Image taken on 2008-09-22 12:12:19 by WSDOT.
In the US, the water quality standards are set by the Environmental Protection Agency. They seem to be sufficient in inhibiting outbreaks of waterborne diseases, since of the few outbreaks that occur annually, most of them occur in supplies that are not regulated by the EPA.
Regulations concerning bacteria, viruses and other pathogens are also relatively strict. However, regulations concerning chemical contaminants are relatively lax and sometimes completely absent. Even the methods used for establishing water quality standards are lacking.
There is really no way to determine how long-term exposure to low levels of chemical contaminants affects our health. Some researchers are attempting to answer that question, specifically as it pertains to some of the most common chemical contaminants. Those are called trihalomethanes.
Trihalomethanes or THMs are a group of chemical compounds that are known to cause or suspected of causing cancer. They are present in publicly treated supplies, because they form when bacteria and other pathogens are removed through disinfection. They are not present in groundwater that has not been disinfected in any way.
If your home is serviced by a public treatment facility and the source used is above ground, then THMs are flowing out of your tap and into the air of your home whenever you turn on a shower. Many researchers feel that the water quality standards or limits pertaining to THMs are higher than they should be. But, there isn’t much that the treatment facilities can do about it. Consumers really need to take matters into their own hands.
In order to reduce THMs at the facility level, the amount or disinfectants would need to be reduced. This would mean that the number of bacteria and other pathogens would rise. Outbreaks of waterborne illnesses are considered far greater public health risks than cancer. Cancerous growths take a long time to form and some people are able to fight them off. So, as it is with most medical considerations, the EPA must weigh the risks against the benefits.
The water quality standards set for bottling companies are even lower than those set by the EPA. That industry is regulated by the Food and Drug Administration. The e-coli level allowed in those bottles is higher than what is allowed in public supplies. Many of the plants are dirty and make little effort to provide a safe product.
The best solution, for all homeowners, is to install an effective filter in their home. Remember that drinking is not the only source of exposure. THMs become airborne during a shower and you inhale them. They can get into the bloodstream more quickly through inhalation than they can through consumption.
Everyone should know that the water quality standards in the US are not sufficient to protect our long-term health, but there is something that we can do. Buy an effective filter and install it…you’ll never need to worry about the subject again.
To become better informed about your options regarding water filtration system you can install at your home, visit my website.
This will help familiarize you with ways to test streams for nitrates and phosphates. Follow the instructions of your test kits to get accurate results. Be a steward for the land and sea and begin Navigating Change in your community. … navigatingchange Navigating Change Kuliouou Stream Water Quality H2O test stream testing Nitrates
The question of why is water quality important is commonly asked these days as more of us become aware of the dangers in our supplies and how it can affect us. The truth is unfortunately much worse than most of us would expect.
As we are made up of 70% water, the quality of what we drink is paramount to our health and well-being. A delicate balance is kept and if the purity is low, then the balance is lost and our health suffers as a consequence.
Water is the best and only detoxifier that the body needs to help the liver and kidneys eliminate toxins effectively. What would be the point of drinking water with the very toxins in that you are trying to remove!
The problem with today’s water is that it contains so many toxins, over two thousand, and many can lead to serious diseases, so why is water quality so important to us? Simply because it affects our entire body.
The new phenomenon of prescription drugs in the supply like mood enhancers, antibiotics and growth hormones has even caused some fish in our rivers to change sex! Such is the quantity and strength of these drugs. Do you really want to be drinking someone else’s medicines? I thought not!
As the municipal treatment plants can’t protect us, we have to protect ourselves with a home water purifier. The most effective systems are multi-stage carbon block filters, with ion exchange and sub micron filtering.
These will remove 99% of all the contaminants, leaving you with safe pure water as it should be. Check with the manufacturer performance data sheet to see exactly what it removes.
Now you know a little more about the answer to the question; why is water quality important, why not make it a point to take action and start protecting yourself.
If you truly desire to live a long and healthy life, then a home filtration system will be one of the best health investments you could ever make, safeguarding you and your family’s health not only for now, but for the future too.
Ahead of World Water Day, Gallup examines how satisfied the world’s citizens are with the quality of their water and finds that people in sub-Saharan African nations are the least likely to be satisfied with their water’s quality.
Image taken on 2008-01-30 10:08:35 by International Rivers.
Let’s face it, a water quality report is more of a PR exercise than an accurate report into the quality of our water. So don’t use it as a measure of your local supply or you could be storing up trouble for the future.
In a way it is a pointless exercise as recent studies have shown that we have over 2000 toxic chemicals in our drinking water, with more being discovered all the time. The quality and frequency of the testing done is very uneven and cannot represent a true picture in any way. Otherwise our supplies would not be so polluted.
The water quality report is there just to try and ease our concerns and show that our local municipality is dealing with the problems, but that is simply not the case as the following quotes illustrate.
“Drinking water plants are old and out of date, and supplies are increasingly threatened by and contaminated by chemicals and microorganisms,” states the Natural Resources Defense Council.
“The way we guarantee safe drinking water is broken and needs to be fixed,” says Carol Browner, U.S. EPA chief.
The best way forward is to do what millions of others are doing and simply installing an effective water purification system at home. The very best are multi-stage carbon block filters, as recommended by the US EPA, and an ion exchange and sub micron filtering will help to remove 99% of all contaminants, including prescription drugs.
Then you will have the peace of mind of knowing whatever contamination may come along next or a debate on the dangers of lead in the water, you will be unaffected, having protected yourself and your family from the very real dangers of pollution, whatever the water quality report says.
Are you frustrated with the amount of conflicting information out there on water quality issues? The municipal treatment centers pretend all is well, but several high level studies paint a very different picture.
As we are made up of 70% water, the quality of what we drink directly corresponds to our health and well-being. Despite what the municipals tell you, we have thousands of toxins in our drinking supplies including chlorine, lead, parasites, prescription drugs and many more.
Pesticides regularly turn up in drinking samples across the country, showing that we have many serious water quality issues to resolve. The problem is that only a tiny percentage of what we use is for drinking, so the treatment plants cannot make it cost-effective enough to make all our water pure.
Here are some quotes to show you what I mean:
“Each day, millions of Americans turn on their taps and get water that exceeds the legal limits for dangerous contaminants,” quotes USA Today.
“Cancer risk among people drinking chlorinated water is as much as 93% higher than among those whose water does not contain chlorine,” says the U.S. Council of Environmental Quality.
The situation is likely to deteriorate further with the year on year increase in prescription drug use, and with more chemicals being used all the time in industry. It is up to us to protect ourselves and our children from this very real threat by getting a home water purifier.
The only effective ones recommended by the US EPA are carbon block filters. The multi-stage ones with ion exchange and sub micron filtering will remove 99% of all the contaminants, leaving you with safe pure water and with all the essential minerals left in.
It really is a sad state of affairs when we have to take action like this, but very necessary if we want to safeguard the health of our family, and stay healthy into the future.
Then, water quality issues will not affect you anymore, as you will be fully protected!
To commemmorate Earth Day 2009, this video identifies the threat marine debris poses to water quality and wildlife habitat, and identifies how each of us can contribute to a cleaner water environment.
Image taken on 2008-07-21 19:30:07 by U.S. Geological Survey.