Water, which carries oxygen to our body’s cells, makes up more than half of our body weight and we can’t live for more than a few days without it. Our bodies don’t get water just from drinking water alone as any fluids we drink contain water as well as certain foods (think juicy peaches or ripe tomatoes). Consuming pure, fresh, clean water is vital for our good health.
How can we ensure that our drinking water is safe?
In America, we have scientists and government regulators committed to detecting, observing and regulating potential contaminants in our water. However, the toll of time can result in a system that may wear out as well as inadvertent mistakes that can happen. When the system breaks down, we run the risk of toxic chemicals that can find their way into the ground’s surface and into our tap water.
To ensure our best health, we do need to find out if there are any contaminates in our water and what their concentration levels are and if they are contaminants that potentially pose health risks. The United States Environmental Protection Agency, http://water.epa.gov/drink/index.cfm, is a great resource to learn more about the safety of the ground water and drinking water in your region.
Investigate Faucet Filters – If the tap water doesn’t taste appealing and there are concerns about heavy metals, chlorine or other contaminants in the water supply, water filters used in a pitcher or attached to the faucet can be a viable option. Not every filter type eliminates every type of contaminant. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) requires that community water systems provide customers with an annual water quality report. These Consumer Confidence Reports provide information about the quality of the drinking water supply. Once your review this report, you can assess what contaminants may be in play and which filter works best to address it.
The City of San Diego issues a Drinking Water Quality Report every year on July 1st. This report, which generally arrives with your water invoice, includes important information about the water we drink. For San Diego and other cities nationwide, you can also request a copy of your area water quality report from your water company or visit the Environmental Protection Agency at www.epa.gov. Invest in a testing kit and test your water both at home and in the office. These samples can be submitted to laboratories for analysis. The safety of our drinking water should never be taken for granted and we should do everything we can to ensure our liquid “staff of life” is clean and fresh from bio-contaminants.
Janice Nath is an Ambience Architect for Ambius, www.ambius.com/janice the global leader of enriching the workplace, and is based in San Diego, California. In addition to plantscaping and design services, she services many San Diego clients with Ambius Hydrofresh which provides clean, fresh water to businesses.
Clean water is truly essential to life itself. Even the water from the taps are usually insufficient as it contains many chemicals and toxins along with chloramines and chlorine which are also toxic chemicals. A home water filtration system helps to ensure these chemicals, along with many others, are removed before drinking your water, and are the safest, and best solution.
The problem with the Government agencies is that they are whoring themselves to the large Corporations, Agribusiness which steals water and the privatization of the water by companies like Coca Cola which is as evil as Monsanto..
In Colorado for example, it is against the Law to collect rain water and use it..Over my dead body!