Fluoride is Added to Our Drinking Water EVERYWHERE You’ve probably heard of fluoride. Not only is it added to our toothpaste and mouthwash, but it’s also added to our drinking water. The average American is exposed to fluoride throughout the day. There has been much debate about whether this is a good idea. Here are some of the facts. How and Why Our Drinking Water is Fluoridated Fluoride, like chlorine,
Old Pipes, Farms, and Factories Add Poisonous Chemicals to Your Drinking Water The Eastern United States doesn’t have the drought conditions of the Western United States. But many other issues significantly impact their drinking water quality and threaten your health! Crumbling Pipes Leach Heavy Metals The cities and towns in the eastern United States are the oldest in our country. Because of this, they have outdated water distribution systems that
The US is Full of Hard Water Did you know that approximately 85% of the US has hard drinking water? This means it has a high concentration of dissolved minerals, primarily calcium and magnesium. There’s a scale that measures the hardness and softness of water. The amount of dissolved minerals is measured by grains per gallon. It is considered soft water if your water has less than one grain per
You’re Drinking Sex Hormones, Antibiotics, Mood Stabilizers, and More Pharmaceutical drugs in our tap water are a real and growing concern. According to Associate Press, at least 41 million Americans are exposed to these drugs daily! These pharmaceutical drugs include antibiotics, anticonvulsants, mood stabilizers, and sex hormones. To be fair, the concentrations of these drugs are small. They’re measured in parts per billion or trillion which is far below a
Contaminated Drinking Water in More American Homes It’s been a rough few years for rainfall, especially on the West Coast. Terms like “severe drought” and even “mega drought” have been thrown around to describe the dire conditions. The Colorado River, which snakes through the Grand Canyon, might completely dry up. Can you imagine seeing the Grand Canyon without the Colorado River? Then there’s Lake Mead, one of our largest water
Chloramine in Our Drinking Water Chloramine is a compound formed by the reaction of chlorine and ammonia. Chlorine is a toxic gas. Ammonia is another pungent, toxic gas with a sharp odor. Put the two together in a solid form, and you’ve got chloramine. Why Do Public Water Systems Use Chloramine? So, why are two really toxic and pungent gasses in the form of chloramine added to our drinking water?
The Safe Water Drinking Act Your municipal water treatment facility is bound by the Safe Water Drinking Act (SWDA), a US federal law enacted in 1974 to protect public health by regulating the nation’s public drinking water supply. The SDWA sets national standards for contaminants in public water supplies, including naturally occurring and man-made pollutants such as lead, arsenic, and pesticides. The EPA also sets water treatment and distribution standards
They Spilled Hazardous Chemicals and Didn’t Tell Anyone for FIVE MONTHS! On March 17th, 2023, ABC News reported that a cleanup was underway for 400,000 gallons of radioactive water leaked from Xcel Energy, a nuclear power plant in Monticello, Minnesota. However, the leak happened in November of 2022, and the people in the surrounding communities weren’t notified until March 2023, a full five months later! An Xcel Energy spokesman said
Your Water Filter Isn’t Enough According to a survey conducted by the Water Quality Association in 2019, approximately 77% of American households use some form of water treatment or filtration, including filtering their tap water. But the most common form of water filtration is activated carbon, which is ineffective in removing the most dangerous contaminants. Which Water Category Do You Fall In? When it comes to drinking water, most Americans
What is a Heavy Metal? The technical definition of a heavy metal is a metallic element that’s dense. These elements include lead, cadmium, arsenic, mercury, chromium, nickel, and more. All of these heavy metals occur naturally and get introduced into our drinking water through processes such as volcanic explosions and the erosion of rocks. The Safe Drinking Water Act (SDWA) sets national standards for drinking water quality and establishes maximum
