Every once in a while you might hear a news report about the dangers of radon gas or hear about a terrible tragedy caused by radon gas. If you don’t know anything more than that about radon gas, then please keep reading.

One of the scariest facts about radon gas deals with its ability to amass in substantial concentrations in a person’s home without them ever seeing, smelling or tasting it in their air or water supply. radon has the ability to build up to toxic levels without anyone in the home knowing — unless they perform periodic testing.

What harm does radon cause?

In a word, CANCER. Persons exposed to radon have a signifigantly higher risk of developing lung cancer than those not exposed to radon.

Radon causes lung cancer, and is a threat to health because it tends to collect in homes, sometimes to very high concentrations. As a result, radon is the largest source of exposure to naturally occurring radiation. ( source )

Where does radon come from?

Radon, like other dangerous and potentially toxic substances like arsenic, occurs naturally in the Earth’s crust. You can potentially find radon anywhere, but yet it has few definable geological indicators which make it more prevalent in one place than in others.

Radon (chemical symbol Rn and atomic number 86) is a naturally occurring radioactive gas found in soils, rock, and water throughout the World. It has numerous different isotopes, but radon-220, and -222 are the most common. Radon is one of the heaviest gases, has a half-life of 3.823 days and emits alpha particles … Radon-222 is the decay product of radium-226. Radon-222 and its parent, radium-226, are part of the long decay chain for uranium-238. Since uranium is essentially ubiquitous in the earth’s crust, radium-226 and radon-222 are present in almost all rock, soil, and water. ( source )

How can I test for radon in my home?

Two main classes of radon detection kits exist: Short Term and Long Term. Short term radon test kits measure radon levels over a shorter period of time and provide a more immediate assessment of radon risk while long term radon test kits build a profile of a dwelling’s exposure to radon over time.

Which radon test kit will work best for my needs?

The short term radon test will let you know your current radon exposure level and will work great for anyone moving into a new home, new apartment, etc.

Experts then recommend long term radon testing take place after an initial short term test so that residents may learn when radon tends to enter their building, if in fact it does.

Do I have to test for radon ever again?

Unless you have no fear of lung cancer, of course you should test for radon on a regular basis. You should also test for radon if you have work done to your home, build an addition, or plan on having someone occupy a floor lower than where previous radon testing took place.

Why would I test for radon in water?

While a large percentage of radon enters homes in an airborne fashion, it can also enter a home through its water supply especially if the home uses a well. Radon has the ability to enter groundwater as easily as arsenic… and health officials advise periodic water testing for BOTH of those parameters.

While hunting for new water testing product information we often stumble across meters for other parameters such as moisture, radon, microwave oven leaks, etc. While these items have little to do with water quality testing, they do have a place in this world and they may some people a lot of good — if only the people knew about them.

Moisture Meter: Digital Pinless 0 to 63% (MMD5NP) Measures Non-invasive to 3/4″ Depth $99.99 $88.00	4 in 1 Digital Anemometer 80 to 5910 FPM, Thermometer 32 to 122° F, Hygrometer 10 to 95% & Light Meter 0 to 2200 Lux (LM-8000) with Lanyard $159.95 $129.00	Protimeter MMS+ Moisture Meter + Hygrometer: Digital 30 to 99% RH (BLD5800LH) Non-invasive & Pin Type w/HygroStick $1,166.00 $1,049.00
Manometer: Digital ±138″ h2o [-5 to 5 psi] Ambient & Differential (DM8205) w/RS232 Output, Positive & Negative Ports $199.00 $175.00	Manometer: Digital ±830″ h2o [-30 to 30 psi] Ambient & Differential (DM8230) w/RS232 Output, Positive & Negative Ports $199.00 $175.00	Calcu-Tape 5 in 1 Measuring Tool Plus 1/2″ x 12′ Tape Measure (10012) with Solar Powered Calculator $14.99 $6.99
Combustion Analyzer: Oxygen, Carbon Dioxide & Carbon Monoxide (C125) with Stainless Steel Flue Probe, 9′ Hose & Case $1,077.95 $999.00	CO Carbon Monoxide Alarm Wall Mount/Portable (CDK22) Battery Operated with Batteries and Hardware $29.95 $19.55	Microwave Oven Leak Detector, Analog 2450 MHz (MLD290) with Coiled Cable & Wand $39.95 $34.55

Water Testing Meters for drinking water, pool water, fish tanks, coy ponds, and other bodies of water make balancing water easy! No more messing around with color charts or trying to guess the color of a test strip before the colors fade or wash into one another.

