Topics covered on my website include:
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I distilled the results of many hours of research
into the discussions and the lists of drinking water
related sites listed on the menu page. I hope
that the information here will be helpful in your search
for answers to this important health issue.
Although this site discusses contaminants found in water from both municipal water companies and from private wells, the treatment methods discussed, are mostly Point of Use (POU) - water is treated at the point where it will be used for drinking, cooking, etc. Many private well water problems, bacteria, iron, heavy metals, pH imbalances, etc., need to be treated either at the well, or as the water enters the home and must be customized for a particular situation. I do not go into much detail about these treatment methods, but I provide references to some sites that do. I try to provide only authoritative web references. |
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Sites where you will find reliable drinking water related references include: | |
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Government sites, like the Environmental Protection Agency, The National Library of Medicine and the The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. |
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Environmental organizations, like the Safe Drinking Water Foundation. |
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Water industry groups and treatment facilities, like NSF International, the American Water Works Association, the Association of Metropolitan Water Agencies, Denver Water, National Environmental Services Center On Tap magazine and National Drinking Water Clearinghouse . |
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University based cooperative extension services and research groups, like the Alabama Cooperative Extension Service, Cornell University Cooperative Extension, Colorado State University Extension, the University of Nebraska Lincoln Extension publications and Purdue Safe Water |
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Media publications, like Scientific American, Smithsonian, Discover, National Geographic, Popular Science, and National Public Radio. Check Potential Biases |
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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 nation'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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![]() 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 usesresources and creates waste. An estimated 90% of the billions of water bottles produced in a year wind up in land fills.
Watch
The Story Of Bottled Water:
An educational, 8 minute expose on the manufactured demand for bottled water. |
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Water Lead-Levels Misrepresented (2004): 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: 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. 2009 2016 Update, CSU |
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BBC Article -
Why we all need to start drinking toilet water It's been called "toilet-to-tap" - much to the chagrin of water experts and managers. In some parts of the world, the wastewater that flows down the drain - yes, including toilet flushes - is now being filtered and treated until it's as pure as spring water, if not more so. (1/2016). |
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New York Times series, Toxic Waters: A series about the worsening pollution in American waters and regulator's response. |
Letter: 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
Answer: 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... (Read if Java is disabled) |
* 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! | ||
Copyright -- 2005, Randy Johnson. All rights reserved. |
Updated April 2015 |