Water Contaminants Found in Public Water Supplies

Quality of Water from Public-Supply Wells in the United States

by Patricia L. Toccalino and Jessica A. Hopple | USGS

More than 20 percent of untreated water samples from 932 public wells across the nation contained at least one contaminant at levels of potential health concern. About 105 million people - or more than one-third of the nation's population - receive their drinking water from one of the 140,000 public water systems across the U.S. that rely on groundwater pumped from public wells.

About 105 million people—more than one-third of the Nation’s population—receive their drinking water from one of the 140,000 public water systems across the United States that use groundwater as their source.

Scientists from the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) assessed water-quality conditions in source (untreated) groundwater from 932 public wells, and in source and finished (treated) water from a subset of 94 wells. A greater number of chemical contaminants (as many as 337), both naturally occurring and man-made, were assessed in this study than in any previous national study of public wells.

The objectives of this study were to evaluate (1) the occurrence of contaminants in source water from public wells and their potential significance to human health, (2) whether contaminants that occur in source water also occur in finished water after treatment, and (3) the occurrence and characteristics of contaminant mixtures.

Read the USGS Study

RainSoft Hydrefiner Water Filtration Systems

RainSoft's compact, economical, carbon block drinking water system tucks neatly under your sink and dispenses a constant supply of purely delicious water through your dedicated RainSoft faucet. Additional photo of the faucet will be provided.

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Hydrefiner drinking water filtration systems provide a dependable source of high quality water for drinking, cooking, making coffee and tea's - just about anything you make with water!

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These RainSoft home water filtration systems utilize a highly compressed carbon block filter made of selected activated carbons to reduce chlorine tastes and odors, as well as other select contaminants. +

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Installs out-of-sight under the kitchen sink.

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Produces up to 830* gallons of filtered water before cartridge replacement is needed.

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Unit is built to industry standards and carries a limited lifetime warranty. +Ask your local RainSoft dealer for a Performance Data Sheet for additional information regarding specific contaminant reduction claims. *830 gallons with RainSoft Filtergard II faucet. 500 gallons without faucet.

RainSoft of Louisville, an authorized RainSoft Dealer.

Or locate a RainSoft Dealer near you.

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Prescription Drugs in Your Drinking Water? Find Out Here.

Prescription Drugs in Drinking Water
Reporter: Shannon Kantner | WILX.COM

Germs on a water fountain are no surprise, but what about drugs in the water?

"Most meds when they are taken are not completely absorbed by the body, they pass through unchanged," said Ron Melaragni, Adminstrative Director for Sparrow Pharmacy Plus. "They get into the water supply and cause pollution, even if it's minor."

In addition, there's the commonly held belief that people are supposed to flush leftover prescriptions down the toilet. Over the years that practice has taken its toll on wildlife, including fish with three eyes and two sets of reproductive organs, according to some studies.

"There is a lot of evidence that speaks to the residuals being in the receiving waters of the United States and the local community here," said Chad Gamble, Director of Public Service for the City of Lansing. "Now they're at very, very low levels, but we want to be on the front end of that. We want to be able to protect the environment."

Gamble said most waste water treatment facilities, including Lansing's, can't remove every leftover drug particle. That makes initiatives like the third annual Medication Disposal Event at the Capitol on Tuesday especially important.

"It's a source control issue, which is inviting people to take a little bit more time out of their day to dispose of their drugs when they're done using them in a safe and efficient manner," Gamble said.
This year more than 579 pounds of unwanted or expired medication was collected, which amounts to about $1 million worth.

At this point, experts say the flushing method hasn't made drinking water dangerous for humans yet. "But if this process continues, who knows what could happen," Melaragni said. "So, it's important to do it the right way, so it doesn't get in the water supply."

If you missed the Capitol's disposal event, there is a national one happening Sept. 29. There's also a new kit on the market that will soon be on pharmacy shelves for use in the home. It's just a little black plastic bag filled with a substance when mixed with warm water, neutralizes prescriptions - up to 45 pills or 6 ounces of liquid medicine can fit in it. Once it's mixed, you seal it, and throw it in the trash.

Pharmacisits also recommend using kitty litter or coffee grounds in a container with the prescriptions and dispose of them that way.

The Ingham County Sheriff's Office recently added a bin in their lobby where anyone can drop off old pills free of charge during normal business hours.

Questions About What's in Your Water - RainSoft Has Answers

RainSoft Water Facts

Maximum Contaminant Level Goals vs. Maximum Contaminant Levels

The environment has changed a lot in the last fifty years. Manufacturing and agricultural activities, along with our growing population, add an enormous amount of potentially hazardous materials to our environment. 

As a result, the U.S. Environmental Agency (EPA) and others have detected more than 700 different organic compounds in treated drinking-water supplies. 

