Needless to say we have NOTHING but contempt for Michael Carlson of Westford, Massachusetts for what he has (allegedly) done.

The former owner of an environmental testing laboratory in Westford was indicted today for submitting falsified water testing reports to the Department of Environmental Protection for several municipalities, according to authorities. … He is accused of filing false reports for a number of municipalities, including Ashby, Chicopee, Harvard, and Lawrence, authorities said.
( source )

We tip our hats to the folks in the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection responsible for catching Mr. Carlson. It seems as though their organization’s practice of routinely auditing laboratories has paid off.

he DEP had partially decertified Thorstensen Laboratory in August 2007 and March 2008, which prohibited it from conducting several tests on water supplies. The action followed routine on-site inspections by DEP, the statement said. At that time, Carlson told the DEP he would subcontract those tests to other certified labs, the authorities said.

In December 2008, the DEP Laboratory Certification Program conducted an unannounced enforcement inspection and revoked Thorstensen Laboratory’s entire certification to conduct tests on water supplies and wastewater.

A subsequent investigation by the Massachusetts Environmental Crimes Strike Force found that Carlson was not subcontracting out water tests, according to the authorities. Instead, he manipulated the lab results to make them appear as if they had been conducted by certified laboratories, even though the water samples had either not been tested or had been tested at Thorstensen, a decertified laboratory, authorities allege. ( source )

Naturally consumers in the affected area now have doubts about the quality of their drinking water. Some have started asking, “If I had my water tested by Thostensen Laboratories, can I trust the results they gave me?” Honestly, neither we nor anyone outside of that lab can answer that question — and given the fact that authorities have already filed charges, we doubt you will get useful answers out of anyone who works, or now recently worked, at the lab.

How do I know if I have safe drinking water?

We suggest performing on-site water testing with a test kit such as the Water Quality Test Kit, Complete Water Quality Test Kit, WaterSafe All-in-One Test Kit, WaterSafe Well Water Test Kit right away and having a Certified Water Testing Laboratory analyze your water for dangers that at-home drinking water test kits cannot detect.

Listen up, folks, because someone has posted yet ANOTHER article which attacks the long believed myth that people ought to drink bottled water because it comes from better, healthier, more pristine and much more pure places than tap water. Below you will find excerpts from The Truth About Bottled Water which spell out in no uncertain terms why bottled doesn’t always mean better when it comes to the water you drink.

Dasani and Aquafina on Trial…

You may actually be drinking tap water. Case in point: Dasani, a Coca-Cola product. Despite its exotic-sounding name, Dasani is simply purified tap water that’s had minerals added back in. For example, if your Dasani water was bottled at the Coca-Cola Bottling Company in Philadelphia, you’re drinking Philly tap water. But it’s not the only brand of water that relies on city pipes to provide its product. About 25 percent of all bottled water is taken from municipal water sources, including Pepsi’s Aquafina. ( source )

Yep. Many of the bottled water products people pay way too much for come from same local water companies that supply water to the faucets in the back of the stores that sell the bottled water.

Argument: “Oh yeah? Well bottled water went from the tap in the factory through a filter and into the bottle. Straight tap water traveled through miles and miles of pipes since getting purified!”

Rebuttal: “True, but you can save hundreds and possibly thousands of dollars a year by investing in personal water bottles equipped with replaceable filters which will allow you to grab tap water on the go from pretty much any faucet and purify it on the spot for immediate consumption.”

Gas Guzzlers + Water Guzzlers = Oil Crisis

No, we did not make a mistake just now. We meant to write that equation in the exact manner that we wrote it.

Our country’s high demand for oil isn’t just due to long commutes. ?Most water bottles are composed of a plastic called polyethylene terepthalate (PET). Now, to make PET, you need crude oil.

Specifically, 17 million barrels of oil are used in the production of PET water bottles ever year, estimate University of Louisville scientists. No wonder the per ounce cost of bottled water rivals that of gasoline. ( source )

Yep. Facts like those make us do a double-take each time we see people going to BJ’s Sam’s Club or Wal-Mart in their giant SUV’s so they can stuff the cargo areas with cases and cases of battled water.

Argument: “Oh, please… People SAVE money by buying their bottled water in bulk. Everybody KNOWS that!”

Rebuttal: “With most things, yes, people save money by buying in bulk. In this case, though, even a severely discounted price on bottled water STILL amounts to the average person paying as much, if not more, per gallon for the water than they did for the gas they put in their vehicle. Even if people purchase their bottled water for just $1 per 1.75 liter container (an unheard of price for ‘good’ bottled water), they would still wind up paying $3.78 per gallon for the water.”

