… but usually only if irresponsible private well owners let it. The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) recently made an announcement about the relationship between well water and children’s illnesses.

Washington, D.C. – infoZine – Researchers at the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS), part of the National Institutes of Health, took a lead role in working with the AAP to develop these recommendations and draft a new AAP policy statement about the things parents should do if their children drink well water. The recommendations call for annual well testing, especially for nitrate and microorganisms such as coliform bacteria, which can indicate that sewage has contaminated the well. The recommendations point out circumstances when additional testing should occur, including testing when there is a new infant in the house or if the well is subjected to structural damage.

“Children are especially vulnerable to waterborne illnesses that may come from contaminated wells,” said Walter J. Rogan, M.D., an epidemiologist at NIEHS and lead author on the policy statement and technical report that appears in the June issue of Pediatrics. The new policy statement, “Drinking Water from Private Wells and Risks to Children,” offers recommendations for inspection, testing and remediation of wells providing drinking water for children.

“With few exceptions, well owners are responsible for their own wells,” said Rogan. Private wells are not subject to federal regulations and are only minimally regulated by states. With proper care, well water is safe; however, wells can become contaminated by chemicals or pathogenic organisms.( source )

So as usual we will tell you that nothing takes the place of a drinking water test performed by a certified drinking water laboratory and remind all well owners that they can test the drinking water from their wells on their using Drinking Water Test Kit between certifed water tests as an added level of protection.

For those wishing to have a more thorough at-home well water test kit on-hand, we suggest the Well Drillers Master Water Test Kit:

Well Drillers’ Master Water Test Kit

Each Well Drillers’ Master Water Testing Kit contains:

• 50 Free Chlorine Test Strips
• 50 Ultra Low Total Chlorine Test Strips
• 50 Hydrogen Sulfide Test Strips
• 50 Total Hardness Test Strips
• 50 Nitrate/Nitrite Test Strips
• 50 pH Test Strips
• 24 Manganese Tests
• 50 Water Metals Test Strips
• 10 Arsenic Test Strips
• 50 Iron Tests
• 50 Copper Test Strips
• 2 Lead in Water Tests
• 2 Pesticide Tests
• 1 bottle of Bacteria Test

Now once more, please don’t put all your faith in an at-home drinking water test kit if you suspect that your well water or source of drinking water may have gotten contaminated. At-home drinking water test test kits serve as effective on-site screening tools only.

Given that we have strayed from our normal topic of drinking water quality and drinking water quality testing recently, it came as no surprise that we started getting emails asking about the differences between drinking water test kits and pool water test kits. The answer, without a doubt sounds 100% like this: “No. The levels of detection differ greatly for key drinking water quality parameters in such a degree that a person could possibly put their lives at risk by using the wrong test kit.”

As an example, a test kit for bacteria which could help a person determine whether or not a pond, lake, pool, hot tub or river contains an unhealthy level of bacteria unsafe for swimming or bathing cannot definitively tell a person whether or not a person should drink the water.

A kit like…

… will tell you if the water contains unsafe levels of bacteria that would make swimming or bathing unsafe.

A kit like…

WaterWorks^TM Bacteria Check

… detects down to 1 coliform unit of bacteria, the EPA limit for safe drinking water.

Now as we ALWAYS say, “No at-home test kit gives the same level of precision and accuracy as a professional, certified water analysis laboratory!” — It’s your water, your health and ultimately your LIFE!

Summer months mean warmer weather for most people so once again we will take a moment to digress a bit from the usual topics to remind people that water in a swimming pool can pose just as much of a threat to human health as the drinking water in a person’s glass. Need more proof?

Two years ago, an outbreak of illness caused by a germ called Cryptosporidium (”Crypto” for short) made at least 69 people ill in Dubuque. Health officials said Flora Pool was the probable origin of the outbreak.

“Those illnesses can last for weeks,” said Mary Rose Corrigan, public health specialist with the city of Dubuque.

Such illnesses also can lead to hospitalizations. Roth recalls a recent incident involving a diarrhea illness originating at a parish festival.

“We had people in the (intensive care units) at both hospitals because the diarrhea had put their electrolytes out of balance,” Roth said.

“The general public thinks you get diarrhea for a couple days and that’s it, but what happens for some people is this can be a near-death experience. It’s not always a benign situation.” ( source )

Still not convinced? Think of it this way: The United States Environmental Protection Agency and the National Ground Water Association urge private well owners to test their water on a regular basis because the slightest contamination can cause massive illnesses in the users of the wells… so what do you think they say about pool water, huh? They say things like…. this.

How can you test you pool water? Check out the new Swimming Pool & Spa Testing Supplies Web Site.

As if the price some people pay for bottled water doesn’t ALREADY put a huge dent in a person’s wallet, now word has leaked out that some restaurants which charge MORE than stores for bottled water have taken it upon themselves to rip patrons off in a new way:

“There have also been reports of fraud in which ordinary tap water has been added to used mineral water bottles and sold as the original article. Consumers may not be able to detect this by taste alone and, if concern is warranted, should examine the closures of bottled waters carefully before purchase and insist on seeing bottles opened in their presence in restaurants and other food and beverage service establishments.” ( source )

We don’t have a way for people to stop the shady cretins guilty of this particular scam, but we can suggest ways for people to save money on bottled water other ways.

Unless bottled water specifically states that it came from a natural spring, it more than likely came from a bottling facility located in the heart of a major metropolitan area that somehow filters and/or purifies its local tap water, bottles it, and sells it to you for an outrageous price.

