The health effects of drinking distilled water is probably by far the most debated topic among the medical society. Distilled water health effects have widely been studied and documented by various specialists and each of them has a stand point to establish.

Distilled water has got many applications as such. Automobile batteries require distilled water as tap water contains ions of the dissolved salts that could heavily reduce the lifespan of the battery. Tap water can also leave salt deposits if used in cooling systems where the cooling actually takes place by the evaporation of water.  Distilled water evaporates cleanly leaving behind no residue. Aquariums and steam irons for pressing clothes are other sundry applications of distilled water.

What is distilled water in the first place? Distillation per se is a process that is used for separation of matter. It involves boiling a liquid, capturing the steam and re-condensing it to the liquid state. This allows for separation of solids that might be dissolved in the liquid and a mixture of volatile liquids can be separated by fractional distillation based on the difference in their boiling points. This process applied to water gives us distilled water which does not contain “contaminants” and other hardening salts. Hence the water is chemically pure.

This is the point where the health professionals begin to debate about whether the chemical purity of water is beneficial for the human body or not. On the one hand medical professionals argue that distilled water is safe for consumption as there are no contaminating agents and impurities whereas on the other hand it can be argued that the so called “contaminants and impurities” are nothing but mineral salts that are required in trace amounts by the body and mild strains of bacteria which the body’s immune system learns to fight, also that the distillation strips the water of these natural additions making the water deficient and poor in detoxifying properties. An analogy would be the example of overcooking vegetables to the extent that they are deplete of all nutritional value. The pro-distillation doctors counter argue that the environment is so polluted nowadays that the sources of water themselves are ridden with pollutants and these should be eliminated by distillation prior to drinking.

A practical decision aid would be to analyze for oneself the surroundings and the source of one’s water. If you live far from the city and industrial settlements and your source of water is a stream or a natural spring where you are sure no industrial or residential waste is dumped in your water source, then by all means consume tap water. If you are a city dweller and receive drinking water from the municipal supply you may want to consider distillation.

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