Is Hard Water Bad for You? 2 Water Quality Engineers Explain the Potential Benefits and Pitfalls That Come With Having Hard Water
The Conversation
Posted May 22, 2024
When you turn on your faucet to get a glass of water or wash your face, you’re probably not thinking about what’s in your water – besides water. Depending on where you live and whether you have a water-softening system, your water might contain dissolved minerals such as calcium and magnesium. And these minerals can play a role in whether certain pollutants such as lead stay out of your water.
The more dissolved minerals, the “harder” your water. But is hard water actually good or bad for you?
As engineering researchers who study water quality, Iowa State University Master’s Student in Civil Engineering Sarah Blank and Associate Professor of Civil, Construction and Environmental Engineering Timothy Ellis have seen the effects – both good and bad – that soft and hard water can have on everything from plumbing systems to the human body.
Read Blank and Ellis’ article in The Conversation here.