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Ground Water & Drinking Water - FAQ
Courtesy of www.epa.gov
What contaminants may be found in drinking water?
There is no such thing as naturally pure water. In nature, all water contains
some impurities. As water flows in streams, sits in lakes, and filters through
layers of soil and rock in the ground, it dissolves or absorbs the substances
that it touches. Some of these substances are harmless. In fact, some people
prefer mineral water precisely because minerals give it an appealing taste.
However, at certain levels minerals, just like man-made chemicals, are considered
contaminants that can make water unpalatable or even unsafe.
Some contaminants come from erosion of natural rock formations. Other contaminants
are substances discharged from factories, applied to farmlands, or used by
consumers in their homes and yards. Sources of contaminants might be in your
neighborhood or might be many miles away. Your local water quality report tells
which contaminants are in your drinking water, the levels at which they were
found, and the actual or likely source of each contaminant.
Some ground water systems have established wellhead protection programs to
prevent substances from contaminating their wells. Similarly, some surface
water systems protect the watershed around their reservoir to prevent contamination.
Right now, states and water suppliers are working systematically to assess
every source of drinking water and to identify potential sources of contaminants.
This process will help communities to protect their drinking water supplies
from contamination, and a summary of the results will be in future water quality
reports.
Where does drinking water come from?
A clean, constant supply of drinking water is essential to every community.
People in large cities frequently drink water that comes from surface water
sources, such as lakes, rivers, and reservoirs. Sometimes these sources are
close to the community. Other times, drinking water suppliers get their water
from sources many miles away. In either case, when you think about where your
drinking water comes from, it's important to consider not just the part of
the river or lake that you can see, but the entire watershed. Thewatershed
is the land area over which water flows into the river, lake, or reservoir.
In rural areas, people are more likely to drink ground water that was pumped
from a well. These wells tap into aquifers--the natural reservoirs under the
earth's surface--that may be only a few miles wide, or may span the borders
of many states. As with surface water, it is mportant to remember that activities
many miles away from you may affect the quality of ground water.
Your annual drinking water quality report will tell you where your water
supplier gets your water.
How is drinking water treated?
When a water supplier takes untreated water from a river or reservoir, the
water often contains dirt and tiny pieces of leaves and other organic matter,
as well as trace amounts of certain contaminants. When it gets to the treatment
plant, water suppliers often add chemicals called coagulants to the water.
These act on the water as it flows very slowly through tanks so that the dirt
and other contaminants form clumps that settle to the bottom. Usually, this
water then flows through a filter for removal of the smallest contaminants
like viruses and Giardia.
Ground water is naturally filtered as it passes through layers of the earth
into underground reservoirs known as aquifers. Water that suppliers pump from
wells generally contains less organic material than surface water and may not
need to go through any or all of the treatments described in the previous paragraph.
The quality of the water will depend on local conditions.
The most common drinking water treatment, considered by many to be one of
the most important scientific advances of the 20th century, is disinfection.
Most water suppliers add chlorine or another disinfectant to kill bacteria
and other germs.
Water suppliers use other treatments as needed, according to the quality
of their source water. For example, systems whose water is contaminated with
organic chemicals can treat their water with activated carbon, which adsorbs
or attracts the chemicals dissolved in the water.
What if I have special health needs?
People who have HIV/AIDS, are undergoing chemotherapy, take steroids, or
for another reason have a weakened immune system may be more susceptible to
microbial contaminants, including Cryptosporidium, in drinking water. If you
or someone you know fall into one of these categories, talk to your health
care provider to find out if you need to take special precautions, such as
boiling your water.
Young children are particularly susceptible to the effects of high levels
of certain contaminants, including nitrate and lead. To avoid exposure to lead,
use water from the cold tap for making baby formula, drinking, and cooking,
and let the water run for a minute or more if the water hasn't been turned
on for six or more hours. If your water supplier alerts you that your water
does not meet EPA's standard for nitrates and you have children less than six
months old, consult your health care provider. You may want to find an alternate
source of water that contains lower levels of nitrates for your child.
What are the health effects of contaminants in drinking water?
