Safe Water To Drink
Having clean air to breathe and safe water to drink is a right no person should be without, and one that is becoming increasingly difficult to achieve given the growing pollution everywhere. The global impact of contaminated drinking water is staggering. Waterborne diseases account for up to eighty percent of illnesses in developing countries. Due to poor healthcare and poor health prior to illness, many of those diseases cause death in their victims. The death toll from these waterborne diseases are estimated by the World Health Organization (WHO) to be five million deaths each year.
Water is essential for life, yet it's not just people in countries with poor domestic infrastructure that lack good, clean water. In places like Canada and the U.S., the problem is not critical; however, that doesn't mean our water supply is as clean as we would like it to be. Water purifiers and air cleaners are sorely needed in many environments.
Assessing Your Environment's Air and Water Quality
Water testing and treatment can be expensive and time-consuming, but they are the only ways a homeowner can ensure a safe, reliable water supply. Testing water for every contaminant is impractical and, more to the point, not necessary. It is more important to test on a regular basis for a few indicators of contamination and to maintain a record of water quality. This helps to identify changes in the supply, contamination of the water source or deterioration of the water system. Good records of water quality are also important, should you need to prove that your water has been contaminated.
Standard lab procedures identify the amounts of bacterial and chemical pollutants that affect water quality. Routine annual water tests are most important, even if no obvious water problems exist. For household water supplies, test for the total amount of coliform bacteria, nitrate, pH (acid or alkaline level), and total dissolved solids. Accurate tests will give you a good idea of whether or not you have safe water to drink and, if not, what sort of potential water purification system you need.
