The Importance Of Pure Water
Water Sources
Major Contaminants
Six Ways To Get Safe Water
The Importance Of Pure Water
After air, water is the most important element we can put into our bodies. Water is the base for chemical reactions, aids in temperature control, aids in digestion, boosts our metabolism, helps to clear the body of toxins, and is a lubricant. Without water, our life processes would stop in a few days.
Water makes up approximately 60% of our total weight. Lean muscle tissue is 73% water. Fat tissue is about 20 % water. Adequate water can help you to lose weight better and safer than fen-phen, diet drinks, pills and potions.
Water is so vital that a loss of even 20% of the total volume of water in your body can result in death. About two-thirds of the water volume of the body is actually in the cells of the body, with the other one-third outside the cells, namely in the circulation and the fluid that circulates around the cells themselves. Virtually every activity that takes place within the body uses water.
Water lubricates the muscles and joints. The brain is 80% water. If you don't drink enough water, the neurons of the brain will die and you will become forgetful, depressed and stressed out with mood swings. We age quicker with inadequate water. The cells deteriorate because the waste products are being accumulated. The accumulation of waste products and toxins can damage every organ in our body and cause diseases.
Water has been proven to reduce your blood pressure, lower your cholesterol, decrease pain, prevent anxiety, help to handle stress, regain your youthful skin, regain the sexual powers of your earlier years, increase your mental power and alertness, prevent heart disease and gives you the energy of your youth.
Many people today have gotten out of the habit of just drinking plain water. It is a common practice to drink a lot of tea, coffee and carbonated drinks especially those which contain caffeine and a lot of sugar. This can do more harm than good. Everyone should develop the healthful habit of drinking plain pure water. A good rule of thumb is to drink 1/2 of your body weight in ounces evenly distributed throughout the day, at least 2 to 3 quarts of water a day. The body requires a minimum of about 64 ounces to function properly.
Most of us realize that it's important to drink water. Equally important is the quality of the water we drink.
With thanks to Dr. James McKoy.
Water Sources
The average American uses almost 100 gallons of water per day for bathing, cooking, drinking, cleaning, toilet flushing and lawn watering. People get safe drinking water in three ways:
• from a public utility
• from a private source, like a well
• from bottled water
All sources of water contain some contaminants. These include chemicals, pesticides, animal and human wastes, bacteria and other micro-organisms. We spend almost $5 billion annually cleaning up our water.
Municipal water systems
Almost 85% of us get water from a municipal source. In Hawaii, rain from Pacific Ocean clouds falls on the islands, then runs into streams or ditches (surface water) or percolates down through lava rocks to underground aquifers (ground water). The municipal water utility collects the surface water into reservoirs and sends it through treatment plants. Ground water is pumped up through wells and treated.
Public water is reliable and cheap, with some exceptions. Municipal water is subjected to a train of treatments, including filtration, sedimentation, flocculation and disinfection. Pesticide residues are removed with granulated activated carbon filters. Public water is usually disinfected with chlorine to protect it from contamination in the municipal distribution system and home piping. Chlorination does a good job but creates by-products that have been associated with a risk of cancer or other adverse health effects over time. On average, water costs $2 per 1,000 gallons with treatment costs about 30 cents or 15% of the total.
However, treatment plants have breakdowns. Both Federal and state agencies require water suppliers to test their water. The water company is required to tell customers, within 24 hours, if there is a problem and what to do. The Safe Drinking Water Act took effect in September 1998. It requires water systems to issue annual Consumer Confidence Reports and send a copy to every user. The report tells where the water comes from, levels of pollutants, violations of regulations and what the supplier is doing to fix them.
A USA Today study revealed that 40,000 US water systems violated testing and purity requirements in a recent year. State and Federal officials took action against only 10% of the violators. More than 1/4 were repeat offenders and had been out of compliance for three years. About 45 million Americans drink water that is polluted with fecal matter, parasites, disease-causing microbes and pesticides at excessive levels that increase their risk of cancer, gastrointestinal disease and miscarriage according to the Environmental Working Group in Washington.
The EPA recommends that the 5 million Americans who are infected with HIV, cancer patients on chemotherapy and anyone taking immunosuppressive drugs should avoid tap water.
Water wells
Water wells, which serve 15% of Americans, may or may not be safe
depending on underground source and homeowner care. Wells are not regulated
by state or federal governments. After an initial inspection, the homeowner
is on his own to ensure water quality. Wells may be contaminated by
pesticides, fertilizers and animal waste.
