Water & Air – Filter Systems News

The small town of Bally, Pennsylvania boasts a growing population of about 1,100. And we may attribute part of their growth over the last seven years to bottled water.

As much as I hate to say it, bottled water has done this town some good. It’s the only water residents of Bally have been safely able to drink since 2003, due to groundwater contamination. According to the EPA, the Bally water system was contaminated with the industrial solvent 1, 4-dioxane, which has been labeled “a probable human carcinogen“. Officials disconnected the contaminated well from the water system, hooked up a new well about one mile away, and flushed the system to ensure the removal of any lingering contaminants. Seven years later, Bally residents are now able to safely drink water from the tap.

Did I mention, they’ve been drinking bottled water for seven years?

That’s a long time for a population of 1,000 people to have to wait for a safe drinking water supply. I can’t imagine how much plastic waste this small town has contributed to our landfills since 2003.

Residents of Bally were on a well-water system, but residents of larger cities with municipal water treatment plants are no stranger to the types of chemicals that have plagued this small town for nearly a decade. Municipal water treatment involves the use of chemicals (most of which are also carcinogenic) as disinfectants, and it’s quite common for agricultural and industrial pollutants to be present in the water supply. Though reducing 1,4-dioxane to “acceptable levels” requires advanced oxidation processes, many of the water filters we carry are able to significantly reduce other chemicals and volatile organic compounds. Whether your water supply comes from a well or a municipal system, a home water filter might be worth considering. I’m sure the population of Bally, PA will agree.

Water treatment scams are on the rise for the second time in Florida, despite decade-old efforts to crack down on swindlers. Scam artists like Jonathan Yacketta use false scare tactics to trick elderly women and other vulnerable people into buying expensive water treatments, claiming that their water is toxic and undrinkable. But Florida is not the only victim. Water treatment scams are common all over the world. You may recall a post we did a few months ago on a South Korean professor charged with fraud after claiming to invent a device that could turn regular tap water into “holy water.” (Professor Kim’s water treatment scam earned him over $1 million before he was finally arrested.)

So how do you avoid becoming the victim of a water scam? Here are five simple actions to ensure that neither you, nor your 83-year-old grandmother, get swindled:

1. Avoid contact with door-to-door water treatment salespeople.

2. Avoid unsolicited offers for a free water test. Instead, consider purchasing one of our drinking water test kits.

3. If concerned, have your water tested by a certified laboratory.

4. Don’t fall for the bottled water scam! Most bottled water is nothing more than filtered tap.

And last, but not least…

According to a recent article in Tampa Bay Online:

“Most dealers in the $3 billion-a-year industry, its representatives say, are honest sellers of equipment for removing chlorine and minerals and softening water from public utilities or private wells. They say rogue operations selling equipment at inflated prices through scare tactics and misleading information are the exception.”

I’m sure all of our customers could testify to the fact that we are the exception, rather than the rule. So, here is our final piece of advice:

… 5. When in doubt, buy your water filters from FiltersFast.com.

Tiny, invisible shrimp.

I’m sure you weren’t expecting that one, were you?

As several of our posts over the last year  indicate, New York City is proud of its tap water, and with good reason. A company called Tap’d NY has bottled and successfully sold NYC tap water, and the Famous New York Baking Water Corp. has created a water filtration system that yields water similar to that of NYC tap. This water may be the secret ingredient in the famous New York style pizza. But what makes it so great?

Well, we aren’t sure, but recent evidence suggests that tiny invisible shrimp, called copepods may have something to do with it. While they don’t sound so appetizing, these little creatures are completely harmless. In fact, they are known to eat mosquito larvae.

If you’re Jewish, the water is definitely not kosher, so you might want to get a water filter if you live in NYC. Or if the idea of drinking shrimp juice just plain freaks you out, a recent article in Time Magazine affirms that most commercial water filters will do the trick.

In a new report, the President’s Cancer Panel recommends the use of water filters and reusable water bottles to reduce cancer causing agents. While the President’s Cancer Panel acknowledges that public water filtration plants remove some contaminants, it also maintains that “current technologies cannot remove them all.”

The 240-page report examined a variety of chemicals, contaminants and hazards that can enter our water, soil and air through a variety of sources, such as industrial, agricultural, technological, medical and natural.   

“Filtering home tap or well water can decrease exposure to numerous known or suspected carcinogens and endocrine-disrupting chemicals. Unless the home water source is known to be contaminated, it is preferable to use filtered tap water instead of commercially bottled water.”

