Supplies

The first thing you need to do is gather your supplies:

• Test Assured 4 Test Kit Set with TD Meter
• 3 different vegetables
• Measuring cup
• Pot
• Paper towels

Preparation

To prepare for the tests, you’ll need to make vegetable water. For this experiment, we used cabbage, an onion, and a beet. We peeled the onion and beet prior to cooking, but an interesting test might be to test water from the same vegetable with the skin and without to see if there is a difference.

NOTE: Although we used beets for this experiment, they are not recommended. The beets stained the water red which made it hard to read the results on the color charts. We suggest using vegetables that will not alter the color of the water.

Once your vegetables are chopped, it’s time to get cooking (children should be supervised when using the stove for this portion of the experiment). To make sure the conditions were the same for each experiment, we used 1 cup of water and ¼ cup of vegetables to make each sample following these instructions:

1. Bring 1 cup of water to a boil
2. Carefully add ¼ cup of one of your chopped vegetables
3. Boil on high for 5 minutes
4. Allow sample to cool for 10 minutes
5. Scoop out the vegetables and pour sample into a mug or bowl

Repeat this procedure for all three of the vegetables you will be testing. Be sure to clean and dry the pot in between making your samples to avoid contamination. You may want to use tape to attach a label to each mug or bowl to identify your samples so they do not get mixed up. Don’t forget to label your vials too.

You will also need to prepare a control sample of plain water. To do this, simply follow the same instructions listed above except skip step #2.

Once you are finished, you should have four samples.

Testing

The first test you want to start with is for total dissolved solids, using the TDS meter. The meter will not fit in the test vials, so it is easier to complete this part of the experiment while your samples are still in larger containers. To perform the TDS test, simply turn on the meter and submerge the prongs in the samples. Rinse the meter in clean water between each test. Record your results in the results notebook.

After completing the TDS test, you will need to pour your samples into the vials you labeled. Fill each vial to within a ¼” of the top. Be sure to wipe up any spills so you don’t contaminate the test strips.

Before you get started with the tests, now is a good time to make some visual observations. These can be written in the “Notes” on the last page of the results notebook.

Now you’re ready to get started with the rest of the tests. It’s best to work with one sample at a time. Follow these instructions to complete the remaining tests.

Alkalinity/pH/Hardness Test

1. Remove the test strip from the packet labeled, “ALK/pH/Hard”
2. Pick up the strip on the end with no pads
3. Dip the strip in the sample for one second and remove
4. Hold the test strip level and wait 10 seconds
5. Place the strip as shown in the picture and compare to the color chart for alkalinity, pH, and hardness
6. Record your results in the results notebook

Total Chlorine/Copper/Nitrate/Nitrite Test

1. Remove the test strip from the packet labeled, “CL/CO/NA/NI”
2. Pick up the strip on the end with no pads
3. Dip the strip in the sample three times and remove – DO NOT SHAKE OFF EXCESS WATER
4. Hold the test strip level for 2 seconds
5. Place the strip as shown in the picture and compare to the color chart for chlorine and copper
6. Wait 45 seconds before reading the results for nitrate and nitrite
7. Record your results in the results notebook

Iron Test (Complete this test last)

1. Remove one iron reagent tablet from the foil packet and place in test vial (the reagent could alter the results of other tests which is why the iron test is completed last)
2. Place the cap on the test vial and shake for approximately one minute, until the tablet is completely dissolved
3. Remove the test strip from the packet labeled, “Iron Test”
4. Dip the strip in the sample for 2 seconds
5. Shake the strip once and wait 60 seconds
6. Place the strip as shown in the picture and compare to the color chart for iron
7. Record your results in the results notebook

Repeat all three tests for each of your samples.

Results

Now that you have completed each of the four tests on your four samples, it’s time to look at your results. Ask yourself these questions:

• Which vegetable had the most changes when compared to the control sample (plain water)?
• Did any of the vegetables have similar results?
• Which vegetable left behind the most dissolved solids?
• What results did you find the most surprising?

Record your answers on the “Notes” page. If you are using this as a science fair project, you can use clear tape to fix the test sticks to the color charts to display your results.

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If your clothes are coming out with a gray or yellow tinge, soil buildup, or even a powdery residue, you may have hard water. Water hardness measures the mineral concentration of calcium and magnesium dissolved in the water. Harder water has a higher concentration of these minerals, which attach to the fibers in clothing and leave them stiff and dull-looking. Most of the ingredients of laundry detergent also bind to the calcium and magnesium, rather than your clothing, making the detergent less effective at cleaning. You can get cleaner laundry by using hotter water, adding Borax or other water softeners to the washer along with the detergent, or installing a water softener at the supply line. To treat white residue and mineral stains, soak in a solution of one cup white distilled vinegar to one gallon of water for 30 minutes. Rinse thoroughly, then launder with detergent and water softener.

Spotty Dishes, Windows, and Mirrors
What we call water spots that appear on dishes, windows, and mirrors should more accurately be called hard water spots. The same dissolved minerals that cause dingy, crunchy laundry also leave residue behind on hard surfaces when water evaporates from them. If your water is hard and your dishes are coming out of the dishwasher with spots, you may need to increase the temperature of the wash water or add more detergent. (But not too much, because that can cause spotting too!) To remove stubborn hard water spots, use a 50% vinegar-water solution, lemon juice, or try toothpaste.
Shampoo and Soap Residue After Showering

There’s nothing like a refreshing shower, right? Unfortunately, if you have hard water, your hair and skin may not get as clean as they could be. Similar to what happens with laundry, hard water minerals bind to the soap and surfactant particles in shampoo and body wash which can make them much less effective at cleaning. The minerals can also bind directly to your hair and skin. The result? Dull, lifeless hair, or dry, itchy skin. Hard water can also affect the results of hair dye products. You can install a shower head that filters out minerals, use special shampoo that binds to minerals and removes them from your hair and skin, or use apple cider vinegar to remove buildup from hard water.

