We’ve Got a Drinking Problem
- Posted by: GOOD
- on July 20, 2009 at 6:00 am
It’s always disconcerting when the local news tells you to boil your tap water before drinking it, especially if you consider that we’ve been experimenting with water filtration since 1627. But what if you found out—and you’re about to—that there could be industrial pollutants, pesticides, and hormones floating in your tap water right now? There are federal laws that limit certain contaminants, but many toxins don’t make those blacklists at all. While your water probably isn’t making you sick, here is a guide to some potential offenders and how to keep them out of your cup.
Disinfectants
These are chemicals, such as chlorine and its derivatives, that are used to disinfect water before it gets to you. There’s a lot of controversy over this, but critics say chlorine has strong links to cancer and sometimes anemia. Others say it’s fine. As it stands, chlorine is the most popular disinfectant and has been used in water for over 60 years.
When it goes wrong This one’s tricky. Chlorine in our water has been pegged as one of the most important achievements of modern civilization. There are also a lot of people who think it makes us sick, causing stomachaches and eye and nose irritation.
What you can do about it A simple countertop water filter—like a Brita—will do the trick. And yes, you do need to change the filter as often as the box tells you to if you want it to work properly.
Disinfectant Byproducts
These byproducts come about when additives used to control bacteria come into contact with naturally occurring matter in water and create other compounds.
They are problematic in drinking water and even more so in public pools and spas.
When it goes wrong These compounds aren’t meant to make their way into your mouth. They do, though, and can be responsible for anemia, birth defects, and, in some cases, bladder cancer.
What you can do about it You’ve got to pick your battles. If you decide this one’s worth it, you will need to check with the manufacturer of your home water-filtration system to be sure it cleans up byproducts. If it doesn’t specifically say it does, choose another.
Micro-organisms
These are the grossest contaminants, which most often come from fecal matter from animals and, yes, people. Other microorganisms include viruses and parasites from animal waste. When these buggers get into our water they can be responsible for stomachaches, a rare form of pneumonia, and, extremely rarely, death.
When it goes wrong This happens all the time, and is the reason for those health scares you read about in the paper. The most dangerous cases involve E. coli (which has also been detected in certain bottled waters) and can lead to death.
What you can do about it Boiling your water before you drink it will kill off all the bad guys.
Inorganic Chemicals
These come from petroleum refineries, asbestos-cement decay, steel mills, and drug factories—to name just a few. The possible human effects of consuming such sludge include hair loss, liver problems, thyroid problems, intestinal lesions, rashes, and, of course, cancer.
When it goes wrong Erin Brockovich and the Case of the Chromium-filled Water is probably the most famous instance of water contamination. More recently, a major probe last year revealed that 41 million Americans’ water had pharmaceuticals in it. The probe was conducted by a media outlet, not a public-safety organization.
What you can do about it Write a letter to your state Environmental Protection Agency, and ask it to set limits for drugs and other contaminants in water. You should also get a home purifier. (And if you’re concerned about fluoride, you’ll need the Cadillac of water filtration—a reverse osmosis purifier—which can cost thousands of dollars.)
Organic Chemicals
The “organic” part sounds innocuous, but these are often toxic chemicals, coming from pesticides, herbicides, and runoff from industrial-chemical factories. They have ties to liver, kidney and adrenal problems, fertility issues, and cancer.
When it goes wrong Organic chemicals were the culprits at the legendary Love Canal, which sat atop 21,000 tons of toxic waste that contaminated the water and made an entire community sick in the late 1970s.
What you can do about it Regulation has certainly gotten much better in the last few decades, and many organic chemicals, such as pesticides, are taken care of with a simple Brita pitcher. To encourage the EPA to test for more of these chemicals, though, write it a letter.
Radionuclides
A fancy word for radioactive contaminants, some are naturally occurring, others are not, and all are potentially dangerous. Associated risks in real life include cancer and kidney toxicity. The good news is they don’t tend to leach into water in large enough amounts to hurt us all that often.
When it goes wrong There has been a spate of recent incidents, including one at a trailer park in Colorado that had too few taps to warrant the price associated with an up-to-date filtration system.
What you can do about it Not much. This is a bigger problem in rural and sparsely populated areas, where residents are at the mercy of local authorities, who are often at the mercy of state authorities, who can’t always afford to pony up to fix such an expensive problem.
To learn about the EPA watch list, visit foodandwaterwatch.org.