Many of the water filters we carry reduce the contaminants featured in the report, including Atrazine and other herbicides or pesticides, Radon, Mercury, Bisphenol-A, phosphate, arsenic, and “endocrine disrupting chemicals” such as DDT / DDE, pesticides, bisphenol A, and some metals.

We also carry water filters that will remove many of the by-products that result from disinfects like chlorine. These inclue chloroform, bromoform and other trihalomethanes (THMs).

Since they advocate against bottled water, you’re probably wondering what they recommend for transporting your filtered tap water:

“Storing and carrying water in stainless steel, glass, or BPA- and phthalate-free containers will reduce exposure to endocrine-disrupting and other chemicals that may leach  into water from plastics. This action also will decrease the need for plastic bottles, the manufacture of which produces toxic by-products, and reduce the need to dispose of and recycle plastic bottles.”

Later, the report states that biologically-active levels of BPA were found in an estimated 93 percent of Americans.

We have several reusable water bottles, including a line of Klean Kanteen water bottles. These are stainless steel water bottles and, in accordance with the above recommendation, they are BPA free water bottles. If you are a parent, you might want to consider the Klean Kanteen Sippy Cup, since “children are far more vulnerable to environmental toxins and radiation than adults.”

You know bottled water has a bad rap when politicians want nothing to do with it.

Such was the case recently in Russia, where politicians denied a connection with bottled water, according to an article in the Moscow News. Apparently bottled water bearing the logo of the United Russia brand name – the Russian Federation’s ruling political party — was being sold online. No big deal, right?  

Well, it wasn’t until a correspondent from one of Russia’s newspapers confirmed that the bottled water was being made near Moscow, under a signed agreement by the ruling party. United Russia has been met with much criticism regarding its new Clean Water program. This Clean Water program’s intentions sound admirable — to provide clean water to public institutions (i.e. schools and hospitals) in a country that is notorious for having very poor quality tap water.  

Critics of the Clean Water program, however, say that many companies will benefit from the public’s money through the program. An article in the Moscow Times notes that inventor Viktor Petrik and United Russia head Boris Gryzlov hold a patent for cleaning radioactive waste. More suspicion regarding  the program arose when water filters made by Petrik’s company “Golden Formula” were chosen for one of the program’s pilot projects.

Despite this criticism, Gryslov maintains that the patent he and Petrik share is not related to the program, and that the water filters were chosen by experts in the field.

Likewise, officials said there was no agreement between the water bottler and the party. Petrik’s “Golden Formula” website also mentioned the United Russia party, but in recent weeks any mention of the United Russia party has been taken down from both the bottled water site as well as the Golden Formula website.

Vodovoz says that the party name must have been on the website by accident and it was just a coincidence, the company’s employee told the newspaper. “The employees’ task is to sell the product, maybe, that is why they told you about the agreement with the party,” he said. The company has not made any official comment. 

Earlier the Golden Formula filters to be used in the Clear Water programme also mentioned United Russia on their website. However, after a media storm, all mention of the ruling party disappeared within hours.

Clean Water in Russia? Time will tell.

For more than 30 years, the American Water Works Association (AWWA) has celebrated National Drinking Water Week, recognizing the crucial role that a safe, reliable water supply plays in our everyday lives.  This year, National Drinking Water Week will be held May 2-8, and will provide an opportunity for both water professionals and community citizens to promote awareness.  The AWWA has suggested some general celebration ideas.  To jumpstart the effort, we have also compiled a list of some of our favorite ways to celebrate.

#10 – Update your Facebook Status

Nowadays, social media is one of the most used ways to promote awareness surrounding any cause.  You’d be surprised at how far a simple Facebook status update can go, especially if enough people participate.  Alert your friends, create groups, and use this platform to organize events related to water awareness.

#9 – Watch a Movie

Not just any movie.  Last week, we compiled a list of five must-watch water movies, all of which take an in-depth look at water issues that plague many people around the world.  Invite some friends over and pop some popcorn.  And instead of soda, drink water.

#8 – Go Camping

Celebrate alone or with friends in the wilderness.  A closer look at nature will remind us of how crucial water is to our world – to the survival of plants and animals, and to the sustenance of our beautiful environment.  Make sure you have access to clean drinking water while you’re in the woods.  This Katadyn MyBottle Personal Water Purifier will keep you hydrated on those long hiking trails.

