We have consistently been polluting this vital resource for a long time. Let’s take some time to explore sources of water.

Tap water is easy and inexpensive. Many people drink from the tap and use it in their everyday cooking. It can be municipal water or well water that is pumped into your home. However, as the years pass, there are more and more reports of people who have been negatively affected by drinking what they thought was safe water. The infrastructure of most systems are aging to the point where they are crumbling. The most recent report is out of Flint Michigan and unsafe levels of lead.

I always thought that our municipal water supply was purified water – pure like ‘fresh’! I did not realize there are contaminants in our drinking water. The EPA (Environmental Protection Agency) is a Federal agency that regulates what is considered a safe level of contaminant. They fall into the following categories:

Microorganisms such as Cryptosporidium that caused a gastrointestinal illness which made first hundreds, then thousands and tens of thousands of people sick in Milwaukee in 1993 with diarrhea, vomiting and cramps. It was an epidemic that ultimately prompted dramatic changes in how the city treats its water.

Disinfectants and Disinfection Byproducts such as chloramines, chlorine and chlorine dioxide added to the water to control microbes. They are toxins capable of causing eye/nose irritation, stomach discomfort and/or anemia. In young children, they may affect the nervous system.

Inorganic Chemicals include arsenic, asbestos, cyanide, lead, mercury and many more. They have been known to cause a whole host of ailments when the levels are high. Blood pressure, the circulatory system, intestinal lesions/polyps, cholesterol, liver, kidney, allergies, bone may all develop imbalances. These are just a few and when children are involved, developmental issues may arise.

Organic Chemicals on the list are impressive. I do not recognize any of the names but I see that most of them come from discharge from industrial (chemical) factories and runoff/residue from herbicidal use. Others leach into the system from linings in water tanks and fumigants used on crops.

Radionuclides have 4 categories. The contaminants may increase your risk of cancer and they are all due to an erosion of natural deposits.

** If you want to know more details, visit the EPA website and search for the table of regulated drinking water contaminants.

I’m not sure who decided it is ok to have contaminants in the water, but I was not in the room when they decided that. I’m sure they had extensive testing to determine who got sick at which level and what they had. (Remember Erin Brokovitch)? I’m not buying the ‘koolaid’ they are selling me. The chlorine level in my tap water was tested with a simple pool tester. There was more chlorine in it than was safe for a swimming pool. I do not drink or cook with tap water.

Every few years, we have a new scientific study telling us something we thought was safe is not. There are always improvements made to the hardware scientists use to discover, observe and test things in our environment – food, soil, air, etc.. There is no such thing as a perfect science to anything. We just have to make our own best judgements based on the information we have at hand.

In the mid ‘90’s, I was part owner in a Spring Water distribution business. Everywhere I went I heard. “I have Well Water! It’s really great”! This is what I learned. Unless you are at the top of the mountain/hill, that well is susceptible to runoff from the farmland around you, the factories next to you and/or the landfill behind you. (Read the Organic Contaminants list at the EPA website. It may change your mind). Testing your well water regularly is a precaution to the changing environment.

Finally, there is Spring Water and the issues involved with this industry. An aquifer is a natural, underground filter system made of gravel. Water from the surface, filters through the gravel stones and most contaminants are naturally removed, resulting in Spring Water.

The FDA (U.S. Food & Drug Administration) regulates all bottled water. By federal law, FDA regulations governing the safety and quality of bottled water must be at least as stringent as EPA standards for tap water. In NYS, we have even more stringent regulations to label bottled water as Spring Water. You may believe that everything in a bottle is Spring Water. Some bottled water is marked ‘purified’ or distilled if you look closely. It can be a form of tap water in a bottle. You cannot assume it is the quality of water you expect just because it is in a bottle on a shelf.

There are other things to consider when purchasing bottled water, whether it is spring water or not. One most important issue is the environmental impact of plastic bottles in landfills. One plastic bottle can take hundreds of years to decompose; therefore, loading up our landfills for years at a time. It would be nice if everyone recycled plastic bottles, but they don’t.

Some people fill these plastic bottles up more than once with tap water. The type of plastic bottle in which water is usually sold is a #1. These Plastic bottles contain a harmful substance called polyethylene terephthalate, or PET, which is dangerous to human health. Even though this plastic has been certified safe for packaging food and drink, they are only recommended for one time use. Do not refill them.

The production of one plastic bottle uses energy, omits toxins into the air, and uses three times more water to produce the bottle than actually put into the bottle for drinking. Some people have begun to purchase reusable plastic bottles. They are colorful, sturdy and save on the cost of purchasing bottled water. However, you are still filling them with tap water that may or may not be questionable. What happens when you are out of the house and need to refill?

I have concluded that the only way to go is to have a portable filtered water bottle you can trust. That’s Part 3.