Page Updated: 3/2/2007
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Page Updated: 3/2/2007 |
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Water Filter Methods and Treatments
Water Quality Reports - Water's relation to human healthThe following reports contain information about water quality and potential risks related to tap water and bottled drinking water. Who says tap water is unhealthy? Environmental Working Group The Breast Cancer Fund American Chemical Society Science News Online What‘s In My City‘s Water‚ City-by-City Water Quality Reports What‘s In Your Cities‘ Water - EPA‘s data baseSee your city's water utility"Annual Water Quality Report." This is a relatively new requirement for water companies‚ and one that is still mostly un enforced. On October 1‚ 1999‚ a new federal law went into effect that requires water utilities to send each customer a detailed report showing what is in their water‚ appropriately called "The Right To Know Amendment." The most important thing to remember is that no matter how insistent these reports are that "contaminants in your water do not necessarily pose a health risk‚" any level of contamination in our drinking water does in fact represent a danger to our health. Of the over 75‚000 toxic chemicals used in our society‚ the EPA has only set standards (MCLs) for about 90‚ and those 90 Maximum Contaminant Levels are not necessarily set on "health effects." The EPA considers limited health studies based on consumption of one certain chemical by a 175 lb. adult when setting these standards. No consideration is given to the effects on small children or the combined effects of two or more contaminants‚ which some studies show are magnified by as much as 1000 times. Water utilities are only required to test for the 90 contaminants that the EPA has set standards for. Nobody knows how many toxic chemicals may actually be in tap water. According to the Ralph Nader Research Group‚ after reviewing thousands of pages of EPA documents acquired through the Freedom of Information Act‚ more than 2100 toxic chemicals have already been detected in U.S. water supplies. Virtually all public water systems have some level of contamination. The water utilities are usually quick to point out that the chemicals found in their water are "below EPA‘s Maximum Levels"‚ and in most cases they are. The fact is that even the smallest trace of a toxic chemical causes damage and science is just now starting to realize to what extent. "Annual Water Quality Report." Drinking Water DefinitionsMCL: (Maximum Contaminant Level)‚ This is the level at which the EPA requires corrective action and can impose penalties. Most Common Things To Look For: Lead‚ VOCs (volatile organic chemicals)‚ Organic Contaminants‚ and Disinfectants By-Products (THMs‚ Trihalomethanes)‚ are the most noticeable problems on these reports. Often these toxic chemicals exceed the MCLGs or healthful threshold. Also these thresholds are relevant only to the one contaminant; if more than one is present the thresholds for heath risks drops considerably. |
A Guide To Filtering Drinking Water ContaminatesThere are many, many water borne contaminants, viruses, bacteria that still make it through today's purportedly high-tech water source processing. These include: ChlorineUsed to kill life forms in the water, chlorine is a recognized carcinogen. We are now entering into a period of increased water shortages. As reservoirs lower, water suppliers add more chlorine. This is because the number of micro-organisms in a reservoir do not decrease as water levels drop. They simply become more concentrated. Dosage will be lifted above recommended maximums due to the necessity of containing disease through micro-organism increases. During our last local drought, I could even smell chlorine gas from outside taps. Chlorine in drinking water has been linked to increased incidence of bladder and rectal cancers by Harvard University and the Medical College of Wisconsin. Chlorine is also linked to body protein damage. It causes dry skin and hair, and burns the eyes. If you suffer from asthma, sinus problems, allergies, skin rashes or emphysema chlorine in your water may well exacerbate your condition. Chlorine kills bugs, but it also reacts with the organic matter in water, creating toxic new substances. One such substance, trihalomethane, is far more carcinogenic than chlorine itself. The US EPA labels Mutagen XChlorine byproduct and seen as the 'single largest contributor' to the ability of municipal water to cause genetic mutations. ChloraminesIn excess of EPA's standard can cause stomach discomfort or anemia. Chlorine DioxideSome infants and young children who drink water containing chlorine dioxide in excess of accepted standards may experience nervous system effects. Similar effects may occur in fetuses of pregnant women who drink water containing chlorine dioxide in excess of the standard. Some people may also experience anemia. Fluoride
Microbes
Turbidity
Micro-organismsThese include germs, amoeba, parasites, cysts and viruses. In my experience chlorine does not fully eliminate these organisms. During our recent local drought, even though chlorine levels were drastically increased, local health practitioners reported a rash of parasitical infection. Filtration levelIs important for exclusion of parasites. Although nothing higher than one micron will exclude Cryptosporidium and Guardia, it requires a filtration of less than 0.1 micron to exclude viruses. Few people realize that flu viruses are carried on birds that migrate from Asia. These birds settle in our reservoirs, and outbreaks follow... Cryptosporidium
Guardia Lambdia
Is a parasite that enters lakes and rivers through sewage and animal waste. It causes gastrointestinal illness (e.g. diarrhea, vomiting, cramps).
