Ammonia is a substance which is present in most water supplies. It occurs naturally when plant life and vegetation break down, and is often used as a fertilizer on farms. It is this latter use which can result in , as it runs off farm land and into natural sources such as rivers and reservoirs. On other occasions, it may be actively added to the water supply by the company concerned, as it combines with chlorine to form a longer lasting disinfectant.
Although there are no links between ammonia risks and ill health, it is still a strong, potent and highly caustic chemical. It also has a very strong taste and smell and so ensuring that there is not too much of it present in the water you use is only sensible. If you wish to remove the ammonia present in your tap water before drinking it, then a standard filter cartridge should do the job for you.
Within the water industry itself, levels of ammonia will be monitored on a large scale using expensive hi-tech pieces of equipment designed to ensure that the levels in the water leaving the treatment plant are not too high.
Home testing kits are available which measure and display the levels of ammonia present in water. These are more commonly used by people maintaining a healthy environment for their tropical fish, but they can also do the same job for anyone who is concerned about the quality of their drinking water.
