How Healthy is Your Drinking Water? (Part 1)

When I was working as a StageHand I often worked with Touring Shows, of either Musicians or Dance, or Theater. They all typically carried with them, or bought one brand of bottled water explaining that even in the US there were waters that were safe for locals, but may not sit as well with tour crews or performers.

Certainly for those traveling often in and out and around the country, this made sense to me.

I link the rise of bottle water to about 1984, or whenever Above Ground Nuclear Bomb Tests by China were reported to have dropped Plutonium Fallout into the Reservoirs that supplied New York City drinking water.

Now there's a new slant on the detrimental effect of the Chinese rise to prominence.

I see a more compelling argument for the rise of bottled water - stupidity coupled with snobbishness.

I have lived in many parts of the world where it is patently stupid to drink the local tap water without some form of treatment, but when I see tourists in Paris buying water at the same price that I am paying for wine I just have to laugh. Drink from the public horse fountains and wash it down with good wine.

No wonder people get sick - their stomachs are sterile.

you hve to know, no everywhere spring water can be drunk. some of spring water cannt be drunk. they have poisonious meterial.

the west people like to drink sparkling water, may be only ad, I dont think its better than nature spring water

in the summer, we occationally drink some carbonated water to drop heat. do drink more.

dont drink distileed water. no good. it can be use for medicine. its good.

In china, our tap water can only be cooked. almost of our units, offical department drink barrel pure water.

I still prefer to drink chinese tea or hot water.

It is disappointing that water advertising is so skewed. The advertising is very misleading (using mountain tops on their labels instead of pictures of faucets) and while reading the label would set you straight most of the time, it is apparent that not all people read their labels. Hopefully people begin to realize that the water they are drinking from bottles is just a more glorified (not necessarily healthier) version of what is coming out of a lot of peoples faucet. The marketing and advertising department of water bottle companies must be thrilled. They are tricking their consumer and the outcome is more sales.

You haven't noticed the traffic back-ups caused by convoys of water trucks coming down the mountains eh?

I drink filtered water if it's available (and tastes good). If not, I opt for bottled. I also take bottled water with me on trips where I can't take my Pur fridge filter. I need to drink about 3-4 bottles a day to feel good (more when it's hot) so I need to make sure I don't run out - filling up my Sigg and bringing it along isn't going to last all day at a horse show where there's no good water source!

I have water filter at home and I mostly drink filtered water as common tap water from Municipality is not safe.My filter consists of carbon granules and UV tube also filter candle. It is three stage treatment. Are there any other better filters available?.

I don't know if this is "better" or not but we have a system on our well that injects ozone into the water. That kills any bacteria and oxidizes a lot of the metals. The ozone laden water goes into a separation tank to loose a lot of the ozone and then into a bi-media filter which has a filter media for the oxidized particulates and then a carbon filter. Then it's into a standard water softener.

Our well is way over standards for light metals so the ozone was a better way to go than UV. Other than that it sounds like your system is pretty much industry standard.

I've never understood why Americans would buy bottled water and then complain about the price of gasoline. Makes no sense to me. But then again neither does the blog we're all responding too. As far as supposed plutonium from China in the NYC water system I would suggest that the acid and particulates from the coal fired power plants in the midwest are a bigger threat. In fact I have never found a paper that cites any presense of plutonium in the NYC reservoirs. Do you have one?

Maybe it was coincidental that the rise of bottled water coincided with that event. At the time of the China Bomb tests, it was reported that fallout had contaminated NYC water supplies, and it was just then that I noticed increased availability and marketing of bottled water.

I don't have a paper on this. It was an anecdotal aside. I do remember there was a Saturday Night Live skit that reported the Bomb Test Fallout as if it was normal weather, that was pretty funny, sort of.

P.S. I never hesitated to drink NYC water from the tap, it was and is reported to be very good. It tasted fine to me, though it is also reported that though NYC water as it is supplied is of a very high standard, in old buildings there is some danger of lead due to old plumbing.

I never drink water of specific processing. I drink, whatever comes through tap, whatever available during my every fortnight end trek. i never faced any problem, though I know no municipality water is real pure.

