Contaminated Drinking Water

Drinking water contaminated on reports are frightening. Environmental groups, organizations for consumer protection and health agencies are all concerned about the contamination of drinking water. The groups want the government to "do" something. Meanwhile, it is for us to know what's in our water and how to get out.

Processing facilities are expected to publish the results of tests on the water content of the public on a bi-annual or quarterly. These reports are designed to warn officials about the contaminated drinking water, so that people can make great efforts to protect themselves.

The problem is, according to investigative journalists at the Washington Post, a very large number of treatment facilities in major cities are "falsifying" the results of the tests. In other words, there could be contamination of drinking water in your town and you never know, unless you got sick.

Several years ago, in Milwaukee, more than 100 people have died because of cryptosporidium contaminated drinking water. The parasite is microscopic. During the cyst stage of life, it is virtually undetectable and highly resistant to disinfection methods. Thus, even when treatment facilities do their work, contamination of drinking water is always a possibility.

There have been numerous reports of drinking water contaminated with lead in many cities across the country, including the U.S. capital, Baltimore, MD and many others. The problem, according to government officials is that in previous years, copper pipes were lined with lead and was used for welding elbow.

As the pipe ages, the lead seeps into the water and is found in homes. Contamination of drinking water of this type do not usually cause instant death, or illness, when there are no outbreaks reported. The Centers for Disease Control have little chance to participate. Everyone around pointing fingers at everybody, as people get sicker and sicker.

Lead poisoning causes brain damage, learning disabilities, birth defects, nutritional deficiencies and an assortment of other health problems long term. However, in areas with drinking water contaminated by lead, no one says the average guy on the street that its tap water is unsafe.

In many places, aging fuel tanks have caused contamination of drinking water clear. People can feel it. But in most cases, contamination of drinking water supplies looks and smells normal.

Ralph Nader has been warning people for years that there are over 2,000 different chemicals that cause cancer in tap water. You can not see the chemicals and some of them have an odor. Chlorine is a chemical that have been associated with an increased risk of cancer.

The sad thing is that we have put chlorine in public water to prevent contamination of drinking water. It kills most bacteria and other organisms. Apparently it can eventually kill people, too.

The only way to really be sure that you have not contaminated the drinking water is to invest in a good system in-house water purification. If you're not sure what's in it, you can always have an independent lab to do some testing for you. It may be safest to do so.