Extra Suds in the Shower or Laundry
Soft water is, as you might guess, the opposite of hard water: it has a low concentration of dissolved mineral ions except for sodium. (Water softeners often work by replacing calcium and magnesium with sodium.) Soaps and detergents make more suds and work more effectively in soft water, but there can also be too much of a good thing. If you’re used to showering and cleaning with hard water, it’s easy to use too much soap or detergent at first, and all the extra suds can be hard to rinse off completely. Use less product and rinse thoroughly if you have soft water. Extra suds may be a minor nuisance in the shower, but they can overtax the drain pump of your washing machine and cause permanent damage, so make sure to pay attention to load levels and recommended detergent usage for your machine, especially if you have a high-efficiency (HE) washing machine.

Red Stains in the Toilet Bowl
Rust forms on metal as a result of an oxidation reaction, but you can also see rust-colored stains on porcelain toilet bowls and sinks, inside washing machine drums, and on clothing. The reaction that causes these stains is the same as the reaction that causes rust. Dissolved iron is colorless but turns red when it reacts with oxygen. Iron-hard water is more commonly found in wells than municipal water sources. You can clean the stains from tubs and toilets with commercial iron cleaners containing sodium hydrosulfite and/or metabisulfite, or for a more natural solution, you can try vinegar or lemon juice. No matter what, do not use bleach! Bleach is an oxidizer (ever heard of Oxi-Clean?) which will make iron stains even worse.

Blue-Green Stains or Scale Buildup
If you’ve ever noticed that old buildings often have green roofs, you’ve seen the reason for blue-green stains in the bathroom. Copper turns green when it reacts with other elements, especially in slightly acidic or low-pH environments. Copper isn’t naturally found in most water supplies, so any dissolved copper is likely to come from corroded copper plumbing. If you also have hard water, high copper levels can mix with other dissolved minerals to produce colorful scale buildup. High copper levels are not generally considered harmful, but you may notice a metallic or medicinal taste in addition to stains and scaling. Water softeners may be able to remove some of the copper, but the best prevention is to address the corrosion issue by raising the water pH or installing dielectric unions between copper and galvanized pipes.

Test your water to prevent cleaning problems before they happen.
It’s frustrating to get stains and spots when you are trying to clean. A water testing kit can provide quantitative evidence about what is in your water. There may be several different types of plumbing and fixtures throughout your home, so make sure you test the water from multiple sources. If you have questions about water testing, feel free to contact us any time!

The post Dishes & Clothes Aren’t Getting Clean appeared first on .

We often think of water as a pure substance because we use it to clean so many things: our dishes, our clothes, even our own bodies! But sometimes the water we use in our homes doesn’t seem very clean. It might have visible particles in it or smell bad. Odor can occur in household water drawn from city/municipal water sources or private wells. Sometimes a strange smell in water is harmless, but other times it can indicate the presence of lead or dangerous bacteria. Keep reading to troubleshoot the cause of your smelly water.

Does it smell like Rotten Eggs?
The characteristic rotten eggs smell is caused by a gas called hydrogen sulfide. Hydrogen sulfide may occur naturally in groundwater, or it can also be produced by certain types of bacteria found in groundwater, the well, or the water distribution system. Don’t panic; sulfur bacteria are not harmful, but they do produce a slime that can promote the growth of other bacteria. Hydrogen sulfide in water can stain or corrode silverware, plumbing fixtures, and pipes.

The rotten egg smell is very distinct, but your sense of smell quickly becomes used to it, so the best time to check for the smell of hydrogen sulfide is right when you return home after being away for several hours.

Does it smell like Fish?
“Fishy” odor can be caused by naturally occurring organic compounds, metals such as barium or cadmium, chloramine, or algae blooms in the water. Barium occurs naturally in mineral ores and may seep into groundwater. Cadmium can enter the water supply through fertilizer contamination or industrial runoff. Chloramine is a compound of chlorine and ammonia commonly used as a disinfectant. These compounds are generally not harmful unless ingested in large amounts, but the resulting smell and taste can be very unpleasant. You may be able to reduce or remove the fishy odor caused by organic compounds and chloramines with an activated charcoal filter. Barium and cadmium levels are regulated by the EPA so your water provider is required to take steps to reduce the levels of these metals in your water supply.

Does it smell like Metal?
A metallic taste or smell is usually caused by trace metals such as iron, manganese, zinc, or copper that have leached into the water supply through old, rusty pipes made of iron, brass, copper, or galvanized steel. While these trace metals are generally not harmful, there is the possibility that the metallic smell is from lead in the water. There is no safe level of lead in drinking water, so if your water smells like metal, it is best to test it for lead right away.

Another possible source of metallic smell or taste is low pH. Water that has a lower pH, or soft water, is more acidic, which produces a sour taste that may seem metallic. Soft water is not dangerous but you may need to switch laundry, cleaning, and bathing routines and products to compensate. You can obtain a pH test kit and easily test the pH of your home’s water.

>Does it smell like wet dog?
Even if you love your furry friends, the smell of a wet dog is not something you want in your drinking water. The smell of an actual wet dog comes from volatile organic compounds produced by the bacteria and yeasts living on your pet that go into the air as water evaporates from their fur. Water that smells like wet dog can be caused by bacteria, organic compounds or certain metals in the water, similar to fishy-smelling water. (See above.) If your water comes from a municipal or community water system, it is regulated by the EPA and you likely have nothing to worry about. But if you have water from a private well that smells like wet dog, you should get your water tested for the presence of harmful bacteria.

Does it smell like chlorine?
Chlorine is a powerful disinfectant used to treat municipal water supplies, but no one wants to drink water that smells like chlorine or bleach. The smell of chlorine is detectable at levels less than the EPA-recommended health threshold of 4.0 mg/L, so chlorine smell is not an uncommon occurrence and not an automatic sign of danger. Overexposure to chlorine can cause health issues, however, so any overchlorination should be addressed quickly. The shower is the most common form of chlorine exposure because the gas is vaporized from the heated water and inhaled. You can test for chlorine at home using home test kits to determine whether you need to treat your water or request that your municipal water supplier address the issue. Treatment for drinking water can be as easy as refrigerating or boiling water, or you can install an activated carbon filter through the whole house or at point of use.