EPA has set standards for more than 80 contaminants that may occur in drinking
water and pose a risk to human health. EPA sets these standards to protect
the health of everybody, including vulnerable groups like children. The contaminants
fall into two groups according to the health effects that they cause. Your
water supplier will alert you through the media, mail, or other means if there
is a potential acute or chronic health effect from compounds in the drinking
water. You may want to contact the supplier for additional information specific
to your area.
Acute effects occur within hours or days of the time that a person consumes
a contaminant. People can suffer acute health effects from almost any contaminant
if they are exposed to extraordinarily high levels (as in the case of a spill).
In drinking water, microbes, such as bacteria and viruses, are the contaminants
with the greatest chance of reaching levels high enough to cause acute health
effects. Most people's bodies can fight off these microbial contaminants the
way they fight off germs, and these acute contaminants typically don't have
permanent effects. Nonetheless, when high enough levels occur, they can make
people ill, and can be dangerous or deadly for a person whose immune system
is already weak due to HIV/AIDS, chemotherapy, steroid use, or another reason.
Chronic effects occur after people consume a contaminant at levels over EPA's
safety standards for many years. The drinking water contaminants that can have
chronic effects are chemicals (such as disinfection by-products, solvents,
and pesticides), radionuclides (such as radium), and minerals (such as arsenic).
Examples of the chronic effects of drinking water contaminants are cancer,
liver or kidney problems, or reproductive difficulties.
Who is responsible drinking water quality?
The Safe Drinking Water Act gives the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)
the responsibility for setting national drinking water standards that protect
the health of the 250 million people who get their water from public water
systems. Other people get their water from private wells which are not subject
to Federal Regulations. Since 1974, EPA has set national safety standards for
over 80 contaminants that may occur in drinking water.
While EPA and state governments set and enforce standards, local governments
and private water suppliers have direct responsibility for the quality of the
water that flows to your tap. Water systems test and treat their water, maintain
the distribution systems that deliver water to consumers, and report on their
water quality to the state. States and EPA provide technical assistance to
water suppliers and can take legal action against systems that fail to provide
water that meets state and EPA standards.
What is a violation of a drinking water standard?
Drinking water suppliers are required to monitor and test their water many
times, for many things, before sending it to consumers. These tests determine
whether and how the water needs to be treated, as well as the effectiveness
of the treatment process. If a water system consistently sends to consumers
water that contains a contaminant at a level higher than EPA or state health
standards or if the system fails to monitor for a contaminant, the system is
violating regulations, and is subject to fines and other penalties.
When a water system violates a drinking water regulation, it must notify
the people who drink its water about the violation, what it means, and how
they should respond. In cases where the water presents an immediate health
threat, such as when people need to boil water before drinking it, the system
must use television, radio, and newspapers to get the word out as quickly as
possible. Other notices may be sent by mail, or delivered with the water bill.
Each water suppliers' annual water quality report must include a summary of
all the violations that occurred during the previous year.
How can I help protect drinking water?
Using the new information that is now available about
drinking water, citizens can both be aware of the challenges of keeping drinking
water safe and take an active role in protecting drinking water. There are
lots of ways that individuals can get involved. Some people will help clean
up the watershed that is the source of their community's water. Other people
might get involved in wellhead protection activities to prevent the contamination
of the ground water source that provides water to their community. These people
will be able to make use of the information that states and water systems are
gathering as they assess their sources of water.
Other people will want to attend public meetings to ensure
that the community's need for safe drinking water is considered in making decisions
about land use. You may wish to participate as your state and water system
make funding decisions. And all consumers can do their part to conserve water
and to dispose properly of household chemicals.
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Trying To Lose Weight‚ Want Healthier
Looking Skin?
An increased intake of pure‚ healthy water will enhance nutrient absorption‚ weight
loss‚ skin hydration‚ detoxification and virtually every aspect
of better health.
Article courtesy of Sun Water Systems, Inc.
Natural, healthy weight loss can only occur by increasing our intake of pure,
healthy water. Water is not only the number one ingredient for a healthy body
on the inside‚ but it also plays the lead role in maintaining a healthy
and youthful appearance on the outside.
The quantity and the quality of the water we consume determines our body’s
ability to metabolize and shed excess fat and properly maintain the body’s
largest organ‚ our skin.