To read more about water facts and contaminants go to RainSoft Water Facts.

To Request a Free In-Home Water Test visit RainSoft of Louisville Water Test.

RainSoft of Louisville

13010 Middleton Ind. Blvd. Ste. B
Louisville, KY 40223

(502) 244-9923

www.rainsoftoflouisville.com

Or locate a RainSoft Dealer near you.
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Mental Health and Flouride in Water

Does fluoride in drinking water hurt your brain?

By Dr. Keith Ablow
Published August 22, 2012 | FoxNews.com

Back in 2011, the EPA reversed course and lowered the recommended maximum amount of fluoride in drinking water due to data that the levels then being allowed put kids at risk of dental fluorosis--streaking and pitting of teeth due to excessive fluoride, which also puts tooth enamel at risk.

This conclusion was a discordant note amidst all the accolades fluoride had won, starting with the discovery during the 1940s that people who lived near water supplies containing naturally occurring fluoride had fewer cavities in their teeth.   A massive push ensued, with government and industry encouraging cities and towns to add fluoride to water supplies.

Now, questions about the impact of fluoride on mental health are growing and can no longer be ignored.

A recently published Harvard study showed that children living in areas with highly fluoridated water have "significantly lower" IQ scores than those living in areas where the water has low fluoride levels.  In fact, the study analyzed the results of 27 prior investigations and found the following, among other conclusions:

* Fluoride may be a developmental neurotoxicant that affects brain development (in children) at exposures much below those that cause toxicity in adults.

* Rats exposed to (relatively low) fluoride concentrations in water showed cellular changes in the brain and increased levels of aluminum in brain tissue.

Other research studies in animals link fluoride intake to the development of beta-amyloid plaques (the classic finding in the brains of patients with Alzheimer's dementia).

And research on fluoride also has implicated it in changing the structure of the brains of fetuses, negatively impacting the behavioral/neurological assessment scores of newborns and, in animal studies, impairing memory.

This information is very important, from a psychiatric standpoint, because we have witnessed rising rates of attention deficit disorder, major depression, dementia and many other psychiatric illnesses since the 1940s, and because the United States (which fluoridates a much higher percentage of its drinking water than most countries, including European nations) has some of the highest rates of mental disorders in the world--by a wide margin.

It is not clear, of course, that fluoride is responsible wholly, or even in small measure, for these facts, but the connection is an intriguing one, especially in light of the new Harvard study.

Given the available data, I would recommend that children with learning disorders, attention deficit disorder, depression, attention-deficit disorder or other psychiatric illnesses refrain from drinking fluoridated water, and consult a dentist about the most effective way of delivering sufficient fluoride to the teeth directly, while minimizing absorption by the body as a whole--and the brain, specifically.

Read more:

RainSoft Water Q&A

If you have air treatment or water conditioning questions, we have the answer. RainSoft is here to assist you in finding the right solution for your water treatment system concerns or questions. Do you think your city water is good enough without a water softening system? Do you want to know how much sodium is in your drinking water? Or maybe you want to be able to calculate just how much you can gain with RainSoft home water filtration systems?

RainSoft of Louisville

13010 Middleton Ind. Blvd. Ste. B
Louisville, KY 40223

(502) 244-9923

www.rainsoftoflouisville.com

Or locate a RainSoft Dealer near you.

Water-Only Cafe Sells Filtered Tap Water

Molecule, Water-Only Cafe, Sells Filtered NYC Tap Water In East Village Store

By Serena Solomon, DNAinfo Reporter/Producer

EAST VILLAGE — A new café recently opened up on East 10th Street — but don't expect to find customers sipping on lattes.

Molecule, aka the Water Café, is filtering New York City tap water down to its purest form and serving it for $2.50 to thirsty local patrons using a custom-made device worth more than $20,000.

"It's about treating water a little more consciously, mindfully and respectfully," said co-owner Adam Ruhf, 32, who has a background in music and activism.

But the store is not only planning to peddle its gallons for in-home use, as passersby can stop in for a quick gulp — complete with an option to add vitamin supplements to their H2O cocktails.

The store has been in the works for 18 months, with Ruhf taking the concept of self-service water shops in Los Angeles and building on the theme.

"This is like a water store 2.0," he said of the opening, which was first reported on EV Grieve.

Ruhf knows first hand the healing properties of purified water, claiming that drinking it regularly helped eased the pain caused brought on by two serious car accidents that left him without a spleen and a leg held together with metal pins.

"It's more of an intuitive thing about cleanliness," he explained of how water helped him recover. "Not wanting toxins [from unfiltered water] to further inhibit my recovery."