Now for Some Recycling News:

86 percent of 30 billion PET water bottles sold annually are tossed in the trash, instead of being recycled, according to data from the Container Recycling Institute.( source )

This saddened every single staff member here at Water Testing Blog not because of the volume of waste generated by bottled water, although that does suck, but rather because of the hypocrisy shown by so many of the people who drink bottled water. Many of them claim eco-friendly lifestyles, drive hybrid vehicles, and look down on those who don’t share their passion for living the ‘green life’.

The Final Word on Bottled Water (for now)

We all agree that people require safe, clean drinking water to live and that having safe, clean drinking water on-hand at all times makes life more pleasant. We can also agree, most likely, that filling up landfills with used plastic bottles makes no sense especially when viable, logical alternatives exist.

Stop buying bottled water and carry your own personal water purification system such as the Katadyn Exstream Personal Water Bottle Purifier which allows users to draw water from pretty much any source (water faucet, garden hose, river, lake, stream, etc.) and have clean, safe drinking water in no time.

The cost for such convenience rings in far lower than bottled water. A single unit processes 26 gallons of water before the filter needs replacing and costs around $40. The same amount of ‘reputable’ bottled water would cost at LEAST twice that, if not close to three times that amount.

How much do replacement filters for the Katadyn Exstream Personal Water Bottle Purifier cost? Around $33, last we checked. And remember, that $33 gets you safe, clean drinking water pretty much ANYwhere you might go.

People often overlooked the importance of a properly balanced pH in their drinking water and/or pool water. If the pH strays too far above or below 7.0 water becomes corrosive and will begin to eat away at anything it touches. This can lead to the dangerous introduction of potentially harmful metals such as lead into the water.

The term pH refers to the concentration of hydrogen ions in water. Measured on a scale of 0 to 14, neutral water has a pH of 7, acids have a pH of less than 7, and bases have a pH greater than 7.

While the desired pH for drinking water typically hovers around 7.0, the acceptable range for the pH of drinking water is between 6.5 and 8.5.

Why Does pH Matter?

Water with low pH tends to corrode metals. This can lead to premature wear and tear on plumbing fixtures and more importantly, it also means the water may now contain potentially harmful metals such as lead, copper, iron, etc.

Water with a high pH can leave deposits and cause sanitizers/disinfectants like chlorine to not work as well as they would in water with a lower pH.

Acids and Bases in the Real World?

Many popular drain cleaners make use of a very strong base called NaOH (sodium hydroxide). Other common bases in everyday life include baking soda and ammonia.

Common acids in everyday life include soda, vinegar and lemon juice.

Testing for pH with a Meter

Most times when recording extremely accurate pH levels matters, technicians and scientists will use pH meters since meters typically can give more precise readings than a person can get by taking a visual reading.

Chlorine & pH Meter: Analog pH 5.5 to 9.0, Chlorine 0.2 to 3.0 (CPH12101) Pool & Spa Tester with 3′ Coiled Cable Probe	CPH12101
eXact® Micro 7+ Kit for Water Quality Testing (486691-K) pH, Calcium Hardness, Total Alkalinity, Cyanuric Acid, Copper, Free & Total Chlorine	486991-K
pH Test Meter: Digital, Pen Style 0 to 14 pH (DPH8690) with Thermometer, ATC & Holster	DPH8690
pH Test Meter: Digital, Pen Style 0 to 14 pH (PH501) ATC with Calibration Solution, Screwdriver & Hard Case	PH501
pH/ORP/Temperature Conductivity Combination Digital Water Testing Meter (DPHO1380K) with Software & Carrying Case	DPHO1380K

Note: Before using a pH meter, make sure you calibrate the meter properly using the correct pH calibration solutions and/or factory suggested calibration procedures.

Other Ways to Test for pH

Often times people do not require precise pH readings and instead just need an approximate pH reading. For times like that a simple dip’n'read pH test strip such as pH Check will work just fine.

With all the recent news about the dangers of Lead in Water many people have gone to see their family physician to request a test for lead to make sure they have not somehow become an unknowing receipient of excessive lead exposure.

First the Bad News…

A large number of those same people, however, back away from the topic of having themselves tested for lead exposure when the doctor tells them that testing for lead exposure will require bloodwork. * cringe *

Several members of the Water Testing Blog staff fear needles a lot more than they ought to and would not ever consider getting tested for lead exposure — because of their terrible fears.

Now the Good News!

Recent breakthroughs in non-invasive testing using saliva have made it possible for even the needle-fearing cowards on our staff to get tested for lead.

