When a water supplier takes untreated water from a river or reservoir,
the water often contains dirt and tiny pieces of leaves and other organic
matter, as well as trace amounts of certain contaminants. When it gets
to the treatment plant, water suppliers often add chemicals called
coagulants to the water. These act on the water as it flows very slowly
through tanks so that the dirt and other contaminants form clumps that
settle to the bottom. Usually, this water then flows through a filter for removal
of the smallest contaminants like viruses and Giardia.

Most ground water is naturally filtered as it passes through layers of
the earth into underground reservoirs known as aquifers. Water that
suppliers pump from wells generally contains less organic material
than surface water and may not need to go through any or all of the
treatments described in the previous paragraph. The quality of the
water will depend on local conditions.
The most common drinking water treatment, considered by many to
be one of the most important scientific advances of the 20th century, is
disinfection. Most water suppliers add chlorine or another disinfectant
to kill bacteria and other germs.
Water suppliers use other treatments as needed, according to the
quality of their source water. For example, systems whose water is
contaminated with organic chemicals can treat their water with activated
carbon, which adsorbs or attracts the chemicals dissolved in the
water.

Using the new information that is now available about drinking water, citizens
can both be aware of the challenges of keeping drinking water safe and take
an active role in protecting drinking water. There are lots of ways that
individuals can get involved. Some people will help clean up the watershed
that is the source of their community’s water. Other people might get involved
in wellhead protection activities to prevent the contamination of the ground
water source that provides water to their community. These people will be
able to make use of the information that states and water systems are
gathering as they
assess their sources
of water.
Other people will
want to attend
public meetings to
ensure that the
community’s need
for safe drinking
water is considered
in making decisions
about land use. You
may wish to
participate as your state and water system make funding decisions. And all
consumers can do their part to conserve water and to dispose properly of
household chemicals.

Using the new information that is now available about drinking water, citizens
can both be aware of the challenges of keeping drinking water safe and take
an active role in protecting drinking water. There are lots of ways that
individuals can get involved. Some people will help clean up the watershed
that is the source of their community’s water. Other people might get involved
in wellhead protection activities to prevent the contamination of the ground
water source that provides water to their community. These people will be
able to make use of the information that states and water systems are
gathering as they
assess their sources
of water.
Other people will
want to attend
public meetings to
ensure that the
community’s need
for safe drinking
water is considered
in making decisions
about land use. You
may wish to
participate as your state and water system make funding decisions. And all
consumers can do their part to conserve water and to dispose properly of
household chemicals.

Drinking water suppliers are required to monitor and test their water many
times, for many things, before sending it to consumers. These tests determine
whether and how the water needs to be treated, as well as the effectiveness
of the treatment process. If a water system consistently sends to
consumers water that contains a contaminant at a level higher than EPA or
state health standards or if the system fails to monitor for a contaminant, the
system is violating regulations, and is subject to fines and other penalties.
When a water system violates a drinking water regulation, it must
notify the people who drink its water about the violation, what it
means, and how they should respond. In cases where the water presents
an immediate health threat, such as when people need to boil
water before drinking it, the system must use television, radio, and
newspapers to get the word out as quickly as possible. Other notices
may be sent by mail, or delivered with the water bill. Each water
suppliers’ annual water quality report must include a summary of all
the violations that occurred during the previous year.

EPA has set standards for more than 80 contaminants that may occur in
drinking water and pose a risk to human health. EPA sets these standards to
protect the health of everybody, including vulnerable groups like children.
The contaminants fall into two groups according to the health effects that
they cause. Your local water supplier will alert you through the local media,
direct mail, or other means if there is a potential acute or chronic health
effect from compounds in the drinking water. You may want to contact them
for additional information specific to your area.
Acute effects occur within hours or days of the time that a person
consumes a contaminant. People can suffer acute health effects from almost
any contaminant if they are exposed to extraordinarily high levels (as in the
case of a spill). In drinking water, microbes, such as bacteria and viruses,
are the contaminants with the greatest chance of reaching levels high enough
to cause acute health effects. Most people’s bodies can fight off these
microbial contaminants the way they fight off germs, and these acute
contaminants typically don’t have permanent effects. Nonetheless, when
high enough levels occur, they can make people ill, and can be dangerous or
deadly for a person whose immune system is already weak due to
HIV/AIDS, chemotherapy, steroid use, or another reason.
Chronic effects occur after people consume a contaminant at levels
over EPA’s safety standards for many years. The drinking water
contaminants that can have chronic effects are chemicals (such as disinfection
by-products, solvents, and pesticides), radionuclides (such as radium),
and minerals (such as arsenic). Examples of these chronic effects include
cancer, liver or kidney problems, or reproductive difficulties.