Foreigners visiting India, almost necessarily fell sick within week after drinking some normal water. This is because, with pure water, they loose their immunity. On the other hand, we never fell sick while in visiting any foreign country.

I do not think, real pure water which makes you loose immunity is good. It should not be bad water, but it should not be ultra pure too.

Interesting idea. I have been working on a portable water treatment unit for use in the bush and emergency situations. We have been having a difficult time coming up with a unit that would meet US municipal water standards but a guy from India and the people testing the unit in Africa say it is great. It does a good job of killing a lot of pathogens but isn't 100%. Never the less it's quite successful.

So what is "good enough water?" Interesting question. In the US the tendency is to try to get rid of everything. But I agree that you are right - having a natural immunity is better than relying on the government!

Good question " What is good enough?"

I do not know technically "What is good enough?". But I will say the water we get in Mumbai taps is good enough quality.

I know what are the treatments Mumbai Water Treatment Plant, raw water gets, though I am not from Mumbai.

1. Filteration in Sand beds

2. Treatment of Aum and sludge removal after Alum mixing.

3. Chlorination to required level.

Raw water is from various dams and water in not hard.

I doubt if other cities have the quality of Mumbai tratment plant.

With no special care about selecting the water, at my age of 56 (and my other friends in my treking group), I am so immune that occassionally, we drink water from any small pond on hills (even with algea in it), water from open wells in villages. We never faced any illness by drinking these waters. Never.

I recommend distilled water. The first time I distilled my Decatur, Illinois municipal water I was appalled. There was some very stinky gunk and a lot of sediment. You should get all the minerals you need from your food, and supplements. There is no need to get minerals from your H2O. Distilling water is simple, and effective. It also tastes like just water. Try distilling your local water to see what is left. Distillers start at about $90 online.

You need put that distiller outside or in a well ventilated space. You don't need those gases in the kitchen

Suhas, it is a great relief for me and my family, at last there is one guy is standing along with us in drinking water straight from tap. Yes we do this. Even while traveling we do not buy bottled, whatever be the brand, water but fill it from the taps available in bus-stand or railway platforms. Like you we have never fallen sick during tours because of water. My daughter is 16 years old now. We have inculcated the habit of drinking water from wherever available and whatever form, due to which she has developed very good immunity to deceases. At home also we drink direct from the tap, though the tap water comes from overhead tank which is pumped from a Borewell. But my wife sometimes tells her relatives that we drink only municipal water because they consider it as a unhealthy practice to drink borewell water or direct from the tank. We never bought water filter nor planning to buy one. Sometimes, rare occasions, if we get sore throat we just use hot water (just hot enough to drink) and dont consume any medicine. At my office people boil the bottled water and drink and if they feel tap water is not safe enough they drink Colas even during lunch. Recently my family had to north Indian tour of 40 days and except for my family everybody else in the touring party spent most part of the expenditure in buying bottled drink and most of them had health problems and all them were eying my family member with strange or jealousy look as how they are keeping their health even after drinking muddy water from the hand pumped borewell water. I hope have said enough for people to take your advice in this regard and develop natural immunity to deceases. I just remembered about my friend in USA. Whenever he has to visit India, he would drink water directly from tap for one month before his journey to India.

Bravo Ganapa. Keep it up and I need not wish you good health. You will be in good health.

Yes, now a days people spend on bottled water, with just a belief, that it is more purified. Some reports say (even in USA) the bottling plants are just filling the water from the taps, with no furter treatment.

Besides, those who drink Cola, are damaging their health. Cola is ok just as an enjoyment, but certainly not good for health.

People on this forum also, may argue with us. But it is the fact that people like we have good immunity and people who drink altra pure water loose immunity. We wish those a good health.

I do not mind drinking from mountain springs and tap water , but drinking water from ponds? i do not worry much about the bateria but more about the parasites

Immunity from bacteria and virus' is one thing....and good to have.

Unfortunately there is no immunity for contamination by heavy metals, pesticides, expelled medications and voc's ....all of which find their way into groundwater and intakes.

For home filtration and disenfecting you have a good system. There are some new cartridge type filters on the market that will even filter out virus with good flow characteristics. If you are interested I can supply more information when I get back to my home computer. One advantage to the ceramic filter candle you are using is that it can be washed when it becomes clogged.

