From: ras23@aol.com (Ras23) Date: 8 Dec 1994 09:45:04 -0500 Organization: America Online, Inc. (1-800-827-6364) Message-ID: <3c765g$c5e@newsbf01.news.aol.com> Newsgroups: misc.health.alternative YOU HAVE THE RIGHT TO SAFE AND HEALTHY WATER by Robert A. Schwartz Times Guest Columnist It is time to take control of the water coming into your home. We can no longer assume that our water is safe and free of harmful contaminants. The water we use to drink, for coffee, beverages, cooking, washing and bathing is potentially loaded with hundreds of different water borne contaminants, bacteria, and other pollutants. The EPA has said that nearly 1 in 5 Americans are drinking contaminated water. The National Environmental Group stated that in a recent two year period there were more than 250,000 violations of the Safe Drinking Water Act. What is more alarming, is the fact that the EPA and the related state governments only took action on less than 4,000 of these 250,000 violations. Clearly we cannot rely on the government to insure us that our tap water is safe and healthy. Every consumer must take responsibility for their own tap water to be assured that the water their family is using is free from harmful contaminants, bacteria, parasites and pollutants. There was a time when we could take a drink of tap water, wash a piece of fruit, or take a shower and not give a second thought to the quality or safety of the water. Unfortunately this is no longer the case, the EPA has even cautioned well water users on possible ground water contamination besides the leaching of lead from brass well pumps into their water supply. The consumer must be made aware of the many potential dangers in their drinking water. The Federal Center for Disease Control and Preventions has said that each year nearly 1,000,000 people become sick from drinking contaminated water. Excessive lead levels in the water have been linked to learning disabilities, birth defects and other complications in babies and young children. Still, the EPA has allowed water suppliers up to 20 years to comply with their new lead level standards. Although chlorine has many beneficial effects in water treatment, the consumption of chlorinated water has been linked to the increased risk of breast, bladder, rectal and prostate cancer. What is worse is that a study by the Graduate School of Health - University of Pittsburgh showed that showering with contaminated water is potentially 2 to 10 times more toxic than drinking water. We cannot sit idly by and allow our families and ourselves to risk cancer, birth defects, gastrointestinal illness, or any of the other related potential diseases and infections that have been linked to the contaminants in our water supply. The revision and strict enforcement of the Safe Drinking Water Act may be the ideal long term solution, nonetheless we cannot wait for the government to make our tap water safe again. There are many immediate options available that claim to provide healthy and safe water, however some of these options have many related faults and shortcomings. Retail Bottled Water: Bottled water is a solution that is initially appealing to many people. They do not have to think about what kind of equipment to purchase, they simply go to the store buy the water and take it home. Unfortunately there are many potential problems with bottled water. Bottled water sources are usually unknown to the end user, therefore the quality and purity of the source and product water are questionable. The bottles used for most bottled water are permeable to bacteria and studies show that within as little as 20 days the water can become tainted and contaminated. That 20 days includes the time it took to bottle the water, store it, transport it to the store, display it on the shelf, and for you to take it home and finally use it. Further, bottled water is bulky, heavy, inconvenient and costly. In considering the cost and the fact that the bottle only offers a limited supply, many people still use their tap water for most of their water needs. Bottled water is not usually used to fill ice trays, make coffee, wash fruits, vegetables or meat, or to shower with, consequently consumers are exposing themselves to the harmful contaminants they are trying to avoid. Bottled Water Delivery: Another popular option is home or office delivery of bottled water. Unfortunately this water has many of the same shortcomings as store bought bottled water and more. For example, the coolers are bulky and cumbersome, and require the same amount of electricity as a standard refrigerator. Further, the bottles are bulky and valuable space must be sacrificed for cooler operation and bottle storage. There is also the inconvenience of waiting for the delivery person to arrive with the bottles. However, the most distressing problem is that the high pressure steam washing that the companies use to clean the used bottles weakens the plastic and causes it to be leached into your water. Reverse Osmosis Filtration: Reverse Osmosis or R.O. is one of the many water filtration methods available today. R.O. filtration systems will remove or reduce most of the water borne contaminants in today's water, but it also has many faults. A standard R.O. unit wastes an average of 3 to 5 gallons of water for every gallon of water it produces. R.O. units are also very limited in that they only can produce a very limited amount of usable water per 24 hour period and they are a time consuming high maintenance item. Therefore consumers are forced to carefully select when to use their R.O. water, which is a modern day form of Russian Roulette. The most prominent problem with R.O. systems is that they remove all of the essential trace minerals and elements that are necessary for good health and normal body functions. Carbon Based Filtration Systems: Carbon based filters offer an effective solution in addressing chlorine, bad odors, discoloring, bad taste and some of the lead in tap water. Unfortunately these carbon based filters also have many shortcomings and faults. The carbon is so highly adsorbent of chlorine that many of the other harmful and dangerous contaminants and impurities pass through the filter unaffected. In addition, the carbon filters become saturated with chlorine and provide an optimal breeding ground for bacteria, therefore these filters or cartridges need to be replaced quite often. Besides being inconvenient and expensive, most people forget or neglect to change the filters or cartridges. When the cartridges are not changed the chlorine, lead, bacteria and other contaminants reach saturation and pass through the filter into your water creating a very dangerous situation. In general the carbon filters are very effective on chlorine tastes, discoloring and odors, but lack the capacity to address many of the harmful water borne contaminants, bacteria and pollutants. Multi Stage Media Filtration Systems: Multi Stage Media Filtration Systems will address all of the consumer's demands as well as the needs presented by today's water supplies. These multi stage products expand on the concept of carbon based filtration systems, they employ unique media compounds that specifically address different groups and types of water borne contaminants. A good analogy would be comparing carbon as a whole house cleaner to the multi stage media as individual cleaners specifically designed to address different contaminants. While the whole house cleaner may do an adequate overall cleaning job the individual cleaners will excel in their respective areas. By utilizing multiple media compounds more than 200 of today's water borne contaminants and pollutants can be addressed. In addition, these multi stage filtration systems, eliminate the need for replacement filters or cartridges, are maintenance free and offer an on demand supply of filtered water. Through the addition of an Ultra Violet bactericidal unit a majority of the viruses and bacteria that threaten many water supplies can also be addressed. In looking for a water treatment system for you and your family, you should be sure to address the following points. The system should be maintenance free, requiring no filter or cartridge replacement. The system should have a long life and multiple stage media filtration to best address a full array of contaminants. Remember that an inexpensive system that requires costly and inconvenient filter replacements is not saving you any money. For example a system costing $99.00 and requiring $50.00 replacement filters every six months, will cost you $549.00 over five years, as compared to a system for $150.00 that will last five years without filter replacement. Affordable systems, such as these, do exist enabling you to provide healthy, safe and affordable water for you and your family. Robert Schwartz is the Executive Vice President of Astro Associates,Inc. a local environmental products company. Astro Associates, Inc. is involved with the research design, and distribution of state-of-the-art consumer and commercial water treatment systems. To discuss today's water problems and your related questions, you can reach Robert Schwartz at on-line at Ras23 @aol.com or (215) 885-3330 or Fax (215) 885-1367. File has been edited and released into The HealthCare Network by: Rick Catania The Special Needs BBS, Whiting, Indiana BBS Phone Number (219) 659-0112