- How Safe is
your Water Supply?
- by Joey Pebble
Recently, a popular Internet
news site published an editorial article about the safety of
the public water supply. The authors concluded that the water
was probably not extremely dangerous. Despite this, however,
their investigation about the chemicals and additives found in
city and town water supplies gave me second thoughts about pouring
that next glass of tap water.
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They examined samples from town
wells and city utilities across the country, and came up with
some startling results. Nearly every sample examined contained
traces of hundreds of different kinds of medicines. While none
of these levels were high enough to be dangerous, I wonder about
whether these traces can cause or worsen medication allergies.
In addition to these traces of
medicines, the water samples also contained tiny amounts of chemical
particles. Groundwater runoff from fertilizer and cleaning chemicals
used by people account for some of these particles. Another potential,
less common source of these chemicals is contamination of the
water supply.
How can you avoid drinking these
chemicals and medicines the next time you turn on the tap? Some
people argue that bottled water is safer, but in most American
cities and towns this is not true. In fact, bottled water is
often bottled tap water.
Furthermore, when these plastic
bottles get too hot, chemicals leach from the plastic into the
water. Even though you may watch to be sure that the water bottles
are properly stored after you purchased them, how do you know
they didnt sit for hours or weeks in an overheated warehouse,
storage room, or transportation truck?
Tap water is still the safest
option, and there are a number of things you can do to keep your
home water supply healthy. First, replace rusty faucets. In addition,
clean the sink and faucet regularly to prevent bacterial contamination
or dirt buildup. |
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Another step you can take to ensure
the purity of your water supply is to add a water filter. A number
of different kinds of water filters are available. Most of these
devices have disposable filters that need to be changed regularly,
so take time to read the directions and note how often the filters
should be changed when you install the filter.
Some filters are more complicated
and difficult to install than others. If youre interested
in a basic filtering system that will help remove extra chlorine
and other trace chemicals, these systems can usually be purchased
for less than $100.
If you have a well, or if you
live in a small town that has a single local well for a water
supply, you may decide to invest in a more expensive system.
These filters also remove hard metals, such as nickel and copper,
as well as chlorine and other chemical particles. Prepare to
spend up to $500 or more for an elaborate system that thoroughly
cleans your water supply, though.
Before you become too alarmed,
remember that the experts determined that none of these chemicals
are found in high enough levels to cause harm. Of course, each
water supply has its own taste and flavor, so if the taste isnt
to your liking, perhaps a filter is in order! |