Our Mission: We are igniting a movement that inspires parents to protect young children from harmful chemicals. Donate ยป
Charity Navigator 4 Star CharityBlog
How to Provide Safe Drinking Water for Your Family
Healthy Child Healthy World
Tuesday, June 19, 2007
Water is life, but it is also easily contaminated hence it is necessary to test and maintain the water used daily by your family. Tips and suggestions on how to provide your family with safe water.
1. Test your water for lead.
Testing is especially important for apartment dwellers, because flushing may not be as effective in high-rise buildings with lead soldered central piping.
2. Don't use hot tap water for cooking or drinking.
Lead leaches more easily from hot water lines, so do not use hot water from the tap for cooking, drinking or mixing infant formula. Hot water heaters also often accumulate sediment and contamination. Their elevated water temperature provides ideal conditions for biological contaminants to breed.
3. Let cold water run for several minutes in the morning before consuming it.
Water that sits in pipes for several hours may accumulate lead that leaches from pipes and fixtures.
4. Find out what kind of pipes and solder your home has.
You are more likely to have a lead problem if your home has faucets or fittings of brass which contain some lead; if your home has lead pipes; your copper pipes are joined with lead solder; or if your building’s supply is joined to a municipal supply via a lead connector
5. Read your Consumer Confidence Report.
If your water is supplied to you by a public system, your local water supplier can provide a list of the chemicals they test for in your water, as well as how your water is treated, in their annual Consumer Confidence Report.
6. Test your private well water.
If your water is drawn from a private well, have your water tested for pesticides, metals, and other possible contaminants by a state certified laboratory. If you discover contaminants, call your local health agency and/or talk to your doctor. You may be able to install a filter or treatment device, connect to the nearest public water system, negotiate with a neighbor to share a source, or drill a new well.
7. Avoid using pesticides, fertilizers and other chemicals near your well's supply source.
If you rely on a neighborhood or community well, try to agree with your neighbors to avoid using pesticides, fertilizers and other chemicals in the vicinity of the supply source — generally within one-half mile (although pesticides have migrated further both in surface and ground water). Even small quantities of chemicals or motor oil on the ground can contaminate your groundwater.
8. Be especially cautious if you live on or near a farm, industrial or commercial facility.
If you have a well and live next to farmland, on former farmland, or near industrial, commercial or institutional facilities you should definitely check your water. The major contaminants of concern for children are metals, fertilizers, pesticides, fuels, and solvents.
9. If you use a filter, maintain it.
Filters , when properly used and maintained, can provide clean water. Follow replacement guidelines carefully to avoid excessive bacterial buildup.
Posted by Rugaba Benon on 04/15 at 06:58 AM
I’m inspired by this factual information. This is so productive for humanity.
Truly, we need sincere harmony between man and nature!