Does it smell like Dirt?
Some people enjoy the earthy smell of dirt after it rains, but few people want to smell that odor in their drinking water. The cause of the “after rain” smell is a compound called geosmin, which can also cause an earthy smell in drinking water. Geosmin is produced by a group of soil-dwelling bacteria called Actinobacteria, which release geosmin when they die. An earthy smell or gritty texture in water can also be caused by the presence of actual sediment in the water. Be sure to test every faucet in the house for the smell of dirt. If only a few taps give water with an earthy smell, there may be dirt or bacteria in the aerator. If the smell is coming from all taps, it may be a problem with your water source and you will need to contact your supplier.

Test your water to determine the source and cause of the smell.

Your nose may know if something is off about your water, but a water test kit can provide quantitative evidence about what is in your water. It is also important to identify the precise source of the smell in order to remedy the issue, so make sure you test both hot and cold water at multiple faucets and fixtures throughout your home. If you have questions about water testing, feel free to contact us any time!

The post Why Does My Water Smell? The 6 Most Common Smells & Their Culprits. appeared first on .

The Flint water crisis led to widespread recognition of the risks involved in our drinking water, and cities and individuals began testing water quality on an unprecedented scale. Lead, the contaminant discovered in Flint’s water supply, is regarded as one of the most dangerous contaminants in water.

It’s highly poisonous and linked to a number of serious diseases, the worst of which include cancer and kidney failure. Because of these debilitating effects, there may be legal repercussions.

The Dangers of Lead in Drinking Water

Before we look at the legal issues with regard to lead in drinking water, we should examine how lead consumption can affect our health. Most notably, the adverse health effects of lead in drinking water are much more dire in children and pregnant women than for healthy adults.

Lead exposure in children or pregnant women has been linked to such serious conditions as:

• Behavioral and learning problems
• Anemia
• Slowed growth
• Hearing problems
• Lower IQ and hyperactivity
• Reduced growth of fetus
• Premature birth

According to the EPA, drinking water typically constitutes up 20 percent of a person’s total lead exposure and infants who drink primarily bottled formula can get as much as 60 percent of their lead intake from water.

This is one reason that Flint’s water crisis was such a shock. Children in schools were a primary victim of the contamination, and their exposure put them at a much higher risk for illness. Because of the high levels of lead found in the water at elementary schools, Michigan may have to require all infants, toddlers, and young children to be tested for lead poisoning to reduce their exposure to the toxin statewide.

Adults can also experience serious and adverse health effects. These will be worse for people who have been exposed for a long period of time, particularly if their exposure began in childhood. The potential consequences for adults include:

• Higher risk for cardiovascular disease
• Increased blood pressure and hypertension
• Decreased kidney function and even kidney failure
• Reproductive problems for both men and women
• Death after heavy or prolonged exposure

The dangers of lead poisoning in our drinking water are many. Levels must be carefully monitored to protect ourselves and our children from the effects.

According to the EPA’s regulations, the goal of most treatment centers is to keep lead levels at zero. However, the agency allows for a margin of error that’s anything less than 5 micrograms per deciliter in standard drinking water. Anything more than that, however, requires a swift response.

The City’s Treatment Centers Are Responsible for Keeping Your Water Safe

One of the most discussed aspects of the Flint crisis was the many lawsuits that emerged from it. Children and other citizens had been put at very high risk for lead poisoning due to the city’s inability to monitor its water purification systems properly.

Dozens of lawsuits, including several class-action suits, were filed in county, state and federal courts in Michigan. Though individuals are held responsible for their own actions, a strong argument can be made that it is a government duty to monitor drinking water with enough care to ensure no lead contaminants slip through.

Americans are guaranteed certain inalienable rights under the constitution, and clean drinking water could be regarded as one of them. In most cases, city monitoring systems do a fine job of testing the contaminants of your drinking water to make sure it’s always safe for consumption.

However, the frequency of testing isn’t necessarily ideal. Some cities don’t test their water nearly as often as they should, which puts their residents at a higher risk for lead exposure.

Construction that Increases Lead Exposure Leads to Lawsuits

Another concern is the pipes and service lines that collect and transport our water. Some pipes date back as far as the 1800s, and some are made of lead, which can enter the water through corrosion.

There’s been a major push to improve this infrastructure, but the effort could have the unintended consequence of increasing the lead content of drinking water. “Water experts say replacing mains and service lines, some dating to the 1800s, is necessary,” according to an article from the Dayton Daily News.

“But the replacements can increase the amount of lead in water — indefinitely, some claim — because of corrosion that gets disturbed in the lead pipes that run into a homeowner’s property.” The total infrastructure may not be able to handle this kind of maintenance, and that should be a cause for concern among the customers.

Several lawsuits have been filed in response to construction and pipe improvements. In June, residents of Philadelphia filed a class-action lawsuit against the city because of a repair project they claimed had significantly increased the risk of lead exposure in tap water.

Not only did the city’s actions allegedly increase the risk, but the suit charges it also failed to notify residents of the risks from the construction project.

“Studies have shown that the kind of construction the city is carrying out creates the perfect storm for lead pipe corrosion, and yet the city has decided to conceal this growing health hazard from its own citizens,” said Steve Berman, managing partner of Hagens Berman, the law firm that filed the suit. “To add insult to injury, the city of Philadelphia has actively concealed this issue by rigging its lead testing procedures.”

This lawsuit, like others, is primarily based on the notion that the city should have warned residents about the dangers of lead exposure that could result from the project, but the city reportedly failed to give adequate warning.

This was just one of many suits that appeared in the wake of Flint’s water crisis.

The Necessity of Testing Your Water Regularly for Lead

Citizens across the country are seeking redress for what they believe was unlawful contamination of their drinking water. It is surely a vital exercise for them to seek justice through the legal system, but it’s easier and safer to avoid water contamination problems altogether.