Thanks for your suggestion.I earlier had a ceramic candle filter, but my son insisted on buying UV filter as per him it is much better in filtering water. Every six months we change the carbon and replace the filter membrane.

Hello suresh sharma,

You will find this very interesting:

A Practical, Life-Sustaining Water Filter

by Freda Parker
October 12, 2007

A problem and a solution

People caught in a disaster-devastated area always need clean water. By clean we mean without bacteria--the little unseen critters that make people sick with diseases like Cholera. Without it, they cannot maintain their health and strength and they cannot begin recovery.

http://static.monolithic.com/edcircle/waterfilter/index.html

Unless your tap water is contaminated, there is not an economic case for bottled water. The water quality from municipalities is in many cases better than the bottled water. Of course the bottlers and bottle manufacturers have to make a living, but Cocoa Cola is usually cheaper to drink than bottled water; the only problem is it rots your teeth.

I am surprised no more people have not replied to this blog. Safe drinking water is very important in every area of the planet. Yes adults can build up some resistance to some forms of dysentery. Amoebic dysentery, cholera, typhoid I do not think so. For example a man I met in Kenya in "08". His wife was suffering from malaria which by the way kills many each year contracted typhoid. She died leaving a husband with three children. Sure people die everyday but why should someone die from drinking water. Consider India. Some parts might be ok but many are not. 1.1 billion on this earth do not have safe drinking water. Because you are old and have survived drinking bad water is a testament to you blessedness and strength but what about all of the children and sick folk who have fell to simple dysentery. Sure many die from simple influenza but that is hard to avoid. Bad water can and should be taken care of right now. I have seen it and you probably have also where everyone and his brother has a cell phone but the children are still suffering from contaminated drinking water. Yes I do mean to stir everyone up who is interested. How else can you get people interested is what is necessary other than a Phone call with people talking and making plans about the next meeting concerning the next NGO who is coming with some money so we can pay our cell phone minutes so we can talk more about the next people who can pay our phone bills. I have never been one interested in status, maybe because of my age and upbringing. I was not raised by ignorant people but by family who took pride in their work and raising a family.

Do you want to really talk about safe drinking water? Then we need to get down to actually meeting the need of those who dont have the advantage most of us have. Myself I have a good well in my backyard, no worries. I know i am blessed, hence i have done thousands of hours of R&D in safe drinking water development for others. Has it paid off? Yes it has and will continue to do so as long as I can walk and talk.

Not all of the third world is like the ones I mentioned beforehand so I am spreading my resources. Aint it great to live where you can do whatever you like and have the blessings of God and his people to go to the four corners of the earth. Yes I have been to some of them. One being 200 miles from Timbuktu providing safe drinking water.

I am really not angry but just venting a little to let others know that there people and children who need good clean water.

thanks for your time

Rusty Shuping

Lifewater Medical Ministries

Hi Rusty Shuping,

May I suggest that if you are not a member of CR4 that you join.

Your comments are well taken. As an African I am truly grateful to the many people and organisations around the world that put in huge effort to ensure a safe supply of drinking water. What many do not realise is the social benefit that accrues from these programmes that is of almost equal importance to the health benefits.

Women and young girls no longer have to spend 4 or five hours a day collecting water for the family and so have time for education and commercial activities that were denied to them due to illness and time spent collecting water.

I think that most responders here have been looking more at the strange phenomena of people who can afford to waste money on bottled water in circumstance where it is truly unnecessary. Maybe we could impose a tax whereby 10% of all profit from bottled water could be funnelled into efforts such as yours.

This way the wealthy (foolish?) could support the drive for the basic human write to safe drinking water for all.

Post by Rusty Shuping is good. As well as you talk sensible.

But, you advise Rusty to become a member of CR4, where as you are not! Why you are not logging in?

gsuhas,

Apologies and you make a good point, I was travelling and not at my own computer. I repeat below:

Hi Rusty Shuping,

May I suggest that if you are not a member of CR4 that you join.

Your comments are well taken. As an African I am truly grateful to the many people and organisations around the world that put in huge effort to ensure a safe supply of drinking water. What many do not realise is the social benefit that accrues from these programmes that is of almost equal importance to the health benefits.

