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WATER FACTS
2000
WATER WATER EVERYWHERE! Lately, there have been some out of this world discoveries concerning water. NASA’s Galileo probe photographed the icy crust of Jupiter’s moon Europa, revealing cracks that may indicate an ocean of liquid water beneath. Another probe recently found evidence of tons of frozen water mixed in our moon’s soil. And there may well be water beneath Mars’ surface. Our water sources may not be quite so exotic – but then again, who knows? Some scientists think that tiny icy comets constantly bombard Earth and may be our planet’s source of water! December 2000 Back to the Top
Toxic
Arsenic Levels Present in U.S. Tap Water In May of this year, the Environmental
Protection Agency (EPA) called for lowering of the allowable levels of arsenic
in drinking water, from 50 parts per billion (ppb) to 5 ppb. The move followed
the National Academy of Sciences (NAS) recommendations that the current standard
could result in 1 person in 100 developing cancer over a lifetime of exposure. But a rider attached by Congressman Jim
Gibbons (R-NV) onto the appropriations bill for the Department of Housing and
Urban Development and the Department of Veterans Affairs, among others, delays
EPA from taking any action to lower arsenic levels in drinking water. The action
could postpone the lowing of allowable levels for another 6 months. “This was a bad process, and it produced
bad policy” said Senator Barbara Boxer (D-CA) who made a last ditch motion to
remove the rider but was voted down by the majority Republican Party. “It
demonstrates how much we need more people in the U.S. congress to stand up for
the environment and public health.” Long Term Exposure Linked To Cancer Arsenic occurs naturally in rocks, soil,
water and air. Scientists say that most water sources in the United States
contain levels less than 5 ppb, but the EPA cautions “there may be hot spots
with…higher than the predicted occurrence.” “More water systems in the western
states that depend on underground sources of drinking water have naturally
occurring levels of arsenic at levels greater than 10 ppb than in other parts of
the U.S. Parts of the Midwest and New England have systems whose current arsenic
levels range from 2 to 10 ppb,” according to the EPA. “Long term exposure to low
concentrations of arsenic in drinking water can lead to skin, bladder, lung and
prostate cancer. Non-cancer effects of ingesting arsenic at low levels include
cardiovascular disease, diabetes and anemia, as well as reproductive and
developmental, immunological and neurological effects”, according to the EPA
proposal to lower the standard. While the EPA notes that higher exposures to arsenic (those above the current 50 ppb standard) are rare, they estimate that lowering the standard to 5 ppb “will provide protection for 22.5 million Americans from cancer” and other health problems. November 2000
Back to the Top High Levels of Risky Chemicals found in Municipal Water Supply Dateline- Pahokee, FL Pahokee
and its neighbor South Bay are small cities located at the South End of Lake
Okeechobee in Florida. A majority of their residents are employed by or are
connected in some way to the sugar and vegetable industries that dominate this
region. Lake Okeechobee is a world famous Mecca for Bass Fisherman. The color of
the water in the lake can be described as golden brown. A high level of organics
in the water, the result of decaying vegetation, and the rich black muck that
lines the bottom of the lake cause the color.
This
summer, tests were conducted at five homes in the area and the results indicated
that the level of Trihalomethanes in their tap water was five to nine times the
federal maximum contaminate level.
Trihalomethanes are formed when chlorine, a common disinfectant, is added to the
water prior to distribution to resident’s homes. Trihalomethanes, also referred
to as “Disinfection Byproducts”, are formed when chlorine mixes with organics in
the water supply. FDA regulators say many years of exposure may increase the
risk of several types of cancer. Because the population of Pahokee and South Bay
are small (3,300 and 7,100 respectively) they did not have to meet federal
standards for Trihalomethanes. New rules will require them to meet the standards
by the year 2004.
September, 2000
Back to the
Top Hardly any of this 1.4 billion cubic kilometres is useful for human consumption. More than 97 percent is ocean water, too salty to drink or to use for irrigation. Freshwater stocks are only 2.5 percent of the total, and more than two-thirds of that is locked into polar ice and permanent snow cover. A large percentage of the remaining 10.9 million cubic kilometres lies too far underground to exploit, imprisoned in the pores of sedimentary rock. Freshwater lakes and rivers, the source of most of our usable water, contain only about 91,000 cubic kilometres, or 0.26 percent of the world's total supply of freshwater. Put another way, if all the Earth's water were stored in a five-litre container, the available freshwater would not quite fill a teaspoon. Only about one-third of all the precipitation falling on
land goes back to the oceans via rivers and groundwater r
Water is extremely important when it comes to sports and exercise.
Athletic performance can drop by as much as 20 – 30% if you lose as little as 4%
of your body’s water during exercise. Concentration and endurance begin to
waver, muscle cramps set in prematurely and other dehydration-induced injuries
may follow. Sports medicine experts recommend drinking 18 ounces of water ant
least 1-˝ hours before exercise, and then 6 – 12 ounces of water every 15
minutes to make up for water lost through perspiration.
Sports drinks are useful when consumed after or during vigorous and prolonged
exercise in high heat. But most experts agree that water works better than
carbohydrates or sugared beverages for moderate exercise. For instance, if you
drink 12 ounces of plain water, your body will absorb 8 ounces of it within 15
minutes. If you drink 12 ounces of a 10% sugar solution, less than 1 ounce will
be absorbed in the same period. The typical soft drink is a 10 to 12% sugar
solution.
Ingesting water in proportion to sweat loss best maintains cardiovascular
function and prevents body temperatures from rising too high.
July 2000 Back to the Top
Studies show that 70% of pre-school children drink no water at all during the day. This startling fact is all the more troubling when you consider that children are more susceptible to dehydration than adults. The bodies of growing children produce more heat than adults do, and they have a harder time coping with hot weather and humidity. An active, 50 pound child needs about a quart each day to stay hydrated. And during exercise, an additional five ounces of water is required every 30 minutes. When it comes to children, not all beverages are created equal. A national survey conducted by Cornell Medical Center found that children that drank more than 12 fluid ounces of sweetened fruit juices a day are prone to obesity and reduced growth. And because children's drinking habits are formed early and at home, health and medical experts recommend exposing children to pure spring water early in their development, before they acquire a taste for sweetened beverages. CLASSIFICATION OF MINERAL WATERS SPONSORED BY NORDA, SPA, ITALY, HIGH MOUNTAIN SPRING WATER.
WHAT IS MINERAL WATER? The definition of "Mineral Water", as recited by the Italian Law, specifies the following: "Mineral waters are considered those waters that are used for their therapeutic or special sanitary properties, whether for drinking or other curing properties." The Law further states that "Mineral Water is recognized as such, if it is offered for use, as it flows from the spring….." CLASSIFICATION OF MINERAL WATERS The classification of Mineral Waters is based on the total dissolved solids content in a liter of water. The quantity of dissolved solids is technically known as 'TDS at 180 degrees C." The TDS value is obtained through a laboratory test whereby a liter of Mineral Water is evaporated at the temperature of 180 degrees C. At the end of this process, the residual mineral solids are weighed and their weight, measured in mg/liter or PPM ) parts per million), determines the classification, as described in the table appearing below.
April-May, 2000 To Top of Page THE THREAT Battle Mountain Gold (BMG), a multinational mining company from Houston, Texas, has proposed Washington State's first large scale open-pit cyanide leach gold mine on Buckhorn Mountain in Okanogan County. More than 97 millions tons of earth would be blasted for a pickup truck load of gold. If permitted, this mine would:
This project would take 2000 gallons of clean water, ten tons of rock, and twenty pounds of cyanide to chemically leach one ounce of gold, valued at less than $300 (as of 4-20-99).In one gallon containers, 2000 gallons of "Water More Precious Than Gold" bottled water, is worth $3,540. It makes economic sense to invest in "Real Liquid Assets". March 2000 (Printed with permission from Okanogan Bottling Company") To Top of PageMany of you may have seen the recent 60 Minutes news magazine show that riveted public attention toward the contamination of public drinking water throughout the United States by methyl tertiary-butyl ether (MBTE), the most common oxygenated fuel additive used in reformulated gasoline. Despite it's benefits, MBTE leaking from underground tanks has seeped into drinking water wells in a number of communities around the country. Santa Monica, Calif., for example lost 80% of it's local groundwater supply as a result of MBTE contamination in 1996. The EPA recently issued a drinking water advisory to water utilities nationwide for keeping MBTE levels in the range of 20 to 40 ppb or lower to prevent taste and odor problems and to protect against potential health effects. The New York State Supreme Court has required the testing of all residents well water sources and the clean up of potentially thousands of wells statewide. Lake Tahoe has been the location for the testing of dozens of water treatment test systems in an effort to remove MBTE the region. Roughly 300,000 barrels of MBTE are used every day in the United States. The additive is a suspected carcinogen with a repugnant odor and taste that can render water undrinkable even in small concentrations. MBTE biodegrades rapidly in surface water and other places where it is exposed to a significant amount of oxygen but it can persist in deeper water for several years traveling underground from place to place well after the source of the pollution is cut off. February 2000 To Top of Page
The Bottled Water Store wishes everyone a happy, healthy and clean watery new millennium! Here are some more water facts we hope you will enjoy!
WATER FACTS ARCHIVES 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 |
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unoff,
which is the renewable aspect of our water resources, the dynamic part of
long-term water reserves. This is the human community's usable freshwater
supply: about 44,800 cubic kilometres a year.
Water is the most common substance found on earth. 