His store, located between First Avenue and Avenue A, first takes city water heavy with chlorine, fluoride and compound metals and sends it through its towering 8-foot filter behind the counter.

Read more...

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13010 Middleton Ind. Blvd. Ste. B
Louisville, KY 40223

(502) 244-9923

www.rainsoftoflouisville.com

Wildfire Rain Runoff Can Harm Tap Water

'Chocolate Milk Shake-Like' Debris Mixture Overwhelms Treatment Plants, School Of Mines Study Says

Alan Gathright, New Media Producer | TheDenverChannel.com

GOLDEN, Colo. -- Rain runoff following a wildfire can compromise drinking water quality and overwhelm water treatment plants with a "chocolate milk shake-like mix" of debris, according to a new study by the Colorado School of Mines.

This can affect tap water that might have a smoky taste and could fail to meet federal drinking water standards, says engineering graduate students whose study suggests ways cities government can protect drinking water after a wildfire.

This is a real-time risk for communities like Colorado Springs, where the Waldo Canyon Fire has scorches 15,324 acres of hillside terrain, and the National Weather Service had issued a flash flood watch for the wildfire's "burn scar" Wednesday afternoon.

In the study, School of Mines graduate researchers worked with the city of Golden on scenarios exploring how a fire in the Golden area would adversely affect the water supply in Clear Creek, the city's source of drinking water.

"This project simulated a range of detrimental wildfire run-off conditions utilizing a surface water treatment pilot plant at the Colorado School of Mines in close collaboration with the City of Golden's drinking water treatment plant," said Professor Jörg Drewes.

The study found that rain runoff mixes leftover wildfire debris and sediment that can thwart purifying mechanisms inside downstream water treatment plants.

"While impacts of wildfires have been studied by scientists from forestry, biology and hydrology, this study is the first that combines these experiences with water treatment engineering and focuses on adverse effects on drinking water quality and appropriate response strategies," Drewes said.

Here's a link to the study: http://tinyurl.com/7lee3pa

Add a Natural Twist to Your Drinking Water

Cucumber-Orange Water Recipe

By Adela Jung

Not all of us like soda and flavored drinks, but plain old water can get boring after a while. Here, the clean flavors of cucumber and orange steep in water for a refreshing twist.


This recipe was featured as part chow.com Post-Holiday Recovery Menu

INGREDIENTS

• 6 cups cold water
• 6 thin slices English cucumber
• 5 thin slices orange

INSTRUCTIONS

Combine all ingredients in a large pitcher. Cover and chill in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes. Serve.
www.chow.com

Water Fluoridation Health Benefits Under Review

Phoenix set to reassess fluoridation

by Lynh Bui - Jun. 10, 2012 10:55 PM
The Republic | azcentral.com

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention proclaimed it one of the 10 greatest public-health achievements of the 20th century.

Every U.S. surgeon general since the 1950s has endorsed the practice. And the American Dental Association calls it the "single most effective public-health measure to prevent tooth decay."

But despite overwhelming support from the government and medical professionals, the debate over fluoridating public water systems, which largely subsided after the Cold War, has resurfaced.

Phoenix has become the latest Valley city to reassess the controversial cavity-fighting policy as several City Council members are proposing to save money or limit government's reach by discontinuing water fluoridation in the nation's sixth-largest city.

The City Council Transportation and Infrastructure Subcommittee is scheduled to decide Tuesday whether the entire council should vote to suspend the city's use of fluoride in city water. A change would affect the more than 1.4 million Phoenix residents who use the city's fluoridated tap water for drinking, bathing and brushing their teeth.

Anti-fluoride activists have continued to rally against municipal fluoridation of water for decades, worried that overdoses could lead to weight gain and muscle pains from thyroid problems, discoloration of teeth and other yet-to-be-discovered side effects. They also worry that ingesting too much fluoride could damage bones the same way it has been found to eat away at tooth enamel.

Read more: 

Water and Its Significant Role in Your Workout Regime

Stay Safe When Working Out in Summer Heat

Juan Villa | Visalia Time-Delta

Workouts don't need to be put aside simply because the hot weather has arrived. By making a few simple changes, those heading outdoors for their regular workouts can stay safe while doing so.

Three Central Valley natives share some tips for staying safe while working out in the hot weather.

Stay hydrated

When it comes to taking care of the body while exercising in hot weather, local experts agree that staying hydrated is foremost.

And staying hydrated doesn't mean just drinking water or Gatorade during the actual workout. Staying hydrated before working out is just as important.

"If say they only drink in the morning, then by the time their competition or workout comes around they will have lost that hydration significantly," said Janelle Myers, Redwood High School athletic trainer. "Not all of it but a lot of it will have been lost. The most important thing is to stay hydrated before and during practice."

Read more...

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