So whether you need a meter to test your chlorine levels, pH levels, alkalinity levels, hardness levels, conductivity levels, ORP levels, TDS levels, or even just check the temperature of your water, one of the water testing meters on WaterTestMeter.Com will do the job quickly and accurately.

Hundreds of thousands of Americans take time away from their busy work and school schedules each year to go camping, hiking, backpacking, canoeing, kayaking, etc. While out in the woods or on a stream someplace having fresh water to rehydrate their bodies can mean the difference between life and death — especially if they get lost or accidentally spill or lose their water supply.

And let us not forget about all the natural disasters and floods which render public water supplies temporarily undrinkable. Having the proper supplies and equipment on-hand when disaster strikes can DEFINITELY mean the difference between life and death.

A company called Katadyne manufactures a full line of personal and portable water filtration systems for use just about anywhere. Below you will see an example of a simple, portable water filtration systems designed by Katadyne.

Katadyn Hiker Pro Microfilter Water Filter
Katadyn Hiker Pro

The Katadyn Hiker Pro Microfilter is the number one selling microfilter for outdoor use. This compact and light weight backpacking microfilter removes Bacteria, Giardia, and Cryptosporidium. The Hiker Pro is easy to operate and has a high water output system with an AntiClog pleated filter cartridge that outputs up to 1 quart of water per minute! Using microfilter technology the Hiker Pro not only removes bacteria but also reduces bad taste and odor from your drinking water. The Hiker Pro Microfilter comes with a Prefilter, Universal Bottle Adaptor, Carrying Bag, Field Maintenance Kit and Quick Connect Fittings. The cartridge capacity of this fitler is up to 200 gallons depending on water quality. Weight: 11 oz Height: 6.5″ X 3″ Hose Length: 36″ Technology: .3 Micron Pleated Glassfiber removes Bacteria, Cysts and Sediment Output: Appox. 1 quart per minute with 48 easy strokes Removes: 99.9999% klebsiella terrigena, 99.99% Giardia and CryptosporidiumContents:1 Hiker Pro Water Microfilter 1 Anti Clog Microfilter Cartridge 1 Removable Filter Protector 2 Quick Connect Hose Sets 1 Hydration Connector 1 Intake Hose with Modular Prefilter 1 Output Hose with Universal Bottle Adapter 1 Deluxe Carry Bag.

Katadyn Exstream Personal Water Bottle Purifier
Katadyn Exstream

The Katadyn Exstream Personal Water Purifier makes staying hydrated while biking, camping, backpacking, or trekking convenient and safe. Just dip your Exstream Bottle in any lake or stream and you’re ready to go. Using Virustat Technology, microfiltration, and carbon the Exstream is the only EPA registered purification bottle that removes all organisms from your drinking water, including viruses. This also makes the Exstream Personal Water Purifier ideal for international travel and for emergency use. The new carry loop makes it easier than ever! Bottle Capacity: 26 oz Filter Cartridge Capacity: 160 Refills up to 26 gallons Weight: 7 oz Height: 11″ Advanced Virustat Technology kills 99.9999% of waterborne viruses. Removes 99.9% of waterborne protozoa such as Giardia Easy to use. Purifies water without pumps, hoses or seperate containers. Carbon Prefilter removes sediment, elimates odors and improves taste EPA registered water filter bottle Contents: 1 Exstream Sports Bottle 1 Carry Loop 1 Virustat Microbial Water Purification Cartridge 1 Owners Manual ** Please Note: This cartridge contains iodine resin. Persons with iodine allergies or thyroid problems and pregnant women should consult their doctor before using this device because small amounts of iodine may remain in the treated water.

Here in the United States we seldom pay much attention to the dangers of diarrhea unless we or someone we know gets sick with a stomach flu or has eaten something ‘not quite right’. In severe cases our doctors will write us a prescription and tell us to drink plenty of fluids, especially water.

That remedy works for residents of countries or regions with ample safe, clean drinking water, but what about in areas where the water supply CAUSED the diarrhea in the first place? What then?