As stated by Test Country, a popular and trusted distributor of the Saliva Lead Detect Home Test…

“While the effects of lead poisoning are very serious, children are most significantly affected by this heavy metal, which is toxic to the human body. Prolonged exposure to lead can cause health complications, which may be irreversible once the damage has been done.”

“The Lead Detection Saliva Test, a self-collected laboratory test can determine the level of lead in your body. Simply swab the inside of your mouth and send your saliva sample to the lab for analysis. Our CLIA Accredited Laboratory uses state-of-the-art Liquid Chromatography (HPLC) with Mass Spectrometry X2 (LC/MS/MS) technology to determine the amount of lead present. Results are available in 2-3 business days.”

The Point of All This?

Health officials and medical experts around the world agree that lead causes harm in the human body and that we come into possible contact with lead many time throughout our life.

And now, without the need for needles or costly bloodwork, everyone has the abilty to get themselves and their loved ones tested for accidental lead exposure using the Saliva Lead Detect Home Test.

While not the first well water test kit to ever hit the market, since Well Water Check, Well Drillers Standard Test Kit and Well Drillers Master Test Kit have all existed for a number of years, the WaterSafe Well Water Test Kit makes a nice addition to the ever-expanding line of WaterSafe test kits for drinking water.

About WaterSafe Well Water Test Kit:

Well Water Test Kit was specifically designed to help you test quickly and easily for the most common contaminants found in private well water, including: iron, copper, lead, bacteria, pesticides, nitrates, nitrites, chlorine, pH and hardness.

Note: Manufacturer (WaterSafe) produces individual test kits for many of the vital water parameters listed above.

WaterSafe Well Water Test Kit Includes…

• Test for copper, iron and lead
• Detect dangerous levels of Nitrates/Nitrites
• Test for potentially harmful bacteria
• Reveal the presence of toxins from pesticides or fertilizers
• Learn your water’s pH balance
• Determine your water’s “hardness”
• Identify unsafe levels of chlorine in your water
• Compare all your results with EPA-recommended levels
• Feel confident in the water you drink and use every day!

Bacteria – strains of E.coli can cause serious illness or even death.

Lead - causes developmental harm, neurological and kidney damage.

Copper – causes liver and kidney damage in infants.

Iron – causes staining in laundry, dishes, bathtubs and sinks. Clogs pipes and gives off offensive odor.

Pesticides – from agricultural uses, linked to increased cancer rates.

Nitrates – from fertilizers and animal waste, causes developmental problems.

Chlorine – can increase cancer risk, gives water bad taste and smell.

pH level – can cause heavy metal (lead) leaching and plumbing damage.

Water Hardness – causes lime scale and higher detergent use.

We have received at least two dozen emails from people asking how they can remove mercury and other heavy metals from their drinking water — should their water tests come up positive.

First of all, mercury may appear as an inorganic compound or an organic compound. Each requires a different method of detection and also a different means of removal.

Most at-home test kits (such as Boris Mercury Check) test for something called free dissolved inorganic mercury. This means any mercury bound by organic compounds will not get detected.

To detect organically bound mercury as well as free dissolved mercury, also known as total mercury, scientists use more sophisticated methods of detection and that sort of testing most often must take place in a laboratory setting.

Removing Mercury From Drinking Water?

As stated earlier, a person will need different types of filters to remove the two different main types of mercury:

• Granulated Activated Carbon (GAC) filters remove organic mercury
• Reverse Osmosis (RO) filters remove inorganic mercury

So now the question becomes, “Which type of filtration system (Reverse Osmosis or Granulated Active Carbon) is right for YOU?” Answer: Both.

Don’t worry about having to choose two different systems and somehow get them to work with one another, though, because reputable companies manufacture easy-to-install RO/GAC Filtration Systems. See below for a few examples:

A while back we wrote a blog entry about widespread mercury pollution in water in Thirld World Countries because of irresponsible mining practices. This time we bring bad news about the mercury pollution a great number of the waterways right here in the United States!

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) – Scientists have detected mercury contamination in every one of hundreds of fish sampled from 291 freshwater streams, according to a U.S. government study released on Wednesday.

More than a quarter of those fish contained concentrations of mercury exceeding levels set by the Environmental Protection Agency for the protection of people who eat average amounts of fish, the U.S. Geological Survey report said.

More than two-thirds exceeded the EPA-set level of concern for fish-eating mammals. ( source )

You read that correctly. 100 PERCENT of the fish sampled from 291 freshwater streams in the United States tested positive for the presence of mercury and more then 66 percent of those fish contained quantities of mercury which exceed levels which may harm fish-eating mammals (beavers, otters, bears, etc.).

