Free HealthE Newsletter

Path: Home>Shopping Center>Water Quality Products

Water Quality Products

	Shop Drinking Water Filter Systems			Shop Shower Filters
	Shop Water Quality Testing Products

Water Quality Information

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) sets Current Drinking Water Standards for drinking water. These standards are made up of the National Primary Drinking Water Regulations and the National Secondary Drinking Water Regulations. The Primary Standards set levels of contaminants that may pose a health risk when present in drinking water supplies and are known or anticipated to occur in public water systems. The Primary Standards contaminants are divided into Inorganic Chemicals, Organic Chemicals, Radionuclides and Microorganisms. The Secondary Standards are non enforceable guidelines that establish recommendations for contaminants that may cause cosmetic effects such as skin or tooth discoloration and aesthetic effects such as taste, odor and color.  The EPA recommends Secondary Standards to water treatment systems but does not require systems to comply. The Safe Drinking Water Act (SDWA) was passed in 1974 and has been amended in 1986 and 1996. Despite strict and comprehensive government guidelines, our drinking water can contain contaminants that pose serious health risks. 

The National Primary Drinking Water Standards establish a Maximum Contaminant Level (MCL) and a Maximum Contaminant Level Goal (MCLG) for certain water pollutants. The MCL is the maximum permissible level of a contaminant in drinking water which is delivered to any user in a public water system. These standards are established by considering contaminant impact on human health and what is technologically and economically feasible for removal by a treatment facility. The MCLG is the level of a contaminant at which there would be no risk to human health. This goal is not always technologically or economically feasible by a water treatment facility and is not enforceable.

If you have a well system for your home, you are responsible for your water quality and assuring it is safe for you and your family.  Generally, homeowners only test their well water after the well system is installed and may not do it again.  This initial test is usually a requirement for the local board of health and may not check for all the EPA Safe Water Drinking Act standards. Failure to check your water can be a dangerous gamble as ground and surface water is susceptible to contaminants at all times. Without a periodic comprehensive test of your drinking water, you may be putting yourself and your family at risk.

In the 1996 EPA National Public Water System Annual Compliance Report it was found:

• 14% of the nations people served by community water systems drank water from systems that reported a violation of a health-based drinking water standard.
• In 1996 there were 141,617 treatment technique, monitoring and reporting violations.
• 8% to 10% of all Community Water Systems had a violation of a safe water drinking standard level or treatment technique.
• 24% of all public water systems had a reported violation of significant monitoring and reporting requirements.
• 28% of all community water systems had a reported violation of significant monitoring and reporting requirements.

There are many factors that impact the quality of water that comes out of your household tap. The water treatment plant adds chemicals to the water through the process of treating the water, which may become contaminants with potential health risks. Some of these water treatment chemicals may not be eliminated and can be transported in the water to your home. Municipal water treatment plants can not remove every possible contaminant in water.  The Safe Drinking Water Act (SDWA) sets legal limits for certain contaminants that consider human health and the ability of municipal water treatment systems to achieve these levels based on available technology. Considering the average person uses 100 gallons of water per day, there is a tremendous load on a municipal water treatment system to make that amount of water meet the SDWA standards. 90% of people that get their water from a community water system are serviced from a medium to very large system (serve 3,301 to 100,000 people). Your water treatment system may be responsible for delivering 330,100 to 10,000,000 gallons of drinking water per day. With this amount of drinking water demand, it may not be economically feasible for a municipal water treatment system to remove certain contaminants to a level that will have no health risk to humans.  

Water that has been treated by a public or community treatment system has to be transported to your home and out of your faucet (see Water Distribution Chart). Since water is a universal solvent, this distribution system can contribute contaminants to water from the composition of the piping, potential breaks in underground distribution lines and everything else the water may come in contact with before it leaves your faucet.

There are many possible contaminants that may pollute your water from various sources (see Water Contaminant Chart), here are a few of the most common water problems and water pollutants that may be present in your tap water. Some of these water problems and pollutants may be in your tap water even if the water treatment plant has met all of the Safe Drinking Water Act standards.

Acrylamide

This organic chemical is used in the water treatment process. There are currently no acceptable means of detecting acrylamide in drinking water. The EPA has established that no amount of this chemical should be present in water. Short term exposure can cause damage to the nervous system. Long term exposure can lead to paralysis and cancer.

 

Arsenic

A natural and man made ground water contaminant, this contaminant can cause skin damage, circulatory system problems and an increased risk of cancer.

 

Asbestos

This is a fibrous mineral that can contaminate water naturally through movement in the ground or through contact with water pipes that have used asbestos as part of its composition such as in concrete water distribution pipes. Asbestos increases the risk of developing benign intestinal polyps.

 

Biological Pathogens

These are a variety of waterborne pathogens that can cause disease and include cysts like Cryptosporidium and Giardia; bacteria like typhus, fecal chloriform and cholera; and viruses like influenza. This group of contaminants can cause gastroenteric disease such as Giardiasis and other unpleasant intestinal disorders. Biological pathogens are a major health threat for people with weakened Immune systems.

 

Copper

This metal is widely used in household plumbing materials and corrosion of household copper piping may lead to excessive levels in drinking water. Copper is an essential nutrient but excessive amounts can cause stomach and intestinal distress, liver and kidney damage and anemia.

 

Cryptosporidium

A microbial pathogen that is highly resistant to traditional disinfection practices used by municipal water treatment operations. Current EPA drinking water standards are not designed to assure elimination of this parasite.  Exposure can cause gastrointestinal illness and individuals with weakened immune systems can experience more severe effects, including death.