When the cure for what ails you made you sick in the first place the odds of recovery don’t look very promising and in countries where fresh, clean drinking water doe not exist, death from diarrhea — especially in children — happens all the time.

Half of the world’s poor suffer from waterborne disease, and nearly 6,000 people – mainly children – die each day by consuming unsafe drinking water. ( source )

And now for the good news…

Scientists from several companies have developed technologies that make clean(er) water available to populations around the world without the need for multi-million dollar water treatment facilities or long pipelines from other regions of the world.

One technology uses powdered chemicals and a simple cloth filter to produce potable drinking water w/in 20 minutes:

Called “PUR Purifier of Water,” the system consists of a packet containing a grayish powder composed of a variety of chemicals that collectively are capable of removing contaminates within minutes of being added to water. The main active ingredients of the powder are calcium hypochlorite (bleach), which can kill a wide range of deadly pathogens, and ferric sulfate, a particle binder that can remove impurities such as dirt and also disease-causing pathogens that aren’t killed by the bleach. The packets can kill water-born pathogens that cause cholera, typhoid and dysentery; remove a variety of toxic metals, including lead, arsenic and mercury; and also remove dangerous pesticides like DDT and PCB, Allgood says. (source )

You can find more information on the PUR Purifier of Water technology here.

A second technology, developed by Vestergaard-Frandsen uses a purification cartridge which contains millions of tiny pores called capillary membranes that remove contaminants. The product removes at least 99.9999% of all bacteria, 99.99% of all viruses, and 99.9% of parasites. With regard to its ability to clean up turbid water, the product removes all particles up to 20nm, making the water clear of any turbidity. ( source )

With two promising technologies for cleaning previously diseased water becoming more and more available to the general public, we hope to see a serious decrease in the number of people suffering and/or dying from waterborne parasites and diseases in the next few years.

Water Filters for Camping, Hiking and Emergencies?

Thankfully most people in the United States have access to clean, safe drinking water and do not need to use the technologies mentioned above on a daily basis. That does not mean, however, that the technologies might not prove useful in this country.

We decided to post this topic for one reason: Shock Value.

For those unaware of the planet’s drinking water situation because they have never run out of clean, safe drinking water or because they feel safe and smug in the knowledge that someone else will figure out a solution to our planet’s quickly vanishing water supply, the time may come when you may have to drink your own urine.

As repulsive and disgusting as that may sound, or as improbable as some would like to think that sounds, it has already happened in Windhoek, Namibia, the driest African country south of the Sahara ( source ). The lack of water in that region forced government officials to think outside the box and implement toilet to tap water recycling — or watch its population slowly die off from dehydration.

Did you know that Astronauts aboard the International Space Station have started drinking water recycled from their own urine and sweat because getting fresh water to them cost too much and required way too much effort?

So the next time you find yourself taking your supply of safe, clean drinking water for granted by not fixing leaky plumbing, overwatering lawns and gardens, washing vehicles more often than necessary, taking longer than needed showers, etc., just think about filling up your water bottle with recycled urine… and perhaps you won’t be quite so wasteful next time.

News stories pop up from time to time mentioning the dangers of copper in drinking water and many people on public water systems jump to the conclusion that someone at their drinking water distribution center has failed to do their job correctly. That may or may not be true…

Federal Regulations require public water systems to keep a close watch on the levels of many different metals in the water they pump out to their customers — including copper. If levels exceed 1.3ppm at the plant then operators must take corrective action immediately and continue monitoring copper levels for a period afterwards to make sure the level does not climb back above 1.3ppm.

Naturally you probably want to know why water with little or no copper at the water treatment plant can wind up containing dangerously with high levels when it flows from a faucet. Simple: Corrosion.

Many homes and older water systems used copper pipes and/or pipes which contained copper as part of their chemical make up before scientists knew the dangers posed by copper. Water with an improper pH balance becomes corrosive and eats away at the pipes — causing copper to enter the water.

What can copper in drinking ‘do’ to a person?

While the body does require copper as a natural nutrient, it does not require very much at all and levels of exposure above the EPA’s Action Level of 1.3ppm could have adverse effects on a person’s health such as gastrointestinal troubles, nausea and/or vomiting. In more serious cases, liver to kidneys and live may occur.

Can the average person test for copper in drinking water?

