Recently we told you that bacteria can live in unsuspecting places — like in the office water cooler. Today we will tell you how some of it may have gotten there.

Testosterone-laden guys around the office may have no problem lifting a new bottle onto the water cooler each time the old one runs out of water, since it makes them look ‘manly’ and allows them to show off their big, strong muscles.

… but do they clean the top of the water bottle before dropping it down into the reservoir area? If not, then some of the dust which settled on the water jug while it sat around waiting to get used could end up in the water cooler’s reservoir.

… but do they check for and/or pay attention to the ‘best before’ or ‘use by’ date stamped on the bottle? Bottled water jugs have those, ya’ know.

… but do they ever clean out the reservoir area so that a biofilm (filled with things you ought not drink!) does not grow?

… but do they ever bother to wipe off the spigot/faucet after they, or someone else, accidentally bumps the lip of their personal mug against it… thus allowing their saliva and all that it may contain to get into the next person’s cup?

We could go on, but we also think you get our point. Water coolers, if properly cleaned (some experts suggest cleaning the reservoir and spigot/faucet areas with every changing of the bottle), can provide a whole lot of pure, clean drinking water.

Improperly and/or infrequently cleaned water coolers, on the other hand, can become breeding grounds for bacteria, germs, and all sorts of little nasties capable of causing illness.

Testing the Purity of Water in the Water Cooler?

Yes, you can do that. Keep in mind that most bottled water manufacturers filter the water they sell and remove impurities such as metals, chlorine, chloramines, nitrates, nitrites, etc. before bottling their product so testing for those items might not prove useful.

Testing for bacteria in the water cooler might make more sense. In the absence of chlorine or another sanitizing agent, even a minute number of bacteria which may accidentally make their way into the bottled water at the factory or on its way to your water cooler have ample opportunity to reproduce and become a threat to your health.

Additionally, and as we have already discussed, dust containing bacteria living on the tops of bottles has a chance to make its way into the reservoir area if no one bother to clean them off before use. Once in a moist chlorine-free environment, well, the bacteria will breed like… bacteria.

We can remember a time when pretty much everyone we knew viewed the water coming from the water cooler at work as the safest and most pure water possible. The thought of bacteria living in the water cooler never crossed our minds.

Our thought process changed after reading some interesting statisitics including, but not limited to, how often water cooler fixtures get cleaned, storage times for water cooler bottles before use, storage conditions for water cooler bottles before use, etc.

Some people, including ourselves, have started to shy away from public water coolers and instead use personal water filtration devices such as washable, refillable water bottles with Level 2 Filters. Most tap water contains a low level of sanitizer which keeps it bateria-free and the filters in our personal water bottles remove the residual sanitizer, and other nasty things such as metals, from the tap water right before we consume it — making it as freshly purified as possible.

Grip Sport Bottle with Level 2 Filter

Sports Bottle with Level 2 Filter

Level 2 Filter Replacement Cartridges

When you tell a person that you detect the smell of sulfur (rotten eggs) in your home they will immediately ask you if you have sulfur, usually in the form of hydrogen sulfide gas, in your water supply.

Performing a simple test for hydrogen sulfide in water will confirm what your nose told you… or will it?

Yes, the test for hydrogen sulfide in water can confirm the presence of hydrogen sulfide in your drinking water, but what happens when the test comes back negative and you still have the rotten egg smell in your home?

For some folks, the answer lies in the walls all around them…

The Cramers — along with thousands of other homeowners in Florida and elsewhere — now believe that imported Chinese drywall is making them sick and destroying their property. The drywall, which is used in walls and ceilings, is emitting sulfur-compound gases that homeowners have described as giving off a sour or “rotten egg” odor. Many blame the fumes for eye, skin and breathing irritation and nosebleeds, as well as the corrosion of copper pipes, electrical wiring and air conditioners. ( source )

What does that mean to the average homeowner experiencing problems with the smell of rotten eggs in their home? It means they may need to test their water for hydrogen sulfide and check to see what kind of drywall the builders used in the construction of their home.

Homeowners w/ questions about the materials used to build their home should first contact their builder. If that does not yield satisfactory results, contact the local Health Department and ask them what they believe you ought to do next.

Hydrogen Sulfide in Water Test Strips 0, 0.3, 0.5, 1.0, 2.0 ppm (IT-481197-20) Contains 30 Test Strips, Result in 20 Seconds

Hydrogen Sulfide in Water Test Strips 0, 5, 10, 20, 30, 40, 50, 60, 80 ppm (IT-481197-1) Contains 50 Test Strips, Result in 31 Seconds

Did you know that tree leaves can cause water quality ‘issues’?

Leaves contain various acids which can throw off the water’s pH. Sometimes even the slightest change in pH can have a dramatic effect on the aquatic ecosystem and result in species of plants and/or fish no longer thriving or worse yet, dying off entirely.

Fallen leaves contain nutrients that can contribute to the growth and flourishing of algae blooms in ponds, lakes, rivers, streams, etc. Over the course of their lifetime these blooms can have detrimental effects on the ecosystem such as reducing the oxygen level in the water. Without oxygen in the water other types of aquatic life such as fish and other plants cannot live.

“Where you rake them (leaves) could have a major impact on water quality and the environment,” said Chad Cook, natural resource educator for the University of Wisconsin-Extension.

He said leaves that are raked into the street or roadway could blow away and end up plugging storm sewer drains or, worse yet, polluting Lake Winnebago with nutrients that cause algae blooms and rob oxygen from the water.

Cook said a major concern is phosphorous from leaves, which serves as a fertilizer for plants and algae living in the water.

“What happens is we see algae blooms every year when there’s sunshine and warm weather in the summer,” said Cook, whose office is in the James P. Coughlin Center in Oshkosh. “Algae blooms makes the water green and if it piles up the blooms can decay and smell. As it decays, it can use up the oxygen in the water that could have been used by fish. That’s when you might see dead fish floating in algae.”

He said there are concerns for humans and animals from blue-green algae.

“It’s a type of algae that contains toxins and if those toxins are in a great enough quantity they can impact humans who wade or swim in the water,” Cook said. “A couple of days later they can have a rash.”

He said dogs and other animals that swim in the lake could ingest water with algae.

“Every year in Wisconsin there’s a dog or two who is in the water and dies and one of the likely causes is ingesting blue-green water from an algae bloom,” Cook said.

He said leaves can also plug up storm sewer drains. Clogged drains, he said, can lead to street flooding. ( source )

It never ceases to amaze us how so many simple things such as the improper disposal of leaves can have an adverse effects on the environment.

News reports continually talk about the ways in which illegal narcotics destroy lives, break up families, ruin careers, take lives, and cost taxpayers millions of dollars each year. Have you ever heard of illegal marijuana growers destroying the environment, though?

We had not, either, until just now. Quite frankly, when we think of pot growers, we envision hippies growing a few plants for themselves and their friends… and we also believe that most hippies care what happens to the Earth and would not want to see it harmed in any way, shape or form.

Too bad our little fantasy bears little resemblance to reality! It seems as though the money-hungry, drug dealing folks growing illegal marijuana don’t consider the environment (at all) and cause serious harm with their sloppy farming techniques and extremely poor waste management policies — meaning they leave open bags of fertilizer and pesticides laying around and leave the trash they generate (typical garbage AND human waste) behind once they have harvested their illegal marijuana crops.

Sometimes growers use rural private property, as in Belleview, unbeknownst to the land owner. But most of the gardens are found on U.S. Forest Service