Testing your drinking water at home is a wise step in prevention. The dangers of lead are many and varied, which underscores the wisdom of testing your drinking water on your own.

You can’t see lead in your water the way you can perceive dirt. Also, you usually can’t taste it like zinc or copper. The only way to make sure the water you’re drinking is completely lead-free is to do home tests.

At Test Assured, we offer a variety of home water-testing kits that will accurately show the levels of lead and other contaminants. One thing that should be evident from the many water crises in recent years is that you can’t always trust water-treatment facilities to make sure your water is clean before it reaches your tap.

Contaminants can enter your drinking water through the pipes as it travels to your faucet on this side of the treatment facility. For that reason, you should be using our lead-testing kits to ensure you have clean and safe drinking water at all times.

Our kits are easy to use, and the majority will give you results in less than 10 minutes. For more information about how to use our kits and the benefits they offer, contact us today!

The post Lead In Your Water? You May Have a Lawsuit on Your Hands appeared first on .

 Clean Drinking Water

You may assume that clean drinking water isn’t a very big problem stateside. After all, you don’t hear a whole lot about it outside of isolated instances (such as Flint, Michigan). But the fact of the matter is that our country is teetering on the edge of more disasters if something doesn’t happen soon.

“It is in part an infrastructure crisis, but it is also a case of gaps in government oversight at all levels, of ill-thought austerity and of not being aggressively proactive in taking the job of protecting, treating and distributing drinking water as a public health issue,” says Lynn Thorp of Clean Water Action.

A Clean Water Supply is a Public Health Issue

The key phrase here is “public health issue.” Water is something that we all need and use on a daily basis. If there’s anything that could be classified an important public health issue, it’s drinking water safety.

Contaminated drinking water can directly impact physical health, mental health, pregnancy, and child development. In other words, it can affect us all.

8 Ways You Can Do Your Part

The issue is that most people don’t really understand how they can promote cleaner and healthier water. After all, doesn’t it all go back to the water treatment plants? Well, not exactly. You can do your part by following these tips and suggestions:

1. Don’t Use Antibacterial Soaps

Did you know that most antibacterial soaps contain trichlosan, which is a registered pesticide that’s known to harm aquatic life? Furthermore, chronic use of antibacterial soap leads to “superbugs,” which are antibiotic resistant. There’s no sense in introducing more antibacterial soap into the water system than is already there. Regular soap and smart hand washing habits work just the same.

2. Don’t Treat the Toilet Like a Trash Can

Your toilet is only designed for, well, toilet things. Don’t treat it like a trashcan. Flushing tampons, baby wipes, and old medication down the toilet does nothing but clog up your pipes and cause a huge mess at sewage treatment centers. Stick to using the bathroom to relieve yourself and throw everything else in the trashcan.

On a related note, your sink shouldn’t be used as a garbage receptacle either. Pouring paint, chemicals, household cleaners, and other hazardous waste into the sink is strictly prohibited. If you’re unsure of what to do with hazardous liquids, contact your local sanitation or health department.

3. Fix Leaks From Cars and Machinery

Good car maintenance is super important – not only for the environment but also for your investment. And while it’s smart to change your own oil, antifreeze, and coolant, be very careful when doing so. When these liquids spill or aren’t properly disposed of, rainwater can carry the chemicals down the driveway, into the storm drain, and eventually into the water supply. Remain cognizant of this and take extra care to clean up after yourself.

4.  Use Organic Fertilizers

Try your best to avoid using chemical fertilizers and pesticides. Not only do they pose a serious threat to your health and safety, your pet’s health and safety, and the soil and ground itself, but they also tend to mix with rainwater and contaminate the local water supply.

If you absolutely must use fertilizer for your lawn, go with organic fertilizers. “Organic fertilizers come from natural plant, animal, and mineral sources,” gardener Beth Huxtra notes. “Once these products are applied to the lawn, soil microorganisms break down the nutrients into a form that plants can take up.” You should have no trouble finding them at your local landscape supply retailer.

5. Pick Up After Pets

When you take your dog on a walk and he leaves behind some waste, you should always immediately pick it up. That’s just part of being a good neighbor, right? Well, picking up after your dog is also part of being a responsible caretaker of the local water supply. How so? Well, pet waste is filled with bacteria that often runs into storm drains and ends up in the water supply. In order to avoid this unfortunate scenario, pick up the waste, put it in a recycled plastic bag, and throw it away in the trash can.

6. Don’t Over-Pave Your Property

“The more pavement there is, the more rain water will simply run off down the storm drains, picking up pollutants on the way and causing flooding,” Clean Water Action explains. “Allowing water to soak into the ground can prevent flooding, recharge groundwater supplies, and dilute contaminants.” You can also do your part by planting native plants that don’t require much water to thrive.

7. Regularly Test Your Water

The only way to know if your own home’s water supply is clean is by regularly testing it for quality. There are plenty of DIY tests available and you should be on the lookout for harmful contaminants like lead, chlorine, sulfur, radium, and more.

8. Be an Advocate

Once you start doing your part, the next step is to speak up.  Let other people know what you’ve learned, and help them practice responsible clean water habits. Many people simply aren’t aware and don’t realize what they’re doing. Change starts with one person and you never know how vital of a role you’ll play in leading local change.

Test Your Home’s Water With TestAssured

While the first step is to prevent issues in your neighborhood and city by being a responsible steward of the land, you also need to be hyperaware of the quality of water that’s entering your home.

There are a variety of ways in which you can test your home’s water quality, but you should start by ordering one of our home water testing kits. They’re cheap, easy to use, and give you a reading on 10 different contaminants within just minutes. Please contact us today with any questions you may have!

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Most of us have experienced that terrible, sickly feeling after being in a pool for too long. That’s because it’s easy to swallow a little water while you’re swimming, and the chlorine that slips into your stomach can cause a serious stomach ache, and may even lead to vomiting and diarrhea.

The same thing can happen if your drinking water has too much chlorine in it. Chlorine is a bleaching agent that’s used to purify water, but too much is dangerous for us. So you should understand the way it’s used in drinking water and how improper levels can affect you.

