Living Green
Is Your Drinking Water Safe?
By Jathynia Garcia
The taste of drinking water is one of the first clues to a homeowner that there may be a problem with the water.
Primary treatment method used to handle taste, smell, odor, or color problems may include filtration, filtration through a carbon filter, softening, reverse osmosis, chlorination and distillation and/ or a combination of such.
Water purification may remove: particulate sand; suspended particles of organic material; parasites, Giardia; is a germ that causes diarrhea. -is found in infected people’s stool and cannot be seen by the naked eye. …
bacteria; algae; viruses; fungi; minerals such as calcium, silica, and magnesium; and toxic metals like lead, copper, and chromium.
Governments usually dictate the standards for drinking water quality. Quality standards in many countries require specific amounts of disinfectant (such as chlorine) in the water after it leaves the water treatment plant (WTP), to reduce the risk of re-contamination while the water is in the distribution system. But think about all the effects in chlorinated water
If it cleanses your water, then what is the problem right? Well here’s the scoop, health officials are concerned with the chlorinating by-products, also known as “chlorinated hydrocarbons” or trihalomethanes (THM’s). Most THM’s are formed in drinking water when chlorine reacts with naturally occurring substances such as decomposing plant and animal materials. Risk for certain types of cancer are now being correlated to the consumption of chlorinated drinking water. The President’s Council on Environmental Quality states that “there is increased evidence for an association between rectal, colon and bladder cancer and the consumption of chlorinated drinking water.” Suspected carcinogens make the human body more vulnerable through repeated ingestion and research indicates the incidence of cancer is 44% higher among those using chlorinated water.
Even though the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) adopted new regulations in 1980 for cities to lower the chlorination by-products in water to level not exceeding 100 parts per billion, experts believe that it still doesn’t provide proper safeguards and should be strengthened. Unfortunately, there is a little likelihood that the use of chlorine will be discontinued since it is currently the most economically acceptable chemical for bacterial control at this time.
It is ironic that the process of chlorination, by which we cleanse our water of infectious organisms, can create cancer-causing substances from otherwise innocent chemicals in water.
It is not possible to tell whether water is safe to drink just by looking at it. Simple procedures such as boiling or the use of a household activated carbon filter are NOT sufficient for treating all the possible contaminants that may be present in water from an unknown source. Even natural spring water – considered safe for all practical purposes in the 1800s – must now be tested before determining what kind of treatment, if any, is needed.
At Hi-Tech Plumbing we offer a complete analysis of your home’s water system and will recommend the best suited system for your home, we even offer monthly maintenance plans to continue providing you with clean, crisp, great tasting drinkable water & peace of mind.
At Hi-Tech Plumbing we offer the most advanced technology in water filtration & purification systems. From water conditioning systems by http://www.easywater.com (Hi-Tech is proud to be the Authorized Dealer for this revolutionary no-salt water system here in Palm beach county), to reverse osmosis, even ultraviolet filtration systems, we will accommodate a system that suits your family’s needs, from single filters to whole house systems. We’re your one stop shop for water pureness & cleanliness.
In addition, here is a link to the World Health Organization’s report on safe drinking water and a bit more about their mission to get safe drinking water accessible throughout the world: http://www.who.int/water_sanitation_health/mdg1/en/index.html
Please visit our website or call to schedule your water analysis today. http://www.hi-techplumbing.com/Water-Filters.htm
Hi-Tech plumbing is a local plumbing contractor in the Wellington/ Royal Palm Beach area who specializes in all facets of plumbing service utilizing the latest & up-to date technology. For more information visit our website at www.hi-techplumbing.com or call our office at 561-790-6966. And remember Don’t fret… just call Hi-Tech!