Weight loss is primarily the result of our liver converting stored fat into
usable energy. This process not only requires sufficient water intake‚ but
also can be greatly accelerated by consuming an abundance of clean‚ healthy
water. Water also suppresses the appetite naturally and helps digest our food
properly.
When we increase our water intake it naturally speeds up our metabolism and
allows our body to better assimilate nutrients from the foods and nutritional
supplements we consume‚ the result being natural and healthy
weight loss.
When we do not consume enough water the upper and lower intestine have a
reduced ability to absorb nutrients. The result is that most of the value of
our foods and supplements are lost and pass through our body with out absorption.
Sugars and carbohydrates are absorbed and processed faster than other nutrients‚ so
without an abundant intake of clean water, we can end up getting all the calories
without the nutrition. Food cravings are primarily the result of nutrient deficiencies,
it's our body's way of telling us we need something. If our food is not properly
digested, nutrient absorption is not sufficient, then the body keeps telling
us we need something in the form of food cravings."60% of all
Americans are over weight‚ it’s our #1 health problem." -
The Surgeon General
A good indication of how much water is enough is by noticing how much color
is in your urine. Any color at all in the urine usually indicates a water deficiency...
resulting in reduced nutrient absorption and a slower metabolic rate.
The quality of the water we drink also greatly impacts our body’s ability
to achieve or maintain a certain weight. One of the main functions of the liver
is to act as a filter and eliminate toxins from our body. The liver performs
this vital process using water in a joint effort with our kidneys. If the water
we consume contains chemicals like chlorine‚ lead or agricultural and
industrial pollutants‚ then much of our liver’s capacity is spent
on filtering contaminants instead of processing fat into energy. Many recent
studies have even shown a link between consuming chlorinated water and thyroid
dysfunction, leading to weight gain.
All weight loss programs are based on a reduced caloric intake and an increased
rate of metabolism‚ both of which are "naturally" achieved
with an increased intake of clean‚ healthy water.
Water is also the key ingredient in keeping our skin moist‚ subtle
and resilient. The best way to moisturize is from the inside.
Drinking more water will result in softer‚ healthier‚ younger
looking skin. Try it‚ drink an extra glass of water in the morning‚ one
before lunch and one an hour before bedtime... you’ll be amazed at the
results !!!
Truly‚ water is the key ingredient for healthier skin and natural weight
loss.
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The Foundation To Good Health Is
Good Water
The quantity and quality of the water we drink has a
dramatic impact on our health.
Article courtesy of Sun Water Systems, Inc.
The human body is a water machine‚ designed primarily to run on water
and minerals. Every life giving and healing process that happens inside our
body... happens with water. In just the last decade medical science has begun
to focus more on the tremendous healing ability our body has and how much that
ability depends on water. Our body instinctively knows how and strives to sustain
youthful longevity‚ and in its every effort... water is the key.
The human body is made up of over 70% water. Our blood is more than 80%‚ our
brain ... over 75%‚ and the human liver is an amazing 96% water!
The function of every cell in our body is controlled by electrical signals
sent through our nervous system from the brain. Our nerves‚ in reality‚ are
an elaborate system of tiny waterways. If the fluid inside our nerves thickens
due to dehydration‚ or is contaminated with synthetic chemicals or toxic
heavy metals like lead‚ the vital signals can get distorted. Many experts
now believe that the distortion of these signals may be the root cause of many
degenerative diseases and neurological illnesses like Attention Deficit Disorder‚ Chronic
Fatigue Syndrome‚ anxiety‚ depression and even Alzheimer’s
disease
Considering the major role that water plays in the function of our brain
and nervous system‚ its purity is possibly the most basic and essential
key to healthy longevity. Proper digestion and nutrient absorption depend on
a healthy intake of water. In order for our body to get the nutritional value
from our foods and supplements‚ we must consume plenty of good water.
Since sugars and carbohydrates are absorbed more rapidly‚ even a slight
degree of dehydration can cause us to get the caloric intake without the nutrition
from the foods we eat.
Our energy level is greatly affected by the amount of water we drink. It
has been medically proven that just a 5% drop in body fluids will cause a 25%
to 30% loss of energy in the average person... a 15% drop in body fluids causes
death! Water is what our liver uses to metabolize fat into useable energy.