The Dangers of Chlorine

Chlorine is a poisonous gas that’s found naturally in the environment. It was first discovered in 1774 by Carl Wilhelm Scheel, who mistook this gas for oxygen, which in its purest form can also be highly poisonous.

Humphry Davies properly named it in 1810, and also identified chlorine as a pure chemical element. In its physical form, it’s a diatomic green gas that’s extremely poisonous if you inhale it.

Davies was also involved in figuring out how to convert the gas into liquid form, which is how it’s used today for water purification. Though it takes a slightly larger dose to kill a human in liquid form, it’s still a poison.

That’s why too much chlorine in your drinking water can make you very sick or even kill you, although this is a fairly rare occurrence. What’s more, chlorine can actually react with the water and minerals in it to create other chemicals such as trihalomethanes (THMs). THMs have been linked to serious conditions in humans, for example: heart disease, asthma, eczema, and cancer.

The Necessity for Chlorine in Drinking Water

If chlorine can be such a dangerous substance when ingested, why is it a staple at all water-treatment plants? The short answer is that a bleaching agent such as chlorine is necessary to remove contaminants and protect your water.

Chlorine was deemed the safest and most effective bleaching agent for drinking water, and therefore became a standard in treatment plants across the U.S. On balance, it makes water much safer to drink.

We collect water from surface bodies such as lakes, reservoirs, and streams, but also from underground pools. Many, many contaminants may be found naturally in the earth, including bacteria and microorganisms that can make us sick or even kill you. But chlorine kills these contaminants instantly.

Also, after the water is collected, it runs through pipes that are not often cleaned. The pipes can be very dirty, and chlorine in the water helps to keep the liquid clean as it goes on its way.

Chlorine is also used in the treatment of water that has been shown to contain unsafe levels of a particular strain of bacteria or other dangerous constituents. There have been many reports of chlorine being used in an emergency to treat contaminated water.

Recently, a New Zealand town discovered that its drinking water was infected with E. coli, a toxic bacterium that can cause severe food poisoning and even death. For the safety of the residents, the management of the local water treatment plant chose to add a metered dose of chlorine to the water immediately to prevent infections.

Without the use of chlorine to solve the problem quickly, hundreds of residents might have become sick from the bacteria.

Is Chlorine Safe in Drinking Water?

Although chlorine is a poison, and the safety of drinking it can be questioned, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has declared that chlorine in water is safe to drink in small amounts. Your body may build up a natural immunity to the gas over time that protects you from the negative health effects.

Even though it’s not an entirely safe chemical to consume, chlorine is a much better alternative to the array of communicable diseases that can be contracted through drinking water that has not been treated. Most cities will opt for the risks of increased chlorine in their water over a dangerous disease like E. coli.

Measuring High Levels of Chlorine

Though it’s necessary and safe in small amounts, you should monitor chlorine levels in your drinking water to protect yourself and family. The EPA warns that levels that exceed the regulated amounts will be harmful.

The agency’s conventions state that the allowable chlorine levels in drinking water may be up to 4 parts per million. This stipulation has a wide margin of error, so if higher levels of chlorine are mistakenly added, most drinkers will still be safe while action is taken to correct the error.

It’s worthwhile to note that water treatment facilities are responsible for testing your water, but they don’t always test often or accurately. The frequency of testing is directly linked to the quality of raw water and the population of drinkers.

If you live in a densely populated area with low-quality drinking water at its sources, the water is probably be tested every day. But if you live in a locale supplied with high-quality mountain spring water and fewer than 10,000 people, your water may be tested as seldom as once a month.

That’s when it’s essential to take water testing into your own hands. You can purchase water-testing kits from our shop that will specifically measure the levels of chlorine in your drinking water.

These tests can be more accurate than those used in water-treatment facilities because their tests only check the water in the plant. They can’t know what sort of contaminants and chemical reactions might take place between the time the water leaves the plant and when it reaches your faucets.

Testing your water often is the best way to enjoy peace of mind. If you discover that your water has higher-than-acceptable levels of chlorine, you must do several things.

First, stop drinking your water, obviously. Purchase high-quality bottled water instead. It’s all right to bathe and wash dishes in water with higher-than-normal levels of chlorine, but you shouldn’t ingest it until the problem has been addressed.

Call your water-treatment facility. The staff there can confirm the high chlorine levels and take proper steps to fix it and reduce the risk of customers getting sick.

Get Your Water Testing Kits from Test Assured Today!

Chlorine is just one of the many contaminants in water than can make you seriously ill or even lead to death if it’s not properly regulated. With our water testing kits, you’ll always know your water is safe.

We have tests that will check for lead, bacteria, pesticides, nitrates, chlorine, copper, iron, water hardness, and more. For more information about the many tests we offer and how you can achieve peace of mind with increased water safety, contact us today!

The post Safe to Drink: How Much Chlorine Should Your Water Contain? appeared first on .

The Dangers of Contaminated Drinking Water

There are two primary ways of bringing water into your home’s plumbing system. You either use a private well or have access to the local water department’s supply. With today’s infrastructure, the vast majority of people have access to their municipality’s water supply. Under this scenario, both ground water and surface water are collected by the city and then treated at a water treatment facility. The treatment is designed to remove harmful bacteria and contaminants.

Once the water is treated, it’s then stored in massive reservoirs, like water towers. From there, water enters into the city’s underground pipes and is transported to each home’s main supply line. From the main supply line, water enters the home and traverses through various pipes until a faucet is turned on and it pours out into the tub, shower, sink, washing machine, etc.

Sometimes, your water treatment facility doesn’t do an adequate job of removing contaminants. Other times, contaminants find their way in through the various pipes the water comes into contact with. Either way, contaminated water isn’t something you want to deal with.

“The presence of contaminants in water can lead to health issues, including gastrointestinal illness, reproductive problems, and neurological disorders,” CDC.gov notes. “Infants, young children, pregnant women, the elderly, and people whose immune systems are compromised because of AIDS, chemotherapy, or transplant medications, may be especially susceptible to illness from some contaminants.”