Women and young girls no longer have to spend 4 or five hours a day collecting water for the family and so have time for education and commercial activities that were denied to them due to illness and time spent collecting water.

I think that most responders here have been looking more at the strange phenomena of people who can afford to waste money on bottled water in circumstance where it is truly unnecessary. Maybe we could impose a tax whereby 10% of all profit from bottled water could be funnelled into efforts such as yours.

This way the wealthy (foolish?) could support the drive for the basic human write to safe drinking water for all.

Dear Rusty Guest, I as well hope you register to get full benefit of this site and forum. We hardly want to face the fact that water is more important than oil, or cell phones, or cars or about anything else, except maybe air.

Your letter touched me, as did some of the others.

I did read of a low cost water purification system a couple of years ago that was highlighted on this site that I now will attempt to find in my lists of involvements.

Possibly we may have to ask for a "rerun", for it was a singular achievement.

Many times things are done and put forth, forgotten, and then rediscovered before they are established.

In a correspondence with someone working on water issues at the UN about 4 years ago, she said, "Water is a Sexy Issue."

I'll see if I can find her address. I get what she was trying to say better and better.

WOW!! thanks for that exhaustive reply. Yes! If everyone has access to safe drinking water why one has to look around for bottled water which may or may not be safe. If you consider age and immunity I am 54 now and my daughter, as I already mentioned is 17years and we have inculcated the immunity in her since the age of 2. Nowadays how many parents risk this. They are just afraid, even the urban parents who have access to save municipal drinking water. People are also to be blamed for not demanding their right to have safe drinking water from the leader they voted for. These elected leaders always carry a load of bottled water when they visit their constituency and would not dare touch the available native water. At that time the voters should force the leaders to drink the locally available water and bring out a revolution such that the leaders should stop the usage bottled water. but WHO WILL BELL THE CAT.

Hello Rusty

What you wrote was really touched me too. Besides, it was inspiring.

Please let us (or at least me at gsuhas@gmail.com) about you, your location, your activities. It would be agreat pleasure to follow you, to the extent possible.

Regards,

gsuhas

My apologies. I did not realize I was not logged in earlier. Yes I am a member of CR4 and was happy to see this new blog. I have done earlier posts and questions since "06"

Yes I too have been searching for an inexpensive and long lasting solution for safe drinking water. It continues to be quite a challenge. I would be more than happy to share what i have learned and am working with at the moment.

Rusty Shuping

Please look at posts that have come to Water Treatment Bucket Systems.

Potters for Peace system is notable.

I was prompted to post a question in general looking for the invention mentioned a couple of years ago that was cheap and cleaned water.

see post #20

or were you refering to an "iStraw"

The question remains what exactly constitutes safe drinking water. Aquifers throughout the world have been contaminated by pesticides and voc's. Expelled medications of many kinds cannot be filtered out. Areas of high geological mineralization (eg copper, arsenic etc) pose a serious health risk.

Though biological contamination is the simplest to rectify I can't begin to think of the type of filters needed to accomodate the above. I'm sure they exist but I'm sceptical of how they are used due to cost constraints.

The only way to be sure is to know how to take water samples and give them to an independant lab to analyze. A full analysis in Canada usually runs between $1200 - $2000.

BTW...ones' fingernails are a good indicator of toxicity. White stripes indicate a high arsenic content.

Awhile ago I was given information of infusing water with O2, the method was purported to oxidize and eliminate all contaminants, I've scoured my files but can find references no to it

Heck..........why not go all the way and get it blessed? This was almost my last recourse before having to mortgage the twins.

I'm no chemist but I was under the impression that some oxides are partly the problem.

I'm miles from any source of contamination and yet my 220' deep (and very expensive) well was drilled through a vein of arsenopyrite. Finally, and on the third try, we hit on a shallow well with young (and very good) water. Had I known the expense beforehand I would've gone with a stream nearby and filtered out the biologicals....cheaper anyway.

At the current time most of drinkable water sources are not in good conditions and industries making negative impact on the rest water sources. this is not quite easy to handle this kind of situation. number of harmful bacteria's and harmful chemicals are mixed in the rivers and recovering them is a crucial work to do.

______________________________

Get Leakage Repair