Inorganic ContaminantsThese include Antimony, Asbestos, Barium, Beryllium, Cadmium, Chromium, Copper, Cyanide, Mercury, Nitrates, Nitrites, Selenium, Thallium. Lead Typically leaches into water from plumbing in older buildings. In the US, Lead pipes and plumbing fittings have been banned since August 1998. Children and pregnant women are most susceptible to lead health risks.
Synthetic Organic Contaminants
Disinfection ByproductsDisinfection byproducts form when disinfectants added to drinking water to kill germs react with naturally-occurring organic matter in water. These may include: TrihalomethanesSome people who drink water containing trihalomethanes in excess of EPA standard over many years may experience problems with their liver, kidneys, or central nervous systems, and may have an increased risk of getting cancer. Haloacetic AcidsSome people who drink water containing haloacetic acids in excess of EPA standard over many years may have an increased risk of getting cancer. BromateSome people who drink water containing bromate in excess of EPA standard over many years may have an increased risk of getting cancer. ChloriteSome infants and young children who drink water containing chlorite in excess of EPA's standard could experience nervous system effects. Similar effects may occur in fetuses of pregnant women who drink water containing chlorite in excess of EPA's standard. Some people may experience anemia.
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"No level of exposure to a chemical carcinogen should be considered toxicologically insignificant to humans."Surgeon General, National Cancer Institute. Advertisement
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Most USA water supplies now add fluoride. USA's EPA has set an enforceable drinking water standard for fluoride of 4 mg/L (some people who drink water containing fluoride in excess of this level over many years could get bone disease, including pain and tenderness of the bones). EPA has also set a secondary fluoride standard of 2 mg/L to protect against dental fluorosis. Dental fluorosis, in its moderate or severe forms, results in a brown staining and/or pitting of the permanent teeth. This problem occurs only in developing teeth, before they erupt from the gums. Children under nine should not drink water that has more than 2 mg/L of fluoride.
Coliform bacteria are common in the environment and are generally not harmful. However, the presence of these bacteria in drinking water is usually a result of a problem with the treatment system or the pipes which distribute water, and indicates that the water may be contaminated with germs that can cause disease. Faecal Coliform and E-Coli are bacteria whose presence indicates that the water may be contaminated with human or animal wastes. Microbes in these wastes can cause short-term effects, such as diarrhea, cramps, nausea, headaches, or other symptoms.
This has no health effects. However, turbidity can interfere with disinfection and provide a medium for microbial growth. Turbidity may indicate the presence of disease causing organisms. These organisms include bacteria, viruses, and parasites that can cause symptoms such as nausea, cramps, diarrhea, and associated headaches.
This is a parasite that enters lakes and rivers through sewage and animal waste. It causes cryptosporidiosis, a mild gastrointestinal disease. However, the disease can be severe or fatal for people with severely weakened immune systems. EPA and CDC have prepared advice for those with severely compromised immune systems who are concerned about Cryptosporidium.
Volatile Organic Compounds 
As our society gains in ways to create new substances, we are seeing more and more synthetic substances turn up in our water supply. These include xenoestrogens, hormones, pain killers, tranquillizers, and almost every other drug imaginable including Prozac and Viagra. This is happening now, and has increased alarmingly as we become more drug-dependent. Drugs enter through water recycling, garbage disposals interfering with water tables, and just thoughtless dumping by individuals.