Thankfully, you don’t have to worry about contaminated drinking water all of the time. Under the Clean Water Act, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is required to set rules for safe levels of contaminants and towns and cities are required to regularly test their drinking water supply and publish the results.

With that being said, very rarely will you ever find 100 percent pure water. There will always be trace elements of various contaminants. The key is to make sure your water falls within the EPA’s safe range – especially when it comes to things like lead, radium, silver, barium, and other dangerous waterborne contaminants.

Seven Signs You Need to Take a Closer Look

While most people are savvy enough to know that contaminated water isn’t safe to drink, they don’t always realize when their water has been affected.

If you want to be a responsible individual who is capable of watching out for your family, then you need to recognize the telltale signs of water contamination. Here are a few of the most common:

1. Cloudy Water

One of the first things people tend to notice is a visual change in their water’s appearance. If you begin to see cloudy water, then you should probably consider what’s happening. While water can and should contain a number of minerals, it should always be clear to the sight. Water should be 99.99999999 percent pure, which means the remaining part is not enough to cloud up the water. If things get cloudy, it’s time to test your water.

2. Chlorine Smell

Drinking water shouldn’t have much of a smell to it. If your drinking water begins to smell more like a swimming pool, then something is probably wrong. While public water treatment facilities add some amounts of chlorine to kill bacteria, there shouldn’t be enough present to cause a smell. Test your water if you think there’s an abnormal amount of chlorine in it, as this can be dangerous to your health.

3. Colored Tint

Remember, water is supposed to be clear. If you see any coloring to it whatsoever, then stop drinking immediately. The most frequent discoloration is brown or orange. “This is often a sign of excessive iron or manganese in the water. There are a number of possible causes, the most common of which is mining or excavation near the water supplies,” Daily Health Remedies says. Another possible cause is old water pipes that are rusting. Regardless of the cause, you should test your water for contamination right away.

4. Sulfur Smell

Does your water smell like rotten eggs? If so, you’re smelling sulfur, which naturally occurs in the ground. And while some trace amounts of sulfur is normal in drinking water, there shouldn’t be so much that it overpowers your senses. High levels of sulfur can lead to intestinal distress and dehydration. Get this checked out.

5. Pipe Deterioration

Have you been underneath your house lately and noticed pipe deterioration in certain areas? If so, this could be a sign that your water is being contaminated. When pipes deteriorate and rust, some of the chemicals and elements from the pipes can seep into the water and affect its quality and safety. Have a plumber take a look.

6. Issues in Your Neighborhood

Even if you haven’t had any issues in your own home, you should be alarmed if your neighbors – who have homes built around the same time as yours – are having issues. For example, if their pipes are deteriorating and causing issues with their drinking water, it’s possible that your pipes are too.

7. Physical Symptoms

Finally, don’t ignore physical symptoms. While physical symptoms often indicate that you’ve been exposed to contaminated drinking water for some time, it’s better to deal with it now. Physical symptoms combined with any of the other signs above should be ample evidence to bring to your family doctor. He’ll likely conduct a blood test for different chemicals.

Test Your Water With TestAssured

Whether some of the following signs sound familiar or you just feel like it’s important to be proactive and test your home’s water supply, the good news is that you can do it very cost-effectively on your own. At TestAssured, we offer a variety of DIY water testing kits that will give you results within minutes. Feel free to check them out and contact us with any questions you may have!

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For that reason, any survival prepper’s number one priority should be learning how to find and purify drinking water in the wilderness. Here’s a guide that can help you determine the safety of your drinking water and how to stay hydrated in a crisis.

Fresh Water Doesn’t Mean Safe Water

When you’re in the wild, drinking water without doing any purification is dangerous. Even if it comes from a fresh source like a river, stream, lake, or reservoir, that doesn’t mean it’s safe to drink. More often than not, it will make you very sick.

There are many dangers when drinking unpurified fresh water. First of all, these water sources are hubs for bacteria growth. There’s often animal urine and fecal matter mixed into the water. There can also be seepage and corrosion from naturally occurring hard metals like lead, copper, mercury, aluminum, and other substances that are poisonous when consumed.

Drinking water with any of these substances can cause you to become very, very sick. In some cases, you’ll simply develop a case of vomiting and diarrhea. In other situations, you could contract more serious conditions like dysentery, typhoid, and other life threatening diseases. The consumption of filthy water could also affect your kidneys, causing renal failure.

All Water Is Not Created Equal

There are risks present in any fresh water you find in the wilderness, but the risk is greater in some water sources than others. Water in the wilderness comes from many sources, including the following:

• Underground
• Lakes, rivers, streams, and other bodies of water
• Rainwater
• Moisture in the air
• Mountain springs
• Snow

Underground sources, lakes, rivers, and other water bodies tend to have most issues. Rainwater, snow, and mountain streams tend to be the cleanest sources of water because when the water evaporates and returns in the form of precipitation (the source of mountain springs and snow), many of the toxins are removed from the water.

It’s also important to note that water near oceans and seas can be very dangerous for consumption. Salt walter cannot be purified and used as drinking water, even when regulated by treatment facilities. If you’re looking for water that’s safe to purify and drink, check for salt content first, since consuming salt water can make you very sick or even kill you. The same goes for snow and ice found near ocean areas.

Finding Water Sources

It’s always best to look for the cleanest forms of water first, particularly if you don’t have any tools for purification. Finding this water is not easy, however.

Finding lakes and rivers is fairly simple. These large bodies of water are not only large and easy to find, but you can also see the way the plants turn to these water sources. If you have a talent for tracking, you could follow animal prints to water sources. However, these are not ideal sources of water since the purification process is more intense for this lower quality of water.

If you’re near a mountain, finding water is often as simple as hiking to the top. As the elevation rises, it will get colder and you’ll find snow and ice at the top of the mountain. Oftentimes, you’ll find mountain spring runoff from the snow and ice collections at the top of the mountain without having to climb too high. This water is usually clean enough to drink, but you should purify it if you have the time and resources.