At this poing many of you may have a thought similar to, “OK, but water from most taps can taste pretty gross and I’d rather pay too much for good tasting bottled tap water than drink bad tasting tap water.” You can do that if you want, or you can get portable sport bottles with built-in filters which remove specific contaminants and common sources of bad tastes in tap water — and can be used and reused over and over again.

The links below will take you to affordable, reliable portable water solutions which if used in place of bottled water, should greatly reduce the number of waste products winding up in landfills:

As a result of a massive influx of questions related to pool & spa water testing, we have decided to branch off our normal topic of drinking water quality testing and post a few things related to testing pool & spa water. Why? Simple: Some people have not yet made the connection that bad tap or ground water stays bad whether you drink it or fill your swimming pool with it.

For most people opening their swimming pool means raising the water level off with fresh, untreated water from a garden hose or in some cases, a delivery truck. Once full of water, the testing can begin.

How Should Pool & Spa Owners Test Their Water?

Excellent question! In the ‘old’ days most pool and spa owners had a simple two-sided test kit for chlorine/ bromine and pH which looked like this:

… and each year the owners of these pool water and spa water owners made a pilgrimage to their local pool store to acquire replacement reagents for their pool and/or spa water test kits which looked like this:

While at their local pool store picking up the replacement reagents for their pool/spa water test kits, pool and spa owners would usually submit a sample of water from their freshly filled pool or spa to a smiling person behind the counter at the ‘water testing station’. Within minutes of handing over a soda can, mason jar, yogurt container or other (hopefully) sealed container full of water the same smiling water station attendant would return with a sheet of paper telling them the free chlorine, total chlorine, ph, alkalinity, total (or calcium) hardness, cyanuric acid, total dissolved solids, copper and iron levels in their water.

Can’t Pool & Spa Owners Test Their Own Water?

Of course they can. Swimming pool and spa water test kits

Then came the fun part: Picking up and paying for all the various tubs and canisters of powders and liquids that would hopefully bring their water back in line with what pool and spa water professionals consider healthy.

This seems like a good time to end today’s posting. Later we will go into the different methods a person can use to test their OWN pool or spa water: At-Home Pool & Spa Water Test Kits & Water Testing Meters and At-Home Pool & Spa Water Test Kits and Testing Supplies

Oh man… Have you ever wondered where the warm spots in a pool came from? This interesting article published only DAYS ago will shed some rather disturbing light on that topic and others. Enjoy!

One in five people admitted to peeing in a swimming pool, in a recent poll of Americans.

In fact, the survey conducted by the Water Quality and Health Council found that almost half (47 percent) of the subjects admitted to one or more behaviors that contribute to an unhealthy pool.

Here are some of the survey’s other findings:

• About one-third (35 percent) say they don’t shower before entering the pool.
• 63 percent were unaware of illnesses associated with swallowing, breathing or having contact with contaminated pool water.
• Less than one quarter consider the frequency of pool cleaning and chemical treatment (23 percent) and even less (16 percent) think about chlorine levels to maintain clean pool water.

“Swimming is a fun and healthy activity for old and young alike. Proper water chlorination helps protect swimmers from germs that can make swimmers sick,” said Michele Hlavsa, an epidemiologist in the Division of Parasitic Diseases for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). “But swimmers also have role to play in maintaining a clean and healthy pool. Unhygienic behavior brings germs into the pool and makes it harder for chlorine to do its job.”

The survey was conducted online between April 30 to May 3, 2009, among a national sample of 1,000 U.S. adults, using the field services of TNS Omnibus. Results were weighted to reflect the adult population based on U.S. Census figures, including age, gender, geographic region, household income and household size. The margin of error for the study was plus or minus 3.1 percentage points.

The Water Quality & Health Council is a body of independent scientific experts, health professionals and consumer advocates who serve as advisors to the Chlorine Chemistry Division of the American Chemistry Council, an industry trade association.

The CDC urges pool users to follow these six tips for healthy swimming:

• Don’t swim when you have diarrhea.
• Don’t swallow pool water.
• Practice good hygiene. Shower with soap before swimming and wash your hands after using the toilet or changing diapers.
• Take your kids on bathroom breaks or check diapers often.
• Change diapers in a bathroom or a diaper-changing area and not at poolside.
• Wash your children thoroughly (especially the rear end) with soap and water before they go swimming.

Unclean water can lead to recreational water illnesses (RWI’s) — diarrhea, respiratory illness, and ear and skin infections. Children, pregnant women and people with compromised immune systems can suffer from more severe illness if infected. According to the CDC, these illnesses are on the rise. Between 2005 and 2006, 78 outbreaks were reported in 31 states — the largest number of outbreaks ever in a two-year period. Close to 4,500 people were affected.

To check that your public pool is properly chlorinated, the Water Quality and Health Council recommends the use of portable pool and spa testing strips, easily purchased at pool supply stores and discount retailers, in addition to trusting your basic senses.

“A smelly pool is a dirty pool,” said National Consumers League President Emeritus and Water Quality and Health Council Vice-Chair Linda Golodner. “Look for water that’s clean, clear and blue. Check for tiles that feel smooth and clean. Make sure there are no strong odors. Listen for pool cleaning equipment. Using your senses help you recognize the difference between a healthy pool and one that needs cleaning and treatment.” ( source )

OK, so now that we nave most likely grossed you out, made you sick to your stomach, or worse… we will provide you with a way to help protect yourself against contaminated, dirty, and potentially harmful pool water:

So ask yourself, punk… Do you feel lucky enough to NOT test that pool or spa water you and your kids feel like jumping into?