It is estimated that over 80% of our population suffers energy loss due to
minor dehydration. An increased intake of healthy water will help metabolize
and shed stored fat... resulting in more energy and less fat.
Detoxification is probably the single most important component to long-term
health... and one that relies almost exclusively on an adequate intake of good
water. Water is our body’s only means of flushing out toxins‚ the
key to disease prevention. In our industrialized‚ chemical society‚ we
are exposed to literally hundreds of harmful substances daily. Our air‚ our
foods and everything we touch... contain traces of harmful chemicals. Unfortunately
we can’t keep toxins from getting into our body‚ but we can help
our body to get rid of them by drinking plenty of healthy water. The more water
we drink... the more we allow our body to purify itself. Almost all-degenerative
disease is the result of toxins building up in our body.
The quality of the water we drink is equally as important as the amount.
If water already contains chlorine and other chemicals‚ it has less of
an ability to carry toxins out of our body. If we consume water that contains
traces of synthetic chemicals‚ then we force our liver and kidneys to
be the filter... ultimately damaging or destroying two of our most vital organs.
With an abundant intake of clean‚ healthy water we allow our body to
perform all the healing processes that it is naturally capable of.
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Is Bottled Water The Right
Choice?
Companies that market bottled water as being safer than
tap water are defrauding the American public. - The U.S. FDA
Article courtesy of Sun Water Systems, Inc.
Bottled water has become a multi-billion dollar business... now the fastest
growing segment of the entire beverage industry... and the most profitable
of all beverages.
Millions and millions of dollars are spent each week on advertising campaigns
to give consumers the perception that bottled water comes from some pristine
mountain spring or magical underground aquifer. The truth is that bottled water
is often little more than tap water in a bottle.
The Federal regulations that govern bottled water only apply if it is transported
across state lines, and then only require it to be "as good as" tap
water. Most bottled water is bottled and sold within the same state to avoid
regulations. There are no assurances or requirements that bottled water is
of any higher quality than tap water.
In March of 1999‚ the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) released
a report called "Bottled Water‚ Pure Drink or Pure Hype?" NRDC’s
report points out that as much as 40% of all bottled water comes from a city
water system‚ just like tap water. The report also focuses on the fact
that 60 to 70% of all bottled water is exempt from FDA’s bottled water
standards‚ because it is bottled and sold within the same state. Unless
the water is transported across state lines‚ there are no federal regulations
that govern its quality. According to the NRDC‚ "bottled
water companies have used this loophole to avoid complying with basic health
standards‚ such as those that apply to municipally treated tap water." Also‚ all
carbonated or sparkling waters are completely exempt from FDA guidelines that
set specific contamination limits.
According to the NRDC study‚ "even when bottled waters are covered
by FDA’s specific bottled water standards‚ those rules are weaker
in many ways than EPA rules that apply to big city tap water." For instance‚ if
we compare EPA regulations for tap water to FDA’s bottled water rules:
(these examples are quotes from the NRDC report)
- City tap water can have no confirmed E.coli or fecal coliform bacteria.
FDA bottled water rules include no such prohibition (a certain amount of
any type of coliform bacteria is allowed in bottled water).
- City tap water‚ from surface water‚ must be filtered and disinfected.
In contrast‚ there are no federal filtration or disinfection requirements
for bottled water.
- Most cities using surface water have had to test for Cryptosporidium or
Giardia‚ two common water pathogens‚ that can cause diarrhea
and other intestinal problems‚ yet bottled water companies do not have
to do this.
- City tap water must meet standards for certain important toxic or cancer-causing
chemicals‚ such as phthalate (a chemical that can leach from plastic‚ including
plastic bottles); some in the industry persuaded FDA to exempt bottled water
from the regulations regarding these chemicals.
- City water systems must issue annual "right to know" reports‚ telling
consumers what is in their water. Bottlers successfully killed a "right
to know" requirement for bottled water.
The Natural Resources Defense Council report concluded that; "Therefore‚ while
much tap water is indeed risky‚ having compared available data‚ we
conclude that there is no assurance that bottled water is any safer than tap
water."
The reality of bottled water is that people pay from $1 to $4 a gallon for
the perception of higher quality‚ when in fact‚ the quality of
bottled water is at best "unknown"!
