The Truth About Drinking Deionized Water

Take the minerals from water, and the result is pure water. Deionized water is, however, in an unnatural state, and the human body recognizes this. The water uses the body's resources to ionize, and this process does pose some risk.

Features

• Deionized water is characterized by little or no dissolved mineral content. This form of water is pure, but chemically aggressive and readily leaches metals and other components from the materials it interacts with.

Treatment

• A chemical process produces deionized water.

  Ionized water is passed through exchange materials which remove all the positive metal ions and replace them with hydrogen ions. The partially deionized water, which is acidic from the hydrogen, passes through a second stage of exchange materials which extracts anions from the water and replaces them with hydroxyl ions. The hydroxyl and hydrogen ions react and neutralize each other to form deionized water.

Risks

• Demineralized water may affect general health.

  According to the World Health Organization, deionized water may not be appropriate for human consumption. Consumption of deionized water may result in a low intake of essential minerals and micro-elements, toxic metal poisoning and illness resulting from bacteria. Drinking deionized water may also compromise the body's homeostasis mechanisms which regulate the functioning of vital organs.