You can also find water sources underground if you dig for them. Look for muddy areas, swamps, or dry river beds where water has collected underneath the surface. By digging a hole in these areas, you can shore up some of the water where it can be collected and purified.

Purification Techniques

When it comes to purifying water, there are several tactics that work well. In most cases, you’ll need to have some supplies with you – this is why it’s recommended to have a water purification system on hand when you head outdoors.

Here are some of the systems that work best.

Boiling: The simplest and most effective way to remove viruses and bacteria from water is to boil it. This will not remove all contaminants, but it will purify the ones that can do your body immediate harm. Water should be boiled in a metal canteen, pot, or cup for at least 60 seconds in order to ensure proper removal of contaminants.

Filtering: There are hundreds of water filters on the market that can remove dangerous particles. In some cases, the filter will be carbon or ceramic and remove bacteria and debris through old-fashioned filtering. In other cases, the filter will have a treatment kit with iodine or another chemical that will kill bacteria.

If you don’t have a filter, you can usually create one in a pinch. A napkin, t-shirt, coffee filter, or even sand can be used to remove mud, weeds, and other debris. This will not remove all the bacteria, but it will get the water ready for boiling.

Solar Stills: The sun is a surprising purifying system. Simply leaving a clear water bottle in the sun for at least 24 hours (48 hours if the water bottle is not clear or the conditions are overcast) can kill bacteria.

A solar still can also be created with a piece of plastic and a hole in the ground. This is a long, drawn out process, but it can save your life if you get desperate.

UV Lights: To accelerate the process of purifying water through solar stills, you can use UV lights, which are battery-operated devices that shine UV light. This is much faster than using the sun alone.

Chemicals: Anyone who needs drinking water while in the wilderness should always have certain chemicals on hand to purify the water. The most effective and affordable purification solution is iodine. It must be Tincture of Iodine 2% for the best effect. With just a couple of drops of this substance, you can clean your water and drink it safely. Bleach or chlorine will also work for this purpose.

As a note of caution, be sure to only use a couple of drops of iodine, bleach, or chlorine per full water bottle. Too much of this cleaning agent can be harmful when ingested.

Test Your Water Before Consuming with Water Testing Kits

Another important tool to have on hand is our complete water testing kit. This contains all 10 of our water tests so that you can quickly test the quality of water. It’s hard to trust purification techniques in the wild, and using our tests can let you know if your water is safe to drink in just 10 minutes.

For more information about our products or water purification, contact us today!

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How Lead Enters a Home’s Water Supply

How does lead enter your home’s water supply? The most common culprits are lead plumbing materials, which include things like pipes, faucets fittings, and even the solder that holds these elements together.

In areas where water has low mineral or high acid content, water sitting in pipes can lead to corrosion. This corrosion releases trace amounts of lead into the water that then feeds drinking faucets and showers.

“While homes built before 1986 are the most likely to have lead plumbing, it can be found in newer homes as well. Until two years ago, the legal limit for ‘lead-free’ pipes was up to 8% lead,” CNN’s Sandee LaMotte reports. “As of January 1, 2014, all newly installed water faucets, fixtures, pipes and fittings must meet new lead-free requirements, which reduces the amount of lead allowed to 0.25%. But that doesn’t apply to existing fixtures, such as what is found in many older homes and public water suppliers.”

The Risks of Lead in Drinking Water

What’s so dangerous about having a little bit of lead in your drinking water, anyway? Well, the risk lies in the fact that the “amount” has little effect. Lead is a very toxic metal that’s harmful to human health, regardless of the amount. There’s no such thing as a safe level of exposure.

“The degree of exposure depends on the concentration of lead, route of exposure  (air, water, food), current medical condition, and age,” says Brian Oram of Water Research Center. “It has been estimated that up to 20 % of the total lead exposure in children can be attributed to a waterborne route, i.e., consuming contaminated water.”

Some of the dangerous side effects related to lead contamination include hearing loss, cramps, irritability, vomiting, fatigue, constipation, trouble sleeping, convulsions, neurological damage, coma, organ failure, and more.

The good news – if there’s such a thing in a situation like this – is that there’s a chance to reverse the course. “Drinking water is only one of the possible routes of exposure to lead contamination, but it is one of the easiest routes of contamination to reduce,” Oram assures families. “The primary route for lead poisoning in drinking water is not old contamination of the water by leaded fuels, old batteries or some hazardous waste site, the primary route is the distribution system used to carry water to your home and more importantly the plumbing within your home.”

Hot to Tell if You’re at Risk

The scary part about lead in drinking water is that you may not immediately know that your water is contaminated. This means you could be unknowingly drinking toxic water and putting your family at risk. So, how do you find out if you’re at risk?

The first step is to contact your local municipal water supplier. They should be able to give you documentation that shows the levels of contaminates they last found during mandatory testing. LaMotte says the EPA wants action level of 15 parts per billion or less.

While your local municipal water supplier can give you a read on whether or not the county’s water supply is contaminated prior to entering your home, you also need to figure out if lead is seeping into your water after entering your own plumbing system.

Thankfully, it’s possible for you to test your own water quality very easily. You can order your very own water testing kit and quickly determine your own readings. If you’d rather someone else review your numbers, you can take some water samples and then send them off to a laboratory for analysis. (Though we should note that it’s actually very easy to test water quality on your own with our accurate test kits.)

What to Do if Your Water Contains Lead

What should you do if you find unhealthy amounts of lead in your water supply? Well, the first step is to remain calm. You should be thankful that you caught the problem now, rather than a few years down the road. After quelling your fears, here are some tangible and practical steps to take:

1. Run Your Taps

Contrary to popular belief, boiling your water will not remove lead. Actually, because some water evaporates during boiling, lead concentration can actually increase slightly after boiling. One thing you can do is run cold water through faucets for three to five minutes before using water to drink or cook. This ensures you aren’t consuming water that was sitting in corroded pipes. (Note: Never run hot water through pipes.)

2. Drink Bottled and Filtered Water Only

Ideally, you should only drink bottled and filtered water. But do your research and make sure you’re choosing the right products. Many bottled waters are nothing more than tap water with labels. Furthermore, some filters don’t block out lead.

