Q. Is drinking distilled water dangerous? I've read that it's harmful!

A. First of all, let me review for the record what distilled water is — it's water that has been turned into steam so its impurities are left behind. The steam is then condensed to make pure water. The process of distillation kills and removes virtually all bacteria, viruses, heavy metals, and other organic and inorganic contaminants. Once distilled, the water is as pure as water can be.

A number of myths — some quite extreme — have grown up over the years about distilled water. A quick Internet search today will take you to sites that put forth such views as "distilled water leads to early death." Nonsense. One claim holds that distillation removes all of water's beneficial minerals. While it's true that distillation removes minerals as well as various contaminants from water, we don't know that the human body can readily absorb minerals from water. We get our minerals from food, not water. By one estimate, you would have to drink 676 liters of tap water in Winnipeg to reach the daily recommended dose of calcium.

Distilled water not only isn't dangerous, it's the purest form of water.