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What's All This Stuff in My Drinking Water?
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First, a brief chemistry lesson:
Water is the universal solvent, because it dissolves more substances than any other liquid. This means that wherever water goes, either through the ground or through our bodies, it takes along chemicals, minerals and nutrients. Water is made from the simplest and most abundant element in the universe, hydrogen joined to the vital gas, oxygen. Two hydrogen atoms pair with a single oxygen atom to establish the triple structure of water or H2O. The oxygen side of a water molecule is slightly negative and the hydrogen side is slightly positive. In a solution, the positive hydrogen side of water is attracted to the negative parts of a compound it is dissolving while the negative oxygen is attracted to the positive parts. This allows water to break apart (dissociate) ionic compounds. Water, the universal solvent, will dissolve or suspend almost any material on earth if given sufficient time. The Grand Canyon in Arizona is a spectacular example of the effects of water on the earth and its structure.
Because water dissolves a seemingly endless list of substances, pure water is a rare substance. The water from your tap has "stuff" in it!
Now let's take a closer list of those contaminants and what they can mean to your health:
Chlorine & Chlorination By-Products
Chlorine is a type of disinfectant added to the water to control microbes. If excess amounts are used, or if high concentrations of chlorine are in your home's plumbing, it can cause bad taste and odor in your drinking water. Disinfection by-products, such as total trihalomethanes (TTHMs), can form in the water because of the chlorine. TTHMs can contribute to cancer and negatively affect the nervous system, as well as cause anemia in fetuses, infants and young children. PUR faucet filters reduce 98% of TTHMs, which can have harmful effects on the body. PUR water filters also remove chlorine odor and taste issues.
Heavy Metals
Heavy metals such as lead may get into your water from corrosion in the pipes coming into your home, or through erosion of deposits in the earth. Excessive lead exposure is a serious concern, especially for young children and babies. Lead and other heavy metals can cause delays in physical and mental development. Also, adults can develop kidney problems and high blood pressure when exposed to lead levels above the EPA maximum contaminant level for extended periods of time. The EPA estimates that 20% of human exposure to lead is in their drinking water. PUR pitcher filters reduce lead and other heavy metals that may be found in drinking water.
Mercury
Mercury is a liquid metal that gets into the water from sources including deposits in the earth, refinery discharge, factory waste and landfill runoff. Exposure to excessive amounts of mercury may potentially cause kidney damage when exposed to levels above the EPA maximum contaminant level for extended periods of time.
Microbial Cysts
Microbial cysts are parasites that commonly enter lakes and rivers from human or animal fecal waste. Both giardia and cryptosporidium are microbial cysts--and they are tough to disinfect. What makes them tough is the way they operate. These microbes grow a cyst wall around themselves for protection in unfavorable conditions. When giardia and cryptosporidium reach more favorable environments like your stomach, their cyst walls break down and the microbes inside them release to potentially cause gastrointestinal illness like diarrhea, nausea and stomach cramps. According to the EPA, cryptosporidium is especially resistant to disinfection.
Industrial Pollutants
Industrial pollutants in your drinking water can come from waste discharge from different kinds of manufacturing plants or chemical factories. Industrial water pollution can include chemicals with names that are difficult to pronounce like carbon tetrachloride and tetrachloroethylene. Even more difficult are the potential health effects of excessive exposure to these types of pollutants. Long-term exposure to these chemicals can cause anemia, decrease in blood platelets, liver and kidney problems and even increased risk of cancer. Here is a list of some of the industrial contaminants you may find in your water:
Asbestos is a naturally occurring fibrous mineral. Drinking water containing excessive levels of asbestos may increase risk for intestinal polyps.
Benzene is a chemical that leaches into the water supply from factory runoff, gas storage tanks and landfills. It's been linked to anemia, decrease in blood platelets and an increased risk of cancer.
Carbon tetrachloride is a chemical discharged from various industrial activities. Ingesting water with excessive levels of carbon tetrachloride can cause liver problems.
