Drinking Water Safety - Citizens Drink Contaminated Water While Government Sleeps
In the US, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is responsible for insuring public drinking water safety, but the even the EPA itself admits that their own efforts fall well short. Samples taken from drinking water faucets in homes and offices located in areas of the Corn Belt and in other states showed high levels of cancer-causing herbicides and pesticides. In other words, they found bug spray and weed killer.
These findings were published in a USA Today article as well as in other sources. I subscribe to the EPA's newsletter to keep informed about drinking water safety and many other environmental issues. There is no doubt in my mind that traces of pollutants used in the environment build up in our bodies over time and cause many age-related diseases.
In the past, the only decision a homeowner had to make about drinking water faucets was whether to choose the design. Should I choose a modern or an antique finish?
But today homeowners face other choices...like what kind of purifier to install on their drinking water faucets. Should I choose a kitchen counter filter or an under-the-counter unit? Is a whole house purifier a better choice than having individual units throughout the house? Those are just a couple of the questions that we face. Then we have to compare the quality, performance, and price of water filters.
It is your individual responsibility to ensure your own drinking water safety. We have kids to worry about and even our pets are susceptible to the chemicals in the environment that end up in our freshwater as well as the chemicals added at water treatment facilities.
I have a dog that had stomach problems from the time he was a puppy---throwing up, diarrhea, constipation. The vet blamed it on the dog's breed. I tried every different kind of food on the market. But nothing cleared up the problem until we started giving him purified water.
The purifier that we have on our drinking water faucets has a switch that turns it off to save the filter life. For some reason, I never thought that purifying the dog's water was important. So, trying to save money, I turned it off when filling their bowls. You can probably imagine how guilty I feel now.
A number of recent studies have concerned drinking water safety and THM exposure. Chlorination produces byproducts known as THMs. They are known to increase the risk of bladder and colorectal cancer in humans.
At the time of this writing, the EPA still stands by their outdated viewpoint that drinking water is the only risk. According to them, consumers only need filters on their drinking water faucets. However, recent scientific evidence indicates that exposure from showering in chlorinated water is just as great. Obviously, scientists and the EPA don't agree when it comes to drinking water safety. In the end, It's up to you to decide what your family needs.
About the Author:
Zach Zimmerman has been researching water purification methods for several years. Visit his webpage Natural Purified Water to discover how to select the very best water filtration system for your home or office. Invest in your health and buy a home water filter, but make sure you make it a good one.