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Liquid Assets: The Story of Our Water Infrastructure -
Out of sight, out of mind. That's the situation with
the drinking water and water treatment systems in the United
States. These systems (some in the ground for more than
100 years) provide a critical public health function and
are essential for economic development and growth. These
aging systems have not been maintained, and some estimates
suggest this is the single largest public works endeavor in
our nationï's history. This 90 minute documentary is an
essential introduction to anyone who drinks municipal
water.
Read the synopsis,
watch the trailer then check it out from your library or
find a way to watch it online - We watched it on Netflix.
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Special focus on lead as it relates to pregnancy and
young children.
If you are are just browsing water
issues and are not in the high risk category for lead
poisoning (pregnant or have a young child), but you know
someone who is pregnant or has young children, please
suggest they read the section on lead as soon as possible!
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Bottled water articles from:
Reader's Digest Magazine (2/08),
Time Magazine (8/9/07)
National Geographic Magazine (2/06),
NPR (4/4/08)
Summary: Bottled water is no better regulated and not
necessarily any safer than most tap water. Although bottle
labels often portray the source water as originating
in pure, exotic locations, over 25% of bottled water
(including many top name brands) comes from municipal
sources. Bottled water costs consumers hundreds to
thousands of times more than tap water. Bottle manufacture
and water treatment use resources and create waste
products. Transporting the full bottles to the store
uses resources and creates waste. An estimated 90% of the
billions of water bottles produced in a year wind up in land
fills.
Don't miss Penn and Teller's "
Feng Shui/Bottled Water
(S1E7)" on their
BS episodes . The pair is a bit
crude, and perhaps their experiments are not as "scientific"
as they could be, but some very interesting results are
demonstrated about the power of suggestion.
Their BS shows illustrates how suggestion and an uncritical
willingness to believe something can explain not only people's
perceptions about bottled water but their acceptance of
other claims from downright fraudulent companies. Watch
The Story Of Bottled Water: An educational, 8 minute
exposé on the manufactured demand for bottled water.
Read more about bottled water here
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Water Lead-Levels Misrepresented: Dozens of the
nation's largest drinking-water utilities have tried to hide
lead contamination and failed to correct problems, the
Washington Post reported Tuesday. The newspaper analyzed
data from 65 large water systems in the United States and
found that high lead levels were concealed from regulators.
(NPR, All
Things Considered) |
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Note the common themes in the
1996 and 2004 stories below
Houston Chronicle series exploring the safety of the
nation's tap water and explaining the dangers threatening
our water and what communities can do to protect it (October
1996). The newspaper has retained the original
articles, for which I am glad, but removed the high-level
links and index, for which I am NOT glad. I attempted to
recreate links to the original stories and that worked for
awhile. As of 1/1/2014 the series has disappeared completely
from the Houston Chronicle. I am trying to get the series
reposted since it has historic value - the same problems
described in 1996 are common today. In the meantime, the
series can be read on the
Wayback Archive.
National Public Radio reports on drinking water issues:
Weak Drinking Water Laws Blamed in D.C. Lead Scare -
April 19, 2004 News of dangerous levels of lead in
Washington D.C.'s drinking water sparks an outcry from the
community -- especially because city water officials knew
about the problem and did little to warn the public. In the
first of two reports, NPR's Daniel Zwerdling explains that
weak federal laws regulating drinking water are to blame.
Aging Water Systems Plague Cities - April 20, 2004
Lead in drinking water in Washington, D.C., is just part of
a larger, more profound problem that affects cities across
the country. In his second report about contaminated
drinking water, NPR's Daniel Zwerdling reveals that many
cities are still getting their drinking water from systems
that date back to the 19th and early 20th centuries.
For Empty Water Bottles, There's an Afterlife
(7/11/2007) Last year, Americans bought more than 4
billion gallons of water in individual-portion bottles.
Most of the containers end up in the trash. But now, there's
a competitive global market for the bottles, once they're
recycled.
The Water Debate Continues: Bottled vs. Tap (7/23/2007)
Last year, Americans bought more than 4 billion gallons of
water in individual-portion bottles. Salt Lake City
mayor Rocky Anderson explains why some city leaders are
encouraging their citizens to start turning to the tap.
Water Wars Out West: Keep What You Catch! (7/1/2009)
Colorado takes this sort of illegal harvesting of
precipitation seriously. If caught, Hanzel could have
faced fines of up to $500 a day. Luckily for him, a law
recently passed legalizes his collection system. It's
a narrow exception to the ban for people who would have to
dig a well or have water trucked in.
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Reader's Digest Magazine Article
-
Drinking Recycled Sewage Water: The Debate
(WaybackMachine)
Drinking treated sewage is a proposition as emotionally
wrought as it is scientifically feasible. That�s why the
editors at Reader�s Digest thought it was time to gather
together the facts and arguments on both sides of the issue.
Here they are, then, and we leave it to you to make up your
own mind (3/2012). |
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New York Times series,
Toxic Waters:
A series about the worsening pollution in American waters
and regulator's response. |
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Letter:
I am 72 years old. I do not drink any water and have
not most of my life. I thought I would throw this into
the mix concerning if we should drink distilled water or
not.
I drink
coffee, diet soda, beer and an occasional V-8. Oops, I
forgot the 1/2 glass of water I take every morning with my
325 mg aspirin tablet I have taken for the last 40 years.
My question:
why am I not dead? All of the above is true as strange
as it might sound.
Rick
My Answer:
An excellent and important question, Rick. Since you
have made a habit of drinking heavily contaminated water for
the better part of 72 years, switching to distilled water
would probably be a severe shock to your system - I would
discourage the experiment.
Seriously
though, if you were actually living on 1/2 glass of water a
day you would indeed be dead. The reason you are not dead
goes to the heart of the distilled water debate. (Read More)
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Please be advised that the
information on this page and on this site is for general
educational information only and is NOT intended to make any
specific health claims or recommend any specific treatment
method or preventative advice for any health issue or
problem. Consult your physician or a health specialist for
specific steps to take for your specific health or nutrition
requirements! |
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