Oh, and a mere 25 percent of the fish contained mercury levels exceeding safety limits for humans who eat fich on a regular basis.

Where did the mercury come from?

Scientists believe coal burning power plants account for the greatest amount of mercury found in the United States waterways. Particles of mercury enter the atmosphere and fall back down towards the Earth. Some get blown great distances by wind and others enter the Earth’s system of waterways and travel wherever the currents want to take them.

Where were the highest mercury counts found?

Naturally people, and this includes people who eat fish AND people who don’t eat fish but still have general concerns about the quality of water in their surroundings, want the answer to that question, so…

Some of the highest levels of mercury in the latest study were found in the coastal “blackwater” streams of North and South Carolina, Georgia, Florida and Louisiana — relatively undeveloped areas marked by abundant pine forests and wooded wetlands.

USGS hydrologist Barbara Scudder said those characteristics somehow enhance the conversion of mercury from its inorganic form in the atmosphere to a more toxic organic form, methylmercury, which accounts for at least 95 percent of the mercury found in fish.

…

High concentrations also were found in some streams in the West fed by areas where mining had taken place, Scudder said. ( source )

Should people stop eating fish from US streams?

Some people think ‘panic’ when a toxicology study involving mercury, arsenic, lead or other heavy metals comes out and delivers bad news. According to scientists, the closer to the higher end of the food chain in those streams, the greater the amount of mercury one can expect to find in the fish.

As with many pollutants, mercury concentrates as it moves up the food chain, from algae, to insects to small fish and larger predators. The main source of mercury poisoning in humans is from eating fish and shellfish.

Scudder said researchers typically sampled about five fish from each of the 291 streams surveyed. They focused on bigger species such as largemouth bass because they are at the top of the in-stream food chain.

She suggested that people concerned about mercury contamination in stream-caught fish should eat more of the smaller pan species, such as perch, bluegill or crappie. ( source )

While the advice of ‘eating smaller fish’ probably does not instill conficence in most people reading this, at least they didn’t tell us to become vegetarians… OR DIE!

So if there’s mercury in the fish, does that mean there’s mercury in the water, too?

Good question! We noticed that the article mentioned mercury in the air and mercury getting into the fish via runoff tainted with mercury particulates… so we would guess that in some areas a person could expect to find mercury in the water as well.

Can the average person test for mercury in water?

While nothing takes the place of professional water analysis conducted by a certified water testing laboratory, the average person can actually test for the presence of dissolved mercury as well as other heavy metals in water:

Testing for Arsenic in Water

Testing for Chromium in Water

Testing for Copper in Water

Testing for Iron in Water

Testing for Lead in Water

Testing for Manganese in Water

Testing for Mercury in Water

For cases where people fear that larger scale mercury contamination may have taken place, a product named Mercury Check with a detection range of 50ppm to 1,000ppm may come in handy.

The human body benefits from chromium in some respects, but only in small amounts — and those amounts do NOT come from dissolved chromium in drinking water.

Water insoluble chromium(III) compounds and chromium metal are not considered a health hazard, while the toxicity and carcinogenic properties of chromium(VI) are known for a long time. An actual investigation into hexavalent chromium release into drinking water was used as the plot-basis of the motion picture Erin Brockovich.

…

The proposed beneficial effects of chromium(III) and the use as dietary supplements yielded some controversial results, but recent reviews suggest that moderate uptake of chromium(III) through dietary supplements poses no risk.

World Health Organization recommended maximum allowable concentration in drinking water for chromium (VI) is 0.05 milligrams per liter. Hexavalent chromium is also one of the substances whose use is restricted by the European Restriction of Hazardous Substances Directive.

…

The acute toxicity of chromium(VI) is due to its strong oxidational properties. After it reaches the blood stream, it damages the kidneys, the liver and blood cells through oxidation reactions. Hemolysis, renal and liver failure are the results of these damages. ( source )

Despite the fact that some governments around the world try to keep an eye on industry’s use and disposal of chromium products one cannot dismiss the notion that chromium in drinking water could still cause harm in their life — especially if the water comes from a private well.

As chromium compounds were used in dyes and paints and the tanning of leather, these compounds are often found in soil and groundwater at abandoned industrial sites, now needing environmental cleanup and remediation per the treatment of brownfield land. Primer paint containing hexavalent chromium is still widely used for aerospace and automobile refinishing applications. ( source )

Testing for Specific Metals in Drinking Water

For those wishing to test for specific metals in their drinking water, please use the links below to locate information about ion-specific metals in water test kits:

Testing for Arsenic in Water

Testing for Chromium in Water

Testing for Copper in Water

Testing for Iron in Water

Testing for Lead in Water

Testing for Manganese in Water

Testing for Mercury in Water

All of us at Water Testing Blog already KNOW the dangers of releasing chlorine into the environment and applaud the California State Legislators for going after the organizations responsible for discharging water with higher than acceptable levels of chlorine from their facilities.