3. Contact Your Family Doctor

It’s a good idea to contact your family doctor and have every member of the household’s blood checked specifically for lead. This will let you know if you have any major health issues that need to be dealt with.

4. Contact a Certified Plumber

Finally, contact a licensed plumber to look at your pipes and let you know if they’re in need of replacing. In most cases, certain parts of the piping will need to be replaced with copper lines. In extreme cases, your entire system may have to be gutted.

Purchase a Home Water Testing Kit Today

At TestAssured, we believe that every family has a right to know what’s in their drinking water. That’s why we focus on providing high-quality water analysis test kits that are cost-effective and easy to use. For more information on how our tests work and which products you need, please don’t hesitate to contact us today!

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When you go to the sink or refrigerator and fill up a glass of water, you expect that water to be safe to drink. After all, we live in a country that has strict health guidelines in place and possess the infrastructure of a first world country. But what if we told you that your water might not be as clean as it looks? Many homeowners around the country would be surprised to learn that this is true.

What Are Waterborne Contaminants?

For most people, there are three factors that determine whether or not water is safe to drink: taste, smell, and appearance. And while you shouldn’t drink water that tastes, smells, or looks strange, this isn’t a foolproof system for avoiding contaminated water.

Contaminated water often tastes fine, smells good, and looks crystal clear. However, somewhere deep down at a molecular level, there’s something gravely wrong.

All water contains some contaminants. The important thing is that you’re not drinking water with high levels of dangerous contaminants. Generally speaking, there are four broad categories of drinking water contaminants:

• Physical. These are contaminants that primarily influence the physical appearance of water. So, for example, physical contaminants include sewage, sediment, and soil.

• Chemical. These contaminants are elements or compounds. They can either be man-made or naturally occurring. Examples include bleach, metals, pesticides, salts, and drugs.

• Biological. This category of contaminants refers to organisms that live in water. Also labeled as microbes or microbiological contaminants, biological contaminants include bacteria, parasites, viruses, and protozoan.

• Radiological. The fourth and final category consists of radiological contaminants. These are chemical elements that have an unbalanced number of neutrons and protons that result in unstable atoms. These unstable atoms emit ionizing radiation. Examples include uranium, cesium, and plutonium.

You don’t necessarily need to know the differences between these four categories to be an informed individual, but it does help to understand that there are differences between various waterborne contaminants.

Be Aware of These 9 Contaminants

It’s also helpful to know where your water comes from. While you know that water comes out of your kitchen faucet or showerhead, do you know where it was before that? In most cases, your drinking water is supplied to your home’s plumbing system from either ground water or surface water. Surface water refers to streams, lakes, reservoirs, and rivers. Ground water is located beneath the earth’s surface and collects in underground aquifers and spaces within rocks.

Your county’s public water system collects water from surface and ground water, treats that water, and then delivers it to your home via underground pipes (unless you have a private well system, of course, which uses local ground water).

Sometimes, contaminants fail to be removed during the treatment process or end up seeping into your water between the time it leaves the treatment facility and the moment it ends up in your glass, shower, tub, garden hose, etc.

With that being said, don’t just assume your water is safe to drink. Here are some specific drinking water contaminants you should test for in your home:

1. Lead

Lead is one of the first contaminants most people think about. It’s especially dangerous for children and can attack the nervous system, leading to brain damage, kidney failure, learning disabilities, and more. The federal legal limit is 0.015 mg/L.

2. Fluoride

There’s nothing wrong with small amounts of fluoride. It’s commonly used within the dental industry to prevent tooth decay. However, overexposure can ultimately lead to joint pain, brittle bones, and tooth enamel destruction. The federal legal limit is 4.0 mg/L.

3. Barium

Barium finds its way into the water supply via mineral deposits, disposal of drilling wastes, smelting of copper, and even motor vehicle parts manufacturing. Some of the potential health side effects include increased blood pressure, stomach irritation, muscle weakness, brain swelling, and damage to organs. The federal legal limit is 2.0 mg/L.

4. Arsenic

Arsenic leaches from natural deposits and wood preservatives, pesticides, petroleum production, and coal power plants. The possible health effects of overexposure include skin problems, cancer of the skin, bladder, lung, kidney, prostate, and liver, as well as damage to the nervous and cardiovascular systems. The federal legal limit is just 0.01 mg/L.

5. Aluminum

Low levels of exposure to aluminum aren’t a huge deal for most people, however, it is particularly dangerous to dialysis patients. Long-term exposure has been connected to Alzheimer’s disease and impaired brain functioning. The federal legal limit is 0.2 mg/L.

6. Ammonia

Ammonia isn’t necessarily harmful to humans – at least that we know of – but it should be monitored. High ammonia levels are often the result of contact with wastes and fertilizers. If you watch after aquatic life, high levels can be toxic for fish and marine creatures. No federal legal limits have been established.

7. Uranium

Uranium is a naturally occurring mineral and some trace is always present in water. However, overexposure to high levels of uranium can lead to kidney toxicity and an increased risk of cancer. The federal legal limit is 0.03 mg/L.

8. Silver

Silver chloride and silver sulfide is naturally found in soil. Silver is also used as a bacteriostatic in water treatment devices. When exposed to abnormally high levels of silver, humans can experience discoloration of skin, organs, and hair. In very high levels, it’s potentially fatal. The federal legal limit is 0.1 mg/L.

9. Potassium

Potassium isn’t dangerous, but it is considered a drinking water contaminant. In fact, consuming enough potassium is key to lowering blood pressure and reducing the risk of kidney stones. As an adult, you should consume at least 4.7 grams per day. With that being said, there is no federal legal limit in water.

Test Your Water ASAP!

If you’ve never tested your water before, now’s the time to take action. You can either hire someone to come out and test your water for you, take a sample and send it in to a laboratory, or do it yourself. The latter method is preferred. It’s easier, faster, and much cheaper. Try our Complete Testing Kit today for only $29.99!

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