#7 – Plant a Tree

After your camping trip, why not bring some of that nature home with you by planting a tree in honor of National Drinking Water Week.  According to a recent article in the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, trees are natural filters that play a key role in purifying our water supplies.  Your tree will serve as a reminder of the necessity of clean water to environmental sustenance.

#6 – Set up a Mall Kiosk

Call your local shopping mall and get permission to set up a mall kiosk for the entire week.  Use it as an opportunity to promote awareness by handing out pamphlets and other promotional materials.  You could also sell reusable water bottles and donate the proceeds to organizations that fund the creation of clean water supplies around the world.

#5 – Have a water gift exchange

Don’t wait until Christmas to have your next employee party.  Have one during National Drinking Water Week and include a gift exchange with “water” as the theme, where each person brings a “water-related” gift.

#4 – Host a water tasting

Instead of a wine tasting, why not do a water tasting using water from different sources – pitcher-filtered water, faucet-filtered water, tap water and even different bottled water brands.  See if you can taste any differences.

#3 – Contests

AWWA suggests a variety of contests for kids, including book cover art, poster, essay, and coloring contests.  Each of these can serve as educational tools, and prizes will motivate more kids to compete.

#2 – Host a Water Walk in Your Community

There are many annual walking events that promote awareness and raise money to find cures for diseases.  Why not host a water walk to promote awareness about water, and raise money to fund the building of clean water supplies around the world?

#1 – Boycott the bottle

You may think we’re biased, but this is our personal favorite way to celebrate.  Maybe you don’t have time to do any of the other things that we mentioned.  That’s okay.  You can do your part by simply drinking filtered water for the entire week.  Once you see how much money you save by not buying bottled water, you’ll never go back.

Any other ideas? We’d love to hear them.  Feel free to post them as comments below, and don’t forget to take our latest poll: “How will you celebrate National Drinking Water Week?”

The Sydney Morning Herald online recently published an article discussing the push to substantially raise the price of water among major economies worldwide, as this natural resource becomes more and more scarce.  Experts claim that in order to change the wasteful habits of most consumers, countries need to boost the price of water, thereby making it more valuable and raising awareness so that we will take better care of our supplies.  According to the article, it will also help to raise the money needed to repair old systems and build new ones so that more people have access to clean drinking water around the globe.

What stuck out to me about this was the idea that raising the cost of water will make people less wasteful, as it will make water that much more valuable.  The bottled water industry has already capitalized on this notion, and it appears to have had the opposite effect.  If we consider that most bottled water is actually tap water, and the price of bottled water is a thousand times more than the cost of tap water, then bottled water manufacturers have managed to make millions of dollars off of something that environmental leaders say is becoming a scarce commodity.  And if even half of those millions were used to invest in new water supply systems, more people would have access to clean water, worldwide.

As we can see, bottled water companies have managed to place a higher value on water, but this has resulted in an increase in wastefulness, rather than a decrease.  Only a small percentage of plastic bottles are actually recycled, while the rest continue to pile up in our landfills, ruining our environment, and causing more harm to existing safe water supplies.

People in third world countries continue to go without safe water.

Wasteful consumers continue to fill the pockets of bottled water manufacturers.

And the cycle goes on…

Now, you might say that bottled water has helped many people in third world countries overcome the aftermath of natural disasters.  And it has.  But so have water filters as this story about a twelve-year-old boy working to provide safe water for victims in Haiti illustrates.  My argument, here, is that putting a higher value on water (as bottled water companies have done) will not necessarily change the habits of wasteful consumers.  And even if it did – there’s no proof that the money raised would actually go toward building safe water supply systems.  Maybe I’m missing something.  Or maybe I’m just being a bit pessimistic…

Anyone care to disagree?

There are many reasons not to drink bottled water. But I can think of none so disturbing as the possibility you might be drinking a snail’s aphrodisiac. This according to a Wired Science article citing a German study that discovered snails bred at a much faster pace in water from plastic bottles than they did in water from glass bottles.
The study attributes this to the plastic bottles leaching active chemicals into the water – chemicals that mimic natural sex hormones. These hormones, however, apply to humans as well.
Now before you go touting the benefits of an aphrodisiac as inexpensive and readily-available as bottled water, think of the consequences. The xenohormone residue found in the study’s water can lessen virility in boys and cause the early onset of puberty in girls.
So until I find snails reproducing in my kitchen sink, I’m going to continue filtering and drinking my home’s tap water. It’s much cheaper, ecologically responsible and, most importantly, I can rest easy knowing I’m not overpopulating the world with gastropods.