SONORA – The State Water Resources Control Board says in a proposed order that the Central Valley Regional Water Quality Control Board disregarded excessive chlorine being discharged into Woods Creek from a Sonora sewage treatment plant and also inappropriately increased the amount of chlorine that Sonora and Jamestown government agencies were allowed to discharge into the creek.

The proposed order the state board issued this week would require the regional board to revise its pollution permit for the treatment plant that serves the two cities to bring chlorine discharges within legal limits.

Woods Creek flows into Don Pedro Reservoir, a popular fishing area and a tributary to the Tuolumne River. The order points out that even extremely low concentrations of chlorine are damaging to fish populations. ( source )

Government regulations restrict the amount of chlorine (both free AND total) that a company or water treatment facility may pump back onto the environment because even in low concentrations, chlorine has the ability to inflict serious harm on an ecosystem.

Testing for Chlorine:

• Liquid Test Kits: Companies such as Taylor, Lamotte and others manufactures test kits which make of use liquid reagents.
• Test Strips: Many companies manufacture test strips which measure chlorine levels as low as 0.05 ppm (see SenSafe Free Chlorine & Total Chlorine) and as high as 5,000 ppm (see Water Check Ultra High II Free Chlorine).

• Chlorine Meters: For people with color blindness or simply the desire NOT to have to interpret color changes on the pads of test strips or in liquid samples, chlorine testing meters take all the guesswork out of testing free & total chlorine levels in water samples. Almost all chlorine testing meters use DPD Reagents in the form of liquids, tablets, powders or reagentstrips.

A press release dated July 9, 2009 and titled “Environmental Manganese Good in Trace Amounts But Can Correlate to Cancer Rates” provided evidence from a recent study which found a correlation between manganese in groundwater and increased cancer rates. While not necessarily a direct link, it does give researchers reason to explore the matter further and well owners even more reason to check the manganese levels in their well water.

WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. – In the first ecological study of its kind in the world, a Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center researcher has uncovered the unique finding that groundwater and airborne manganese in North Carolina correlates with cancer mortality at the county level.

The study, titled, “Environmental Manganese and Cancer Mortality Rates by County in North Carolina: An Ecological Study,” was published online last month by Biological Trace Element Research. Lead researcher John Spangler, M.D., professor of family and community medicine at Wake Forest Baptist, found that groundwater manganese appears to be positively associated with total cancer, colon cancer and lung cancer death rates, while airborne manganese concentrations appear to be inversely associated with total cancer, breast cancer and lung cancer death rates.

. . .

To determine whether environmental manganese is related to cancer at the county level in North Carolina, Spangler conducted an ecological study using data from the North Carolina State Center for Health Statistics, North Carolina Geological Survey, U.S. Geological Survey, and U.S. Census.

He found that airborne manganese was associated at the county level with an 14 percent decrease in total cancer deaths, a 43 percent decrease in breast cancer deaths and a 22 percent decrease in lung cancer deaths. Additionally, Spangler found there was up to a 28 percent increase in county-level colon cancer deaths and a 26 percent increase in lung cancer deaths at the county level related to elevation of manganese in groundwater as opposed to air. ( source )

Testing for Manganese in Groundwater:

For the longest time testing for manganese in groundwater required the use of multiple messy liquids (see HMT Manganese Test Kit) and the results often had false positives as a result of interferences from other metals.

Recently, though, a water testing breakthrough called SenSafe Manganese Check eliminated the need for ALL liquids except the water getting tested. Additionally, users can complete testing for manganese in water within a matter of minutes.

The new and improved SenSafe™ Manganese Check eliminates interferences from several ions like copper, iron, cobalt, lead, nickel, etc. Designed to be a rapid, accurate alternative to wet chemical tests, SenSafe™ Manganese Check offers the user an easy dip-and-read test strip alternative for determining manganese concentrations in water. Detecting levels of <0.02, 0.05, 0.1, 0.2, 0.5, 1.0, and 2.0 ppm (mg/L), SenSafe™ Manganese Check (US Patent #6541269) is ideal for on-site testing when accurate results are immediately needed. ( source: Makers of SenSafe™ Manganese Check )

SenSafe™ Manganese Check: Fast, Accurate Manganese in Water Testing