Yes, but keep in mind that at-home drinking water test kits serve as screening methods only and persons with reason to suspect serious contamination of their water supply should turn a certified water testing laboratory for assistance.

For everyone else, though, simple test kits such as SenSafe Copper Check will suffice. While just a test strip, advanced aperture technology developed by Industrial Test Systems, Inc. allows just about anyone to detect as low as 0.05ppm dissolved copper in water — without the need for powders, liquids or tablets!

And don’t forget to monitor the pH of your water, too! Corrosive water is normally the number one cause of copper leaching into drinking water!

No, no, no and….. NO! While boiling water does have a beneficial effect when attempting to remove or kill off bacteria in drinking water, it will make the concentration of metals in the water INCREASE, not decrease.

Boiling water generates steam — and steam does NOT carry away metals with it. To remove metals from drinking water you must either filter the water using a reverse osmosis system or properly distill the water.

Need to test for metals in your water?

• Test Kit for Mercury in Water
• Test Kit for Copper in Water
• Test Kit for Chromium (Hexavalent) in Water
• Test Kit for Iron in Water
• Test Kit for Manganese in Water
• Test Kit for Heavy Metals in Water
• Lead in Water Test Kit
• Water Safe Lead in Water Test Kit

Once again we have found a story in the news linking elevated bacteria levels to heavy rains and runoff caused by heavy rains in an area. The following excerpt came from Camden County in Missouri:

Heavy rains, run-off and flooding are the most likely culprits for recent water testing results that indicated some coves and the public beaches in Lake of the Ozarks State Park had elevated levels of E.coli.

The cove testing is being done through a partnership with the Lake of the Ozarks Watershed Alliance, the Missouri Departments of Conservation and Natural Resources and AmerenUE. The samples taken at the state park are handled by DNR and are done on a weekly basis. Although sampled separately, the testing results produced some similarities when it came to E.coli levels.

According to Susanne Medley, communications director for DNR, the ongoing testing being done at Lake of the Ozarks indicates heavy rainfall events will cause a jump in the amount of E.coli found in the water.

Heavy rains were reported in the lake area throughout the late spring and early summer.
Runoff from heavy rains may transport waste found in soil from faulty septic tanks or sewer systems, wastewater treatment facilities, large concentrations of waterfowl, and animal waste and manure, she said. ( source )

Curious to know if the water in your favorite swimming hole contains dangerously unsafe bacteria levels? Use of a kit such as the Water Check Bacteria Test Kit can help.

as always, though, keep in mind that NOTHING takes the place a water test performed by a licensed, certified water testing laboratory and that do-it-yourself bacteria test kits serve as a screening tool only.

While most adults understand the value and importance of clean drinking water, many children take it for granted and believe that clean, pure drinking water will come from the tap and/or from bottles today, tomorrow and always.

In their world, the words ‘pollution’ and ‘contamination’ happen in other places and not in THEIR own neighborhoods or in the sources of their drinking water. The naive nature of children makes them precious at times, yes, but we, as responsible adults, have a duty to teach them about the importance of making sure their drinking water IS safe today and will be safe tomorrow.

Since no one really wants to try and explain the concept of titrations and so forth to young kids, companies such as WaterSafe and Industrial Test Systems, Inc. have developed simple, easy-to-use drinking water test kits which make teaching children about water quality as easy as dipping a test strip and comparing colors on a chart.

Industrial Test Systems, Inc. has excellent, and quite comprehensive, test strip based drinking water test kits that even a child could use without much effort:

• Water Quality Test Kit — Test for 15 different water quality parameters. Contains (2) two tests for free chlorine, total chlorine, chloride, pH, total alkalinity, total hardness, nitrate, nitrite, iron, sulfate, hydrogen sulfide, and copper. Also contains (1) test for lead, pesticides (atrazine & simazine), and bacteria.
• Well Water Check — 2 test for each: pH, Total Alkalinity, Total Hardness, Iron & Nitrate/Nitrite Nitrogen.

We found two sizes of WaterSafe Science Projects for water quality readily available:

• WaterSafe Science Project — Contains (4) four tests for lead, bacteria, pesticides, nitrates, nitrites, chlorine, hardness and pH.
• WaterSafe Science Project — Contains (10) ten tests for lead, bacteria, pesticides, nitrates, nitrites, chlorine, hardness and pH.

Drinking water testing: A necessary skill for today’s youth!