water.

You would also be pleased to know that the RO Water you consume after processing it via a good Reverse Osmosis filter system generally has 5-8 pH which is much higher than the pH present in soft drinks, sports drinks, beer and even coffee. So if those beverages have done you no harm despite their low pH levels, how can you expect the RO purified water to do any harm due to low pH levels?

All in all, buying an RO System would offer you more benefits than you can expect. It would give you access to pure water at the cost of few pennies on a daily basis. Most importantly, it would give you peace of mind that you or your loved ones would not have to think twice about the purity of the water.

What flow rates are available for emergency water treatment?

AMPAC USA's emergency systems range from 1,500 GPD portable units to 50,000+ GPD trailer-mounted systems. Military-specification units are available for forward operating base deployment, producing potable water meeting EPA and WHO drinking water standards from virtually any source.

Are emergency RO systems suitable for disaster relief operations?

Yes. AMPAC USA's emergency systems are used by FEMA, the U.S. military, and international NGOs for disaster relief. They treat flood water, contaminated groundwater, and brackish sources, removing bacteria, viruses, and chemical contaminants to produce safe drinking water on-site.

What power sources can emergency water purification systems use?

AMPAC USA's emergency systems can run on generator power (120/240V or 480V 3-phase), solar panels with battery backup, or vehicle power take-off (PTO). Low-power models consume as little as 0.5 kW, making them viable for off-grid deployment.

How durable are military-grade water purification systems?

AMPAC USA's military systems are built to MIL-SPEC standards with stainless steel frames, powder-coated components, and UV-resistant materials. They are designed to operate in temperatures from -20°F to 120°F and are vibration-tested for transport in military vehicles.

Conclusion

This post highlighted how emergency and military-grade water purification systems provide safe drinking water rapidly in the most challenging field conditions. For organizations requiring deployable water treatment capability, AMPAC USA engineers portable and trailer-mounted systems built to perform wherever they are needed. Contact our team at [email protected] or (909) 548-4900 to discuss your emergency water treatment requirements.

The Science Behind RO Water Safety

Critics of reverse osmosis drinking water often cite mineral removal as a health concern—specifically that demineralized water may leach minerals from the body or contribute to electrolyte imbalance. The scientific consensus, as reviewed by the World Health Organization in their 2004 report on nutrients in drinking water, is that drinking water contributes less than 10% of daily mineral intake for calcium and magnesium. The remainder comes from food. There is no clinical evidence that drinking low-mineral RO water causes deficiency in healthy adults eating a balanced diet.

What RO water does definitively reduce is exposure to harmful contaminants. The EPA’s 2023 PFAS maximum contaminant levels (4 ppt combined for PFOA and PFOS) are achievable with RO but not with carbon filtration alone. Lead, arsenic, chromium-6, nitrates, and pharmaceutical residues are similarly reduced to negligible levels. The net health impact of drinking RO water vs. unfiltered municipal water is strongly positive—particularly for pregnant women, infants, and immunocompromised individuals.

For those concerned about mineral intake, a calcite remineralization post-filter restores natural calcium and magnesium carbonate to RO product water at a pH of 7.0–8.0 and a TDS of 30–80 ppm—delivering water that is both pure and mineralized. AMPAC USA includes optional remineralization stages on all residential and commercial systems.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is reverse osmosis water bad for your health?

No. The WHO and EPA find no health risk from drinking RO-purified water. While it contains fewer minerals than tap water, dietary intake from food more than compensates. RO water significantly reduces exposure to harmful contaminants.

Does RO water remove beneficial minerals?

RO membranes remove most dissolved minerals including calcium, magnesium, and potassium. However, since food provides the majority of these nutrients, the health impact is negligible. A remineralization filter can restore trace minerals if desired.

Can infants drink RO water?

Yes. RO water is safe for mixing infant formula—it removes lead, nitrates, and microbes that pose particular risks to infants. If using RO water exclusively for formula, choose a formula with added minerals or use a remineralization filter.

Does RO water taste different from tap water?

Most people find RO water tastes cleaner and fresher because chlorine, chloramine, and dissolved solids are removed. A post-carbon polishing filter ensures optimal taste from the storage tank.

Is RO water acidic?

RO water typically has a pH of 6.0–7.0, slightly lower than tap water (7.0–8.5). This is not harmful to health. Adding a remineralization cartridge raises pH to a neutral 7.0–8.0 range.

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