 

Disinfection and By-Products

Water is disinfected before it enters the distribution system to help control dangerous microbes. Contaminants are formed when these disinfectants (usually chlorine, chloramines or chlorine dioxide) react with organic matter that is present in the treated water, producing by-products such as trihalomethanes (THM's). Long-term exposure to some disinfection chemicals, such as chlorine and by-products may increase the risk of cancer and liver, kidney and central nervous system problems.

 

Epichlorohydrin

This is another organic chemical used in the water treatment process. It also can not be detected in drinking water. The EPA has established that no amount of this chemical should be present in water. Short term exposure can cause skin irritation, liver, kidney and nervous system damage. Long term exposure can lead to chromosome aberrations, adverse changes in the blood and cancer.

 

Heavy Metals

This classification of contaminants include metals such as Mercury, Zinc, Copper, Cadmium and Lead and usually enter the water supply as industrial waste or through plumbing systems. Excessive amounts can lead to kidney and liver damage, central nervous system damage and gastrointestinal distress.

 

Lead

Prior to 1930, lead piping in homes was common practice. Lead-free solder used for connecting copper piping was a requirement only after 1988 and even today, pipes fittings and devices (except those that dispense water for ingestion) can contain up to 8% lead and still be considered "lead free". Short term effects of excessive lead includes interference with red blood cell chemistry, delays in physical and mental development in babies and young children. Long term effects include stroke, kidney disease and cancer.

 

Nitrates

The use of nitrogen based lawn, garden and farm fertilizers leach nitrates into the soil and find their way into our ground and surface drinking water. When Nitrates are ingested it is converted to Nitrites which combine with the blood's hemoglobin and prevent oxygen from being carried to the tissues of the body. A serious health threat in infants.

 

Radon and Radium

Approximately 5% of a homes Radon level is linked to the water supply. Naturally occurring radioactive elements enter the water and are either inhaled or ingested causing an increase risk of cancer . 

 

Sediments

Primarily an aesthetic concern, sediments are solid particles in water and can be derived from a variety substances. 

 

Taste, Odor and Color

Water can have objectionable tastes and odors which may make it undesirable to drink. The cause may be from chemicals added to the water such as chlorine used in the disinfection process, from a high mineral concentration, from hydrogen sulfide gas that produces the "rotten egg odor" or the presence of organic matter. Discoloration can be caused by microscopic suspended particles, Humeric Acids or excessive iron 

 

Turbidity

Turbidity is cloudy water caused by the abundance of very tiny solid or dissolved particles in the water. The composition of the particles may be inorganic minerals or organic matter. This problem is most common with water derived from lakes, streams or ponds. Although Turbidity may not be a health risk by itself, high levels may interfere with proper disinfection, provide a medium for microbial growth and indicate the presence of microbes.

 

Volatile Organic Chemicals (V.O.C's)

These are a class of chemicals that are very pervasive in our society through the use of solvents, gasoline, petrochemicals and cleaners as well as numerous manufacturing processes and leaking storage tanks. Over 2,000 organic chemicals have been identified in drinking water. Ingestion of these contaminants can increase cancer risk and produce anemia, nervous system and circulatory problems and organ damage.

 

We strongly recommend having your drinking water tested with a comprehensive laboratory test to indicate its purity at the faucet and not rely on results at your local water supply service to determine your water's safety at your tap. Water test information can then be used to purchase the appropriate water filtration/purification equipment, if needed.

 

There are thousands of chemicals present in our environment with new ones being added everyday. It would be impossible to test for the presence of each chemical in our water or to fully understand the health consequences of each one. To further complicate this serious situation,  various chemicals can form new, more toxic products when they come in contact and react with each other. You must take a pro-active stand and assure yourself that you are providing the safest drinking water for you and your family.

 

Bottled Water

Bottled water may be the same quality as the water coming from your faucet. In 1999 the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) tested more than 1,000 bottles of 103 different brands of bottled water obtained from six states. One third (33%) of the brands tested had at least one contaminant that exceeded California or bottled water industry standards. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) regulates bottled water on a federal level, but bottled water sold within the same state as it was produced (about 60% - 70%) are exempt from FDA regulations and follow state regulations, if they exist. According to the NRDC report, bottlers are not required to disclose contaminants known to be in their products. 

Bottled water is expensive and has a large environmental impact. The average person uses two gallons of drinking water a day for consumption and cooking. A family of four would use approximately 2900 gallons of water per year. At $0.50 to $1.00 per gallon that is a cost of $1,450 to $2,900 per year! If you had to pay this amount of money for water, you may not use bottled water for cooking purposes and may use your contaminated tap water for cooking instead. If you are using tap water for cooking that has contaminants such as lead and disinfection by-products, these substances can end up in your food and be ingested. It is just as important to cook with high quality water as it is to drink it!

Bottled water has to be filled into containers and transported. It takes a tremendous amount of energy and resulting pollution to manufacture plastic containers, fill those containers and transport water to and from the store. It is ironic to buy bottled water to obtain healthy water quality, when the act of doing so contributes to the degradation of our drinking water resources. The chemical production for water containers and the pollution as a result of manufacture and transport is a contributor to our air and water quality problems. Sometimes water travels great distances as consumers are lead to believe waters from foreign countries hold benefits not found from local water sources. A small amount of the water containers may be recycled, but most end up in landfills or are incinerated.  Also, don't forget the plastic chemical taste in your water from those pliable plastic one gallon jugs. Depending on the composition of the water container, chemicals may be leaching from the container into your water. 

If you are bottling your own water in jugs at a local water supply, you may be putting yourself at risk. Storage of water requires specific guidelines to prevent bacteria growth during storage.  Containers should be sterilized prior to filling and contamination is easy during the filling process. Direct light has an impact on the stored water as well as the room temperature. 

There is no need to buy bottled water when you can get higher quality water at home with appropriate water treatment devices at a lower cost and greater convenience.