When was the last time you thought about the glass of water you were drinking?
When we feel thirsty, our instinct is to reach for the closest tap and fill a glass of water. But if we take a minute to think about the safety and quality of our water, we will realize there are a multitude of factors that go into providing us with clean drinking water. Subsequently, there’s also a lot that could go wrong.
From the Flint water crisis in 2014 to the Camp Lejeune water contamination crisis, there have been numerous occasions of a multitude of health-related issues caused by toxic water sources. For instance, the water supply at the Marine Corps base in Camp Lejeune was contaminated with chemicals hazardous to their health between 1953 to 1987.
To alleviate any undue concern, the probability of your drinking water being safe is high if you live in the United States. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the Environment Protection Agency (EPA) heavily regulate the supply of drinking water and tap water, respectively.
However, the multiple concerning and often lethal symptoms of Camp Lejeune water contamination highlight that polluted water can cause serious health-related issues, and we should stay vigilant about the quality of our water supply.
Public And Private Water Supplies
The EPA has regulated public water supply systems ever since the Safety Water Drinking Act was passed in 1974 in the United States. But owners of private wells or other water systems do not fall under its gambit. If you are the owner of a private water supply, you will have to take steps yourself to ensure the safety of your water. We will break down a few things you can do to accomplish this in a bit.
Ways Water Supplies Can Be Contaminated
Water can be contaminated artificially by humans through various business activities such as factories as well as manufacturing and chemical plants. However, it is also possible for water to be naturally ‘contaminated’. All water contains a certain amount of minerals. The issue arises when some minerals and other ‘contaminants’ exist in excess quantities.
The EPA outlines four broad categories of water contaminants. These include:
- Physical contaminants such as sediment contaminants from soil erosion.
- Chemical Contaminants such as salts, nitrogen, and other bacteria that are either naturally occurring or are due to human activity.
- Radiological Contaminants, such as plutonium, cesium, uranium, etc.
- Biological Contaminants are caused by organisms that exist in the water.
Health Effects of Water Contamination
The effects of water contamination can be serious, and long-lasting, often spanning generations. TorHoerman Law highlights how people who lived at the site of the water contamination crisis in Camp Lejeune and their family members could still qualify to file a lawsuit under the Camp Lejeune Justice Act (CLJA).
Health-related issues vary based on the type of contamination. While arsenic contamination could potentially cause skin, kidney, or bladder cancer, bacteria and viruses can be the source of a huge list of illnesses.
The adverse effects on your health of a contaminated water supply might not be as severe or as immediate (exposure to lead, for example, causes fatigue and headaches, symptoms that are relatively mild at first). But they could manifest over time, especially if you are not aware of the contaminations in your water supply.
How To Test Your Water Supply
There are several home water testing kits that you can acquire from a local store, buy online, or ask your water supplier to provide you with. The types of kits vary and can contain one strip (commonly used to test pH levels) or multiple strips that individually test for a host of contaminants like nitrates, pesticides, and lead, to name a few.
The EPA, however, recommends using a certified laboratory to conduct your test. These labs are capable of testing for up to 90 contaminants and are likely to provide results that are much more accurate. However, they can also have a longer waiting period and can cost more than a home testing kit.
How You Can Make Your Water Safer
In accordance with EPA regulations, water suppliers must provide you with a Consumer Confidence Report or CCR annually, which includes details about the water source, quality of water, and a list of contaminants found. Making sure you receive this report and staying vigilant about the quality of your water supply is the first thing you can do to make sure your water supply is safe.
You can also familiarize yourself with the National Primary Drinking Water Regulations (NPDWR), which list out the acceptable amounts of contaminants in your drinking water. If you find that contaminants in your report exceed these levels, reach out to your water supplier as soon as possible.
If you are not satisfied with the quality of your water supply or are the owner of a private water supply, you could invest in a slew of water filters, based on the type of contaminants in your water.
Reverse osmosis, or RO, filters help remove a host of toxic contaminants like arsenic, radium, fluoride, etc. Ion exchange filters can come in handy when you water to rid hard water of radioactive materials, and activated carbon filters help remove chlorine, magnesium, and any other sediment contaminants you may have in your water.
Furthermore, you can also get filters that employ a combination of all the aforementioned methods.
Make sure to check the label on your water filter to ensure it follows the NSF International or American National Standards Institute (ANSI) guidelines.
Conclusion
The average human needs to drink 3-4 liters of water daily. Add to that the multiple showers we take during our day, and it becomes clear why the quality of our water is a very important tenet of our overall well-being.
While the EPA has stringent rules and regulations in place to ensure you receive safe water, there are a few quick and simple steps you can take to ensure you continue to receive clean and safe water.
