An Amoeba in tap water kills woman in Seattle. How can you protect yourself?
The death of a woman in Seattle from an amoeba in her tap water has people wondering how to protect themselves. This is apparently the second infection in Seattle from granulomatous amoebic encephalitis (GAE), one of three brain eating species of Amoeba known to exist in the US. There have been an estimated 109 known infections in the US since 1974. Ninety percent were fatal. Continue reading
One aspect of water treatment seldom mentioned to consumers is contact time. Incoming water must remain in contact with the carbon in your filter for a certain amount of time in order for contaminants to be removed. In the case of chloramine, which is very difficult to remove from water, a 2 cu ft whole house water can completely remove chloramine at a flow rate of 3 gallons per minute (gpm). If the water is flowing faster than 3 gpm some chloramine will remain in the water. So the size of your whole house water filter is important to removing contaminants.
Another issue is that cities will add more chloramine in the summer months and less in the winter. The amount of chloramine in your water also matters.
Most whole house filters are tested for the removal of chlorine, which happens to be the easiest contaminant in water to remove. NSF42, an aesthetic certification touted by water treatment dealers relates to the reduction of chlorine.
Bacteria in City Water is causing sickness and death. Illness and Deaths due to contaminated city water has increaased, according to new reports by the Center for Disease Control. Interestingly, most of the problems stem from bacteria, in particular Legionella, which was also discovered in the water towers at Disney World just recently.
‘These outbreaks led to at least 1,006 cases of illness, 124 hospitalizations and 13 deaths across Alaska, Arizona, Florida, Idaho, Indiana, Kansas, Maryland, Michigan, Montana, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Tennessee, Virginia, West Virginia and Wisconsin.’
The best water filter is the one that removes the contaminants in your water.
Just today an article came out discussing the fact that some 63 million people have been exposed to dangerous toxins in their water during the past ten years. You can read that article here:
But I want to caution you not to generalize as a result of reading this. Continue reading
People are not taking the problems with drinking water seriously enough. Perhaps you are …. because you’re reading this article. But most people are not. There are two big news items out just this week that pertain to tap water. First is that drinking water affects the health of young men.
One study cites a 50% decline in the sperm count of men in the US and Europe. That relates to the use of plastics and the presence of endocrine disruptors in water. If your water source is a river with cities upstream these are in your water. Continue reading
This article is intended to clarify the difference between my Urban Defender, a backwashing whole house water filter, and cheaper whole house carbon systems that do not backwash. Learn more here. Upflow filters cost less and are less effective. Backwash filters are more effective at contaminant removal and last longer. Finally, at the end of this article I’ll also address some misleading claims made by the manufacturers of upflow filters.
The backwash function on a whole house water filter cleans and redistributes the carbon media on a consistent basis at a specified flow rate for a specified length of time. The backwash also removes media fines to the drain. Proper back wash helps to provide consistent flow, increased contaminant removal and longer media life.
An upflow filter with no backwash results in inconsistent, typically inadequate flow to keep the media bed clean. An Upflow system is designed such that the water flows up through the media, theoretically eliminating the need for backwash while also providing a system that costs less. Continue reading
When people call me to ask what water filtration system I recommend I always look at their local water report. Only then can I make a recommendation. There are several reasons for this. Pharmaceuticals in drinking water are a major concern.
First, what is the source of the water? If it is a river with cities upstream then there will be sewage present in the water and therefore: pharmaceuticals. And while USEPA has not declared these to be a health issue for humans they are known to have harsh impacts on fish. The impact of anti-depressents on fish: It changes their behavior dramatically. What is it doing to us? Continue reading
I am writing this to provide you with information so that you are more aware of how you may be affected by recent political actions regarding source water protection. The water you drink comes from someplace upstream. So, when those sources are polluted your drinking water is also polluted. You must protect yourself.
Every day people call me to learn how to remove the contaminants in either their water. Every day I look at water reports and advise people what they can do to protect themselves. The first thing we look at when reviewing a water report is where the water comes from. Does it come from the mountains? Are there cities upstream? Are there farms or mines upstream? Whatever is happening upstream of you affects the quality of the water you drink. To know what’s in your water you must know what’s happening upstream.
The Trump administration, in collaboration with Congress, is taking steps to remove protections from drinking water sources. Recently Congress passed legislation allowing coal mining operations to again dump waste into nearby streams.
No amount of lead in drinking water is safe. I have been saying for many years that USEPA standards for contaminants in water are a political compromise.
Just because your water meets EPA standards (MCL) does not mean the water is ‘safe’. The standards start out with an orientation toward health. In other words, EPA looks for contaminants in water that can negatively affect your health. But then when they establish that standard they must consider the cost of forcing every water system in the country to meet that standard.
Joel Beauvias, the deputy assistant administrator for the EPA’s Office of Water, said the agency has “consistently said that no level of lead is safe.” But, he explained, the agency has to set limits that can be reasonably achieved.
The final MCL, or maximum contaminant level, established by EPA ends up being a compromise between health and cost. If you want to eliminate a particular contaminant, and I certainly suggest that you do, then you must do that on your own.
Here is an interesting article which cites EPA sources agreeing with my assessment about lead in drinking water: Continue reading
Finally a good article for consumers about the pros and cons of various types of whole house carbon filters.
This article is so good I decided to share it with you right away.
Please note:
There is a brief discussion of chloramine and its disinfection byproducts, which differ from those of chlorine yet are also toxic to humans.
This is useful information if you have chloramine in your water.
Next the article talks about the pro and cons of various whole house carbon filters.
Continue reading