People who have HIV/AIDS, are undergoing chemotherapy, take
steroids, or for another reason have a weakened immune system may
be more susceptible to microbial contaminants, including Cryptosporidium,
in drinking water. If you or someone you know fall into one of these
categories, talk to your health care provider to find out if you need to take
special precautions, such as boiling your water.
Young children are particularly susceptible to the effects of high levels
of certain contaminants, including nitrate and lead. To avoid exposure
to lead, use water from the cold tap for making baby formula, drinking,
and cooking, and let the water run for a minute or more if the
water hasn’t been turned on for six or more hours. If your water
supplier alerts you that your water does not meet EPA’s standard for
nitrates and you have children less than six months old, consult your health
care provider. You may want to find an alternate source of water that
contains lower levels of nitrates for your child.

The Safe Drinking Water Act gives the Environmental Protection Agency
(EPA) the responsibility for setting national drinking water standards that
protect the health of the 250 million people who get their water from public water systems. Other people get their water
from private wells which are not subject to
federal regulations. Since 1974, EPA has set
national standards for over 80 contaminants
that may occur in drinking water.
While EPA and state governments set and
enforce standards, local governments and
private water suppliers have direct responsibility
for the quality of the water that flows to your tap.
Water systems test and treat their water, maintain the
distribution systems that deliver water to consumers, and report on their
water quality to the state. States and EPA provide technical assistance to
water suppliers and can take legal action against systems that fail to provide
water that meets state and EPA standards.

A clean, constant supply of drinking water is essential to every community.
People in large cities frequently drink water that comes from
surface water sources, such as lakes, rivers, and reservoirs. Sometimes
these sources are close to the community. Other times, drinking water
suppliers get their water from sources many miles away. In either case,
when you think about where your drinking water comes from, it’s
important to consider not just the part of the river or lake that you can
see, but the entire watershed. The watershed is the land area over
which water flows into the river, lake, or reservoir.
In rural areas, people are more likely to drink ground water that was
pumped from a well. These wells tap into aquifers—the natural
reservoirs under the earth’s surface—that may be only a few miles
wide, or may span the borders of many states. As with surface water, it
is important to remember that activities many miles away from you
may affect the quality of ground water.
Your annual drinking water quality report will tell you where your
water supplier gets your water.

By David Z

It’s that time of year again, when you’re logging more hours than ever at the mall. Blame stress, blame shopping fatigue, or blame the irresistible smell of food-court treats slamming your senses from the minute you walk in the door—whatever the reason, you’ll probably end up chowing down at the mall during your shopping trip.

Here’s the danger: Studies have shown that the more temptation people resist, the harder it becomes to continue resisting. That means after hours of being surrounded by last-minute sales, special offers and life-changing, one-time deals, your ability to resist the enticing edibles of the mall food court may be severely compromised. And considering the industrial-strength calorie bombs we uncovered while researching the Eat This, Not That! series, a lack of willpower in the presence of mall eateries can be a very dangerous thing. Read the rest of this entry »

By Denise

One you’ll do! When I want quick results, I do interval training. Research shows that vigorous bouts of aerobic exercise followed by easier ones, or mixing cardio intervals with strength training (as I do here), burns tons more calories in less time than if you were to work out at a steady intensity.

Intervals supercharge your metabolism, so you burn calories all day long. And constantly switching from one move to the next keeps things interesting.

The following program combines kicks, jumps, and squats. It really works your hips, thighs, and buns, so you tone and trim inches at the same time. Read the rest of this entry »