Back To Top
Major Contaminants
The EPA issues drinking water standards called Maximum Contaminant Levels for more than 80 contaminants. These standards are set to limit the risk of disease from a lifetime of drinking 2 liters of water a day. Community water systems must test for these contaminants and report violations. About 8% of all water systems report violations annually. The major contaminants are:
Coliform bacteria
Coliform bacteria are common in the environment and are generally not harmful. Coliform bacteria in drinking water, however, indicates that the water may be contaminated with organisms that can cause disease. Fecal coliforms in drinking water are usually associated with sewage or animal wastes. The presence of these bacteria in drinking water indicates that the water may be contaminated with organisms that can cause disease.
Cryptosporidium
Cryptosporidium is a one celled animal, small enough to slip through most filters and resistant to chlorine. In 1993, “crypto” caused more than 100 deaths and made 400,000 people ill in Milwaukee. Between 65%-97% of surface waters may be contaminated. There is no safe or effective cure for “crypto” which can be deadly to older people and people with suppressed immune systems. The solutions offered by experts are:
• boil water
• switch to bottled water
• use a Reverse Osmosis system with an “absolute” 1 micron filter.
Arsenic
Arsenic produces skin lesions and is toxic to the nervous system. Arsenic comes from natural deposits and orchard runoff.
Copper
Copper contamination occurs mostly within the home from copper piping. High concentrations produce gastrointestinal irritation.
Lead
Lead can raise blood pressure, increase the risk of stroke and kidney disease, lower children’s IQ and cause delays in their physical development. The EPA estimates 40 million Americans use water that contains excessive lead. Lead contamination occurs mostly within the home from lead solder and acidic water. Over 15 parts per billion is considered dangerous.
Nitrates
Nitrates can cause a potentially fatal disease called methemoglbinemia, or blue baby syndrome.
Radon
Radon-222 occurs in certain types of rock and can get into ground water. People get exposed to radon by drinking or bathing in the water. Radon is a suspected carcinogen
Chlorination By-products
Chlorination kills germs but reacts with organic material in the water to form chloroform and trihalomethanes which are suspected carcinogens. The safety limit is 80 micrograms per liter. Pregnant women exposed to water containing more than 75 micrograms show an increased risk of miscarriage.
Back To Top
Six Ways To Get Safe Water
People are concerned about the quality of their household water. They have several options to increase its safety. One option is point-of-use systems that treat water at a single tap. Another is point-of-entry systems that treat water used throughout the house.
Reverse Osmosis
Reverse osmosis (RO) systems use a pre-filter, activated carbon filter
and a semi-permeable membrane through which water flows under pressure
into a storage tank. RO systems remove dirt, pesticides, insecticides,
metallic tastes, odors, colors, arsenic, asbestos, benzene, iron, lead,
mercury, nitrates, trichloroethylene, total trihalomethanes, radium,
radon and cryptosporidium. Units cost between $600-900, with annual
cartridge costs of $120 to $200.
Click here to find the Reverse Osmosis System that is right for your family.
Distillation
Distillation systems use a tank in which water is boiled into steam and condensed into almost pure water. Some contaminants can vaporize and recondense in to the collecting jar unless there is a carbon filter. Distillation removes metallic tastes, odors, colors, arsenic, asbestos, benzene, lead, mercury, nitrates, trichloroethylene, total trihalomethanes, radium, radon coliform bacteria and cryptosporidium. Units costs from $250 to $1,450.
Filtration
Activated carbon filters fit a cartridge mounted under the sink or on the faucet. Only solid block filters remove crypto and lead. Some remove chlorination by-products, cleaning solvents and pesticides. The filters must be replaced regularly. Contaminated filters may actually be more dangerous than tap water. Pour through pitchers usually contain a granular carbon filter. Filtration removes metallic tastes, odors, asbestos, benzene, lead, mercury, trichloroethylene, radon and cryptosporidium. Some filters, using brass fittings, have been found to add lead to the water treated.
Faucet-mounted filters cost from $9 to $25 with cartridge costs running $27 to $90 per year. Carafe filters runs from $5 to $13 and filters cost $28 to $78 per year. About 20% of U.S. households already own a water filter of some kind. The industry expects that figure to reach 50% in five years, a 30% annual growth rate.
Ion Exchange
Water softeners costing from $550 to $1,500 conditions water by exchanging hard minerals for sodium or potassium. Add-on features may remove other mineral contaminants. Ion Exchange removes calcium and magnesium which may result in lime or scale build up.
Boiling
Good for killing bacteria and other microorganisms but not practical
for daily living. Removes bacteria, cysts and cryptosporidium.
Bottled Water
Bottled water is tap water or well water that is processed, bottled
and delivered to home or store. Bottling removes metallic tastes, odors,
colors, arsenic, asbestos, benzene, lead, mercury, nitrates, trichloroethylene,
total trihalomethanes, radium, radon and cryptosporidium. A person using
bottled water for drinking and cooking could spend over $700 per year
Email
us for inquiries
Back
To Top
|