A humorous, but insightful quote, from a national radio personality went;
"Throughout the years man has come up with many ways to measure
things.
Noah used cubits to measure the Arc.
We use carats to measure gemstones.
We use lbs. to measure our weight.
We use inches, feet and yards to measure distance.
And to measure the intelligence of consumers... they put water in plastic bottles...
to see who would buy it."
Point-of-Use water treatment‚ with a quality in home water filtration
system‚ is by far the most economical‚ the most convenient and
the most effective way of producing healthy, great tasting water. Filtering
out the chlorine‚ lead and other contaminants with a quality home water
filtration system‚ at the point of use‚ just prior to consumption‚ is
the only way to know for sure about the quality of your water.
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Clean Water Is Crucial To
A Child’s Development
Other than just being smaller‚ children’s
bodies are really quite different than that of an adult.
Article courtesy of Sun Water Systems, Inc.
Because many of the crucial defense systems that help protect adults from
disease are not fully developed in children‚ they are much more sensitive
to carcinogens‚ lead and water-borne parasites than adults. Just as medications
and other chemical compounds effect children differently than they do adults‚ so
do contaminants in our air‚ drinking water and foods. Unfortunately there
is little we can do about toxins in the air or chemicals in our foods‚ which
only makes the purity of our water even more important. Water is the
body’s only way to flush out these toxins and the purer the
water is to start with... the higher its capacity is to collect and cleanse
these harmful compounds from the body. Pure water helps a child’s defenses
grow stronger and perform better; giving them the protection they need during
those fragile developing years.
A child’s immune and detoxification systems are still developing into
and throughout their early teens. Exposure to trace levels of chlorine, toxic
chemicals & lead in drinking water during childhood years has been linked
to increased risks of disease and learning disorders in later years. A recent
Baltimore study showed that children with higher blood-lead levels have a significantly
higher rate of problem behaviors than children with low blood-lead levels. "This
study lends support to the belief that undue exposure to lead in childhood
years may have a pervasive influence on the prevalence of juvenile delinquency
in this country."
A mixture of chemicals such as chlorine‚ lead‚ herbicides‚ pesticides
and a host of other contaminants are commonly found in our water supplies‚ and
in many bottled waters. These trace levels of water borne chemicals have been
documented to have adverse health effects on humans‚ and especially on
small children.
Unfortunately the health standards that determine how much and what levels
of these toxins are permitted in our drinking water are all based on the potential
effects on adults. These "Maximum Contaminant Levels" (MCLs) are
also based on the false assumption that we are only exposed to one chemical
at a time. We commonly find traces of several dozen different toxic chemicals
in tap water.
A recent report by the Environmental Working Group‚ called "Into
The Mouths Of Babes"‚ found that of 29 Mid Western cities tested
all had at least one agricultural chemical present and that most had 5 or more
in a single glass of tap water! The report also points out that 45‚000
mothers in these 29 cities were unknowingly making infant formula with tap
water containing three or more toxic chemicals.
Often there are out breaks of chlorine resistant parasites
like Cryptosporidium and Giardia in city water supplies‚ as was the case
recently in Milwaukee WI‚ when over 100 people died and 400‚000
became sick in less than a month‚ mostly children and the elderly‚ when
the water system became contaminated with Cryptosporidium. This intestinal
parasite causes flu like symptoms‚ but can be fatal to small children
and older adults... and is not controlled by chlorine.
Childhood Asthma‚ Cancer‚ Leukemia and immune disorders have
all risen in the last decade. Many experts and studies suggest that this is
partially due to children’s increased exposure to environmental toxins
and their decreased ability to detox. Water plays a major role in a child’s
exposure to toxins and in their body’s ability to get rid of them.
A child consumes 3 times as much water per pound of body weight than an adult
does‚ so they get a bigger dose of the chemicals in their water‚ and
they’re developing bodies are simply much more sensitive to the harsh
effects...
An increased intake of clean healthy water is one of the easiest and best
ways to help promote good health for our children.
Childhood asthma and many other illnesses have been directly linked to a
child's level of exposure to chlorine and other chemicals from drinking and
showering with tap water. Home water filtration products are a great investment
in the health of our families.
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