Ethylbenzene is a chemical released from petroleum plants. Excessive exposure to ethylbenzene can cause kidney problems.
Monochlorobenzene is a chemical found in dyes, insecticides and solvents. Drinking water contaminated with high levels of this chemical can cause liver, kidney and central nervous system damage.
MTBE is a chemical used to increase the oxygen content of fuel. MTBE can contaminate water supplies by storage tank leaks, pipeline spills, marine engine emissions and even from deposition.
o-Dichlorobenzene is discharged from chemical factories. Exposure to excessive levels of this chemical in drinking water can cause liver, kidney and circulatory system problems.
Styrene is a chemical discharged from rubber and plastic factories. Exposure to excessive levels of this chemical in drinking water can cause liver, kidney and circulatory system problems.
Tetrachloroethene is a dry-cleaning chemical that contaminates water supplies through emissions. Drinking water polluted with high levels of this chemical can cause liver, kidney and central nervous system damage.
Toluene is a chemical discharged from petroleum factories. Exposure to excessive levels of this chemical in drinking water can cause liver, kidney and nervous system problems.
Trichloroethene is a chemical used mainly as a solvent to remove grease from machine parts.
Volatile Organic Chemicals (VOCs) are a group of chemicals used as solvents in many industrial and household products. VOCs can enter the groundwater when improperly discarded. Health effects from long-term VOC exposure vary from headache, confusion and nausea to impaired speech and liver damage.
Pharmaceuticals
In March 2008, an Associated Press report found various pharmaceutical compounds in the water supplies of 24 major metropolitan areas across the United States. The numbers don't stop there. Trace levels of pharmaceuticals including antibiotics, mood stabilizers and hormones have been identified in the tap water serving over 51 million Americans. In fact, many water treatment facilities may not be able to remove 100% of these types of manufactured substances. PUR faucet filters reduce trace levels of pharmaceuticals by 99%, and PUR water pitchers reduce trace levels of pharmaceuticals by 96%. Here is a list of some of the pharmaceutical contaminants you may find in your water:
Hormones/Steroids- Including prednisone, progesterone and cortisol.
Antibiotics - Including ciprofloxacin, used to prevent certain infections caused by bacteria, as well as sulfamethoxazole and trimethoprim, used to treat various bacterial infections including pneumonia, intestinal infections and urinary tract infections.
Antidepressants - Including fluoxetine, prescribed to treat a variety of psychiatric conditions, including depression and other mood disorders.
Anti-anxiety medication - Including meprobamate, a treatment used to relieve nervous disorders induced by excessive stress.
Painkillers - Including ibuprofen and naproxen.
If you rely on a municipal water source, you can check the annual Consumer Confidence Report that lists what chemicals have been found in your water, and how your water is treated. If you have a private well, start your investigation by calling your local health department and surveying the neighborhood. Look for any potential sources of contamination like pesticides on fields or animal waste from farms, heavy metals from mines, chemical discharge from factories, run-off from landfills, etc. Choose a "do-it-yourself" testing kit or contract with a professional to test your water. Private well owners should test their water at least annually; some should test more often, especially if there are significant potential changes (like seasonal applications of fertilizer).
To ensure effectiveness, maintain your filter properly by following the manufacturer's directions for the frequency of changing the replacement cartridge. If you allow contaminants to build up, a filter's efficacy decreases. It can actually make your water worse by releasing bacteria or chemicals back into your water.
Finally, remember to take simple steps to reduce your individual or household impact on water quality. Do your part by never flushing unused medication or household hazardous waste down the toilet or sink. Check with local resources about the proper disposal of unused pharmaceuticals or other contaminants, such as cleaning products, automotive chemicals and pesticides. Water is a precious resource sustaining life on our planet. We can all take responsibility to preserve its purity--for ourselves and for future generations.
Please note: This list was compiled for research and informational purposes only. It is not intended to suggest that any of the listed contaminants are present in your water supply. Only testing by an accredited lab can identify the presence of contaminants in your water supply.
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