FridgeFilters.com Blog

New study to assess the impact of fracking on drinking water

Congress has given the EPA a mandate to perform a full investigation of the practice of using ground water mixed with chemicals to release oil or natural gas, known as fracking, from drill sites.

The main concern with this process is its possible chemical contamination of ground water and the problem of proper disposal of waste-water. The EPA will be focusing their study only on the effect fracking has on drinking water and expects to have a plan in place by March 7-8 of this year.

Though there has yet to be a conclusive study that shows fracking has contaminated drinking water there have been more than 1,000 reports of contamination where drilling is the suspected culprit. The increasing usage of ground water for fracking at drill sites makes proper handling of waste water to avoid contamination crucial. The study will be an important step in the ongoing battle to protect our natural resources and the availability of safe drinking water.

Presidential Cancer Panel recommends filtered water

Drinking filtered water may help reduce the risk of cancer. A report released by the President's Cancer Panel highlights how the risk from carcinogens and endocrine-disrupting chemicals can be reduced by filtering your drinking water. The report also advises that unless there is a known chemical contamination present in your water, it is actually better to drink filtered tap water than to purchase and drink bottled water.

Filtered tap water is also the only form of drinking water that receives an "A" grade from the Environmental Working Group (EWG). The EWG conducted an 18 month study of water quality comparing bottled and filtered water and found that filtered tap water is much better than bottled water and unfiltered tap water.

The EWG concluded that filtered tap water is better for 3 reasons:
1. It saves money
2. It is purer than tap water
3. It helps solve the overuse of plastic water bottles

Water filters are a cheaper and more environmentally conscious alternative to bottled water and more and more evidence is being found that links drinking filtered water to a healthier life.

 

Hexavalent Chromium found in US Tap Water

Recent testing of 35 cities across the country has revealed that at least 31 of those cities could have elevated levels of the contaminant hexavalent chromium, also known as Chromium-6. More information on the report can be found in this CNN article.

Reports have indicated that simply drinking bottled water will not safeguard against ingesting chromium-6 as many bottled water companies use municipal water supplies to fill their bottles. Filtering tap water is also not guaranteed to reduce chromium-6 unless you are using a system that is certified to reduce chromium. Many reverse osmosis systems can reduce chromium-6 as well as a variety of other contaminants from drinking water.

Home Depot currently sells the GE reverse osmosis systems PXRQ15F and GXRM10RBL that reduce chromium-6. Replacement filters for both systems can be found at Fridgefilters.com

D.C. water supply may have dangerous levels of lead contamination

An effort to disinfect the water in the D.C. area may have contaminated as many as 15,000 homes. The disinfectant caused corrosion in lead pipes that leached into the water supply. The CDC has concluded that many homes may still be at risk of elevated levels of lead contamination.

For more information you can find the full report here.

Many older homes may still use lead pipes for the water supply and this can increase the risk of lead contamination. In some cases the visible piping in the home may be made of PVC or copper, but the service lines that lead to the house may be lead. Here are some tips to check if your house has lead water lines from ehow.

You can also test your own water for lead contamination with a Drinking Water Test for Lead.

If you know that you have lead pipes or that you are at risk of lead contamination you can also use a water filter to remove lead from drinking water. Just make sure that the filter cartridge you are using is NSF certified for lead reduction. A simple inline filter like the GXRLQ from GE reduces 99% of lead as well as filtering out chlorine, cysts, asbestos and other contaminants.

Why start to worry now?

At this point most people know there are trace levels of a variety of contaminants present in their drinking water. The quality of our water is adversely affected by pollutants and pesticides from factories and farms as well as naturally occurring contaminants. Contaminated water is not a new problem, but scientists are starting to discover another link in the chain of chemicals found in our drinking water, prescription drugs.

This time, though, it is not the fault of a big bad corporation polluting our water. The traces of pharmaceuticals found in water sources downstream from sewage treatment plants seems to indicate that many people are flushing away their expired and unneeded medications. Tests on the water have found by-products of anti-depressants, antihistamines, and anti-seizure drugs make up the highest percentage of prescription drugs in the water supply.

Even in low doses these chemicals are not the kind of things we want in our drinking water. The EPA is now testing to assess the risk of drinking these chemicals to humans, but study results will not be available until next year.

If you do not already use a water filtration system it is definitely something to consider. Water filters carry a relatively low price when compared to how many gallons of clean drinking water they provide consumers. The best part is that your water will not only be safer to drink, but it will taste better too!

To drink, or not to drink - further revelations on the quality of our drinking water

Let’s face it, we have to have water to survive, but where should we go to find safe, clean, great tasting drinking water?  I read an article in the Washington Post that does a really good job of highlighting this dilemma and also offers some water quality facts that everyone should know. I highly recommend it to anyone who wants to get a better picture of the water quality issues we face.

