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 Do you need to filter your water?

Drinking Water Safely During Cancer Treatment

Patients with cancer often have weakened immune systems and can’t properly protect their bodies against infections, including those caused by a foodborne illness sometimes found in your water. This is why it is important to be aware of where your drinking water is coming from and to use caution when drinking it, cooking with it, and even brushing your teeth with it.

Water filters

Many sink filters, filters in refrigerators, pitchers that use filters, and some filters for camping do not remove germs and should not be relied upon for cancer patients.

Tap water

Tap water should be safe when it comes from a city water supply or a city well that supplies many people with water. It does not need to be filtered.

Check with your local water company to see if there is “boil water advisory” in effect. A boil water advisory is issued when the pressure is lost in the water line and there is the possibility of bacterial contamination in the drinking water system that could make you sick.

Well water

You should boil water that comes from a private well or a small local well, even if you have a filter. Boil water before you drink it, cook with it, or brush your teeth with it.

It is important to know that running well water through a filter or adding chlorine to it does not make it safe to use and the water still needs to be boiled.

To properly boil water and store it you should:

  • Heat the water to a rolling boil.
  • Keep the water boiling for at least 1 minute.
  • After boiling the water, store it in the refrigerator in a clean and covered container.
  • Use all this water within 72 hours.

Bottled water

If you prefer to drink bottled water, make sure the label on any bottled water says how it was cleaned. Look for these words:

  • Reverse osmosis filtration
  • Distillation or distilled