DISCUSSION: 69 Comments
I can vouch for these problems. I work at a chemical transloading facility where our version of containment is running off to a big tank through a not so efficient filter that just gets big stuff. We then just circulate it to make it look good enough to go into the city drain.
Fuentes de Agua
“What you can do about it: Boiling your water before you drink it will kill off all the bad guys.”
This is actually not true – boiling will only kill bacteria, and you have to get it really boiling for several minutes. A lot of microorganisms – like viruses, or the spores of cryptosporidium – may not be totally disabled by boiling.
Also, I’m disappointed that the “what you can do about it” for inorganic & organic chemicals doesn’t have more things that you could actually DO, like:
1 – Do what you can to limit runoff from your home. If you live in a house with a yard, it could be significant. Fertilizers and pesticides that you apply can drain into local watersheds, and if you have removed trees or shrubs, you could also be generating a lot of silt or mud runoff. Think about the chemicals you apply to your lawn/other outdoor plants, and if you really need them. Consider plants that can reduce runnoff from your property.
2 – Think about what you’re putting down the drain. Household cleaners, expired prescription and OTC drugs, and even food waste can have very negative impacts on water quality. Wastewater treatment plants work hard to get most contaminants out, but they can’t get all – and things like oils (even food oils) and drugs are difficult or impossible. Don’t use the toilet or sink as a way to dispose of trash – think of it as someone else’s drinking water.
3 – Find out which watershed you live in, and how your wastewater or runoff affects that watershed. Are there storm drains near you that drain directly to a stream? Is everything collected and treated by your municipality and then released into a larger river or the ocean? What’s the status of your watershed or local aquifer – is everything good, or are there problems? (too much organic matter, red tides, fish kills, acidic water, endocrine disrupters) and does the local water authority have specific suggestiosn for what the local watershed needs?
This is disgusting. Obviously we don’t care about each other at all, and don’t mind killing each other, and our children through lazy negligence. I don’t care what people say, you have to watch out for yourself in this world. People don’t see the importance of being organic, or natural, then slowly these problems that have existed for decades come to light, and people start to wonder, by then though it is usually too late. Watch what you eat, and what you drink, where you live, and what you breathe, and don’t let anyone call you paranoid! This is why, THIS is why.
There are numerous potential issues with our drinking water. We have foud the FiltrOn Water filter and stabilization system to be the best to keep away from the contaminants.
Dirty water???? Well here a new thought for you.
I just recently started working at a funeral home.
While embalming…. can you guess where body fluids and also some formaldehyde ends up??? DOWN THE SAME PIPE DRAINS AS ANY AMERICAN HOME!!!!!!!! Something needs to be done about this.
You get more hormones from the food you eat, especially beef and milk.
I want to know if our water here at my home is safe to drink. Is it? We don’t have a filter. We get it from our tap ok? And do you know what’s good if you want to drink something? Thank-you for your time. From,Carla
In our town the water actually smells! I refuse to drink it. We buy our water. We have a water purifyer so that we can drink it and cook with it. I actually hate showering in it. You can SEE all the lime and calcium and God knows what else in the water. The city council swears it is safe, but yet they all have bottles of water at the towm meetings, elections. etc.
I know that there is a lot of contreversy over the plastic bottles that the watet comes in at the market, so I just wash and reuse. I won’t even let our animals drink this stuff. It’s awful.
You know the book of Revelations in the bible says, “A third of the waters turned bitter , and many people died from the waters that had become bitter”.
There is no other water purification system or advanced water filtration that compares to the “eSpring Water Purifier” by Amway Global! Not only does it have a beautiful one-of-a-kind design, but it also effectively removes contaminants like lead,mercury, over 140 organic contaminants, more than 13 disinfectant byproducts, waterborne bacteria, cryptosporidium, giardia, and viruses, and much more, and it is certified by the National Sanitation Foundation (NSF) and validated by the Water Quality Association (WQA). It is also listed in the top ten brands of drinking water filters. Check it out! It is simply the best!!
One of the biggest contaminated sites in the US that gets regularly overlooked is the Hanford nuclear site in Washington state. Not only did they release radioactive materials into the air during the 40’s, 50’s and early 60’s but the tanks containing radioactive contaminated water and other liquids have leaked into the ground water and that ground water drains into the Columbia River. The Columbia River is the water source for many towns, farms, ranches and of course the main drainage source for the entire NW. WE have much to worry about and the native American population that eats river salmon have high rates of thyroid, colon, & stomach cancers and leukemia. Those of us who were born and raised in Western Washington are during that time are called Down-winders for a good reason. Down River folk may be the next big group to suffer for the greed and ignorance of the past and present actions of the Nuclear Industry,
enough about all this. while some locations can and do have bad water, its still better than bottled water.
1. you can use 1000 gallons of tap water for the price of a bottle or 2 of, say, aquafina.
2. the restrictions on tap water are way stricter than those on bottled water. the latter is allowed to have relatively large amounts of harmful substances, including e. coli, in it.
3. if you’re still concerned, you can just buy a faucet filter.
the problem with americans these days is that we’re TOO clean. it has been proven that if you aren’t exposed to small amounts of potentially harmful things (such as what was listed in the article) when you’re young, you will be much more susceptible to the diseases caused by those substances.
WHAT BOTTLED WATER IS NOT SAFE, I’VE READ “AND SOME BOTTLED WATERS ARE NOT SAFE,NAME THEM OR BE ALL CHICKENS NO GUTS TO SPEECH UP, TELLS ME YOUR’E LYING.
is seattle water good to drink
That’s why I have a water machine that takes all the bad boys out and leaves the good guys in, also it is a very high PH.
if you want to see truly atrocious water try Indian water from mohave valley-cant bathe drink or wash clothes in it- it smells bad and every thing turns brown, toilets, tubs and clothing and forget the bleach- it causes a really nasty chemical reaction. They (needles california says its ok but anything that tastes that bad and looks that bad cant be good for you It is the white mans payback for giving the Indian smallpos infested blankets and cheap beads from china.
What can we do? Educate ourselves so we can talk with authority. Suspect all businesses of lieing to make a profit. Collectively work to get laws passed that effectively protect us. Keep up the pressure against those who work to repeal the laws that keep us all safe from poisoning, contaminats and dangerous microorganisms.
Just go to http://www.MyWaterMyBody.com it has all the answers and free videos about water and how it can cure all kinds of problems with your health
i happen get dizzy in a shower maybe from the steam? chems in it i dont know but people need to wake up and cannibism(marijuana) (regenerates brain cells) not kill them. And stimulates brain growth. in the 70’s it was tested on monkeys durring the reffer madness movement and was used to make illegal with fake test results. Government DONT care ABOUT you JUST profit AND population CONTROL.
More than likely the water coming out of your tap is fine. If you want to add a filter or RO system, just remember that you MUST maintain it. These filters become breeding grounds for bacteria as they age!!!
Reverse Osmosis home units are only about $475 or less. I’ve used and distributed same since 1968. I’m old. Drink the best you can all the time everywhere.
Need not go to far. In our community at Diablo Grande, Patterson, CA. from the year 2004 to present time. Zip code 95363, there is an un-incorporated community wherein water quality has been a question. The whole Diablo Grande was sold to World LLC later on in 2007, a resort developer who bought it for $20 million +/-, an equivalent to what previous owner owes the bank to avoid bankruftcy. Area comprises some custom built homes on large acreage and 5 tract homes at an area mostly development and built by D. R. Horton the first phase of one large development and the rest are custom built by private contractors licensed to operate at this place and four more larger development lined up at similar or larger development size on their ground breaking stages prior to economic slide begun.
What can we do when the quality of water is unsafe even for cleaning dishes and washing fruits and veges for consumption and cooking, not even considered for drinking.
Homeowners petitioned for water quality from day one. Few of them haved moved concerned that their childrens are believed to be unsafe in this community. Board members reports to us in the introduction of new ownership that new owner WORLD LLC have advanced the water district $600K for initial payment for use to provide proper water filtration/processing to get to code compliant quality on their next test. No visual improvement or test proof to water running the tap to be better. If you’ll collect gallons of it in a bucket, you’ll immediately witness mud and slimy particles around 1/4 bottom portion of container.
Did this development got lost in their record State and Federal regulatory branches? Isn’t water quality a Federal regulatory issue?
Need an Erin B. to get involved in investigating this community before it get covered with as the articles implies.
Yours,
EQO
Drink that poison everyone! If our regulators actually made chemical companies dispose of their waste properly, that might COST US JOBS!! Oh no! Who are these crazy hippies who think that people should be able to drink clean water? Besides, since when did a little cancer ever hurt anyone? What we really need is total government deregulation- we should let Goldman Sachs regulate the chemical companies. They’ll make tons of money out of no-where, and we can all pretend that they’re not dumping cyanide beside your childrens’ school.
Yep-eSpring is the best. As my neice said I have the best tasting water in town. Filtrated!!