To start with what options do we have? Fortunately most of us have access to some form of reliable water supply; unfortunately this same water source most likely contains contaminants of some variety. Even in cases where the water you draw from the tap has been tested and treated to remove harmful contaminants there can still be trace levels of chemicals (such as chlorine) and other particles that are not filtered out before reaching your faucet.  Trace levels of some contaminants are considered “safe” for human consumption, but there are many more that are currently unregulated and could be present in your drinking water without anyone throwing up a red flag.

The potential safety hazard posed by drinking contaminated tap water has driven many consumers to drink bottled water instead. While bottled water sales have boomed in the U.S. over the last decade some estimates show the price for bottled water is astronomically higher than that of tap water. A cost you could easily choose to pay for safe drinking water, but the reality is that the “higher quality” found in bottled water is in many cases a myth. Some companies simply bottle tap water and sell it in a pretty plastic bottle, while others have been forced to perform product recalls when toxins including mold and bacteria were found in their products. This type of contamination of drinking water is possible because bottled water quality is not regulated by the EPA and in many cases is subject to far less stringent safety standards.

The final option is easily the best choice if you really want the safest, cheapest and best tasting drinking water. A quality carbon based water filter can help remove many of the contaminants found in tap water making it much safer to drink and even improving taste. Water filtration systems are available for virtually any water quality issue and the savings when compared to the cost of bottled water will pay for the cost of the filter ten times over.  It’s a simple choice.

Boil Water Warnings in Tennessee and Massachusetts

Warnings have been issued to boil water before using it for drinking or cooking due to flooding in parts of Massachusetts and Tennessee.

Please be sure to follow appropriate safety procedures if you live in an area where your drinking water has become contaminated. Here are some helpful tips to follow...

• There may be unknown contaminants in water that may or may not be on list of impurities removed by an installed filter. Fridge filters do not remove minerals, for example.
• Immediately turn off water connection to fridge
• Replace all filters (faucet, fridge) that were installed when water went bad, after 'all clear' is given.
• Toss all ice as it may be contaminated.

For helpful instructions on emergency disinfection of drinking water you can visit the EPA website here.

Tap Water vs Bottled Water: Dollars and Sense

A lot of attention has been given to the many issues surrounding bottled water. Two of the biggest concerns that have come forward are the environmental impact of disposing of so many plastic water bottles and also the quality of your drinking water. Studies have shown that a very low percentage of plastic water bottles are actually recycled resulting in a great deal of waste. In addition, many companies do not perform any extra steps to treat and purify your drinking water and are simply filling plastic bottles from a municipal water source.

If those reasons are not enough to convince you to look for other sources for safe, great tasting drinking water, here is one more: cost. A comparison of the cost of tap water and bottled water from a report on foodandwaterwatch.org estimates that a gallon of water from your faucet would cost approximately $0.002 per gallon. A gallon of the exact same tap water that is treated with a water filtration system (refrigerator filter, pitcher filter, undersink system, etc) averages between $0.10 and $0.20 depending on the system. Bottled water presents the highest cost per gallon at $0.89 to $8.26. Even if we only consider the low end cost of $0.89 per gallon it is still four to eight times more expensive to drink bottled water. It just makes sense to move away from drinking bottled water and get back to using water from the tap in our own home.

Tap water is not always safe to drink and you should consult your local utility's Consumer Confidence Report (often found in your monthly bill) for information about what exactly is in your water. Knowing what is in your tap water will tell you what type of filter you will need to get the best drinking water from your tap. The good news is that once you know what contaminants you want to remove you can control the quality of the water you receive from your tap with the use of the appropriate water filtration system.

There are numerous styles and levels of filtration available for residential use and you can pick the one that is the best fit for you. Our Water Filter Guide includes all of the information you will need to select the right system for your home including a detailed breakdown of which contaminants are removed by each filter.

CDC creates new website dedicated to Drinking Water

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have created a new website dedicated to the safety of our drinking water.

Topics discussed include:

• Public Water Systems
• Private Water Systems
• Water Flouridation
• Camping, Hiking, Travel
• Bottled Water

From the site:

Whether you receive your drinking water from the tap, via commercially-bottled water, or through a personal filtration device, it is important to know where your water comes from, how it has been treated, and whether it is safe to drink!

CDC Drinking Water Home Page:  http://www.cdc.gov/healthywater/drinking/index.html

Time to go back to the tap

PlentyMag.com has a nice article touting the benefits of switching from bottled water back to filtered tap water.  Also contains links to so good resources including the EPA's Safe Water site.

http://www.plentymag.com/events/2008/10/water_filter_news.php