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How Much Sodium Is Added To Water During The Softening Process
Is there enough sodium added to water during the softening process to be a concern? High levels of sodium contained in drinking water can be harmful to your health. However, road salt used for deicing, and the intrusion of ocean water into our aquifers as they become depleted, are the two major sources of salt contamination in fresh water. Water softeners also add small amounts of sodium to water, and to this end, we thought it would be interesting to see just how much sodium is added to our diet by consuming softened water. After reviewing available information, we found that the average total amount of sodium from water softening that would be consumed on a daily basis would be far less than the amount contained in a single slice of cheese, a hamburger or a bagel.
The average person living in North America has a 4000 to 6000 mg/day sodium intake, almost entirely from food. A water softener donates 7 mg/l sodium per grain of hardness contained in the water. Although most municipal water is in the 10 GPG (grain per gallon) range, let’s be conservative, and use an average hardness of 15 GPG. Average per capita water consumption in North America is 3.5 liters per day (~0.92 gallons), and this means that if you have a water softener, and your water hardness is 15 GPG, 3.5 liters would contain about 367 mg/l donated sodium. If you take the “middle road” of the values shown above for total dietary intake, 5000 mg/day, the sodium added by the softener would only account for about 7% of the sodium consumed during an average day. To see how this compares to sodium contained in some of the typical foods that we eat, it may be helpful to review the partial list compiled below:
SODIUM CONTENT OF COMMON FOODS *
Dairy
Milk, 1 cup – 125 mg
American cheese, 1 oz. – 405 mg
Low Fat Yogurt, plain, 8 ounce serving – 175 mg
Margarine, 1 tsp – 133 mg
Processed Foods
Salad Dressing (average common), 1 tsp – 137 mg
Tuna, canned in water, 3 oz serving – 320 mg
Baked beans, 1 cup – 1008 mg
Bologna, 2 slices – 578 mg
Hot Dog (beef) – 462 mg
Hamburger (commercially prepared) – 435 mg/l
Soup (prepared, various), 1 cup – 231 to 3493 mg
Breads & Wheat Products
Bread, 1 slice (average common ) – 164 mg
Bagel, plain – 379 mg
Biscuit, plain or buttermilk – 348 mg
Cereal (average common), 1 cup – 238 mg |
Snack Foods
Potato chips, 1 oz – 168 mg
Pretzels, hard, 10 pretzels – 1029 mg
Tortilla chips, 1 oz – 150 mg
Waffle, plain – 260 mg
Meats & Vegetables
Ham (extra lean), 2 slices – 810 mg
Turkey (average white/dark meat), 3 oz – 60 mg
Carrots (cooked & drained), 1cup – 103 mg
Broccoli (cooked), 1 cup – 41 mg
Spinach (canned),1 cup – 58 mg
Peas (frozen, no-salt), 1 cup – 139 mg
Potatoes (mashed, homemade), 1 cup – 636 mg |
In conclusion, it would appear that for the vast majority of consumers (at typical levels of water hardness) the low amount of sodium added to drinking water by a water softener is not a significant concern. Far more sodium is contained in many of our common foods. Reducing the level of salt in these foods by limiting the consumption of processed foods that may be higher in sodium, and preparing fresh foods naturally low in salt, will have a much greater impact in lowering your overall intake of sodium.
At elevated levels of water hardness, more sodium will be present in the water, and consumers may choose to remove the sodium completely using a point-of-use RO (reverse osmosis) system. These systems are relatively inexpensive, and are designed for installation at the kitchen sink to dispense purified water used for drinking and cooking. Always choose a reverse osmosis drinking water system that has an NSF 58 or WQA Gold certification – RO systems with these certifications are very high quality performers.
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