Information About Your Drinking Water example essay topic

In summary, depending on the condition of the source water from which it is drawn and the treatment it receives, the drinking water quality varies from place to place. Though the United States has one of the safest water supplies in the world, national statistics don't tell you specifically about the quality and safety of the water coming out of your tap. This article lets the consumer know that there are ways for you to get information about your drinking water, if it comes from a public water supplier. EPA doesn't regulate private wells but does have recommendations for their owners such as: 1. Test private water supplies annually for nitrate and coliform bacteria to detect contamination problems early.

Test them more frequently and for more potential contaminants, such as radon or pesticides, if you suspect a problem. 2. Protect your water supply by carefully managing activities near the water source. For households using a domestic well, this includes keeping contaminants away from sinkholes and the well itself. Hazardous chemicals also should be kept out of septic systems.

According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, there is no such thing as naturally pure water. In nature, all water contains some impurities. As water flows in streams, sits in lakes, and filters through layers of soil and rock in the ground, it dissolves or absorbs the substances that it touches. Some of these substances are harmless. Some people prefer mineral water precisely because minerals give it an appealing taste.

However, at certain levels minerals, just like man-made chemicals, are considered contaminants that can make water unsafe. Some contaminants are substances discharged from factories, applied to farmlands, or used by consumers in their homes and yards. You can tell which contaminants are in your drinking water, the levels at which they were found, and the actual or likely source of each contaminant through your local water quality report. To get more information on a list of the drinking water contaminants that EPA regulates, including their sources in drinking water and their potential health effects go to: web website. For this environmental issue listed below are some solutions you take to reduce Lead in drinking water: Flush Your Pipes Before Drinking. Anytime the water in a particular faucet has not been used for six hours or longer, "flush" your cold-water pipes by running the water until it becomes as cold as it will get.

(This could take as little as five to thirty seconds if there has been recent heavy water use such as showering or toilet flushing. Otherwise, it could take two minutes or longer.) The more time water has been sitting in your home's pipes, the more lead it may contain. Only Use Cold Water for Consumption Use only water from the cold-water tap for drinking, cooking, and especially for making baby formula. Hot water is likely to contain higher levels of lead. The two actions recommended above are very important to the health of your family.

They will probably be effective in reducing lead levels because most of the lead in household water usually comes from the plumbing in your house, not from the local water supply. Have Your Water Tested After you have taken the two precautions above for reducing the lead in water used for drinking or cooking, have your water tested. The only way to be sure of the amount of lead in your household water is to have it tested by a competent laboratory. Your water supplier may be able to offer information or assistance with testing. Testing is especially important for apartment dwellers, because flushing may not be effective in high-rise buildings with lead-soldered central piping. Too much lead in the human body can cause serious damage to the brain, kidneys, nervous system, and red blood cells.

The greatest risk even if its short term exposure is to a young child and to a pregnant woman. I felt that the author covered the topic very well because they gave a lot of information on different phases of drinking water such as contaminants and a website address to get a list that EPA regulates, information on why lead is a problem in drinking water, and how to obtain certain test. The author did lean to one side and that seem to be the safety and health of the people, which I feel is their job. A question was asked, What is the government doing about the problem of lead in household water? and the author stated that there are two major governmental actions to reduce your exposure to lead: Safe Drinking Water Act, EPA and in June 1986, President Reagan signed amendments to the Safe Drinking Water Act and information on these.

Information was gathered for this report so the author did their homework. On this article I give the author an A for performance evaluation. This issue of drinking water and health is very important to me because I had colon cancer in 1995 and I like to keep my system as clean as possible. This means that I try to used a lot of organic foods and drink distilled steam water since this is suppose to be the purest. I can tell the difference in my body when I drink distilled as opposed to tap water.

I need the purest and cleanest water I can get. I also need the purest water for my sick mother and I was very glad to find out in this article some ways that you can test for contaminants and lead in the water. Also for the different websites you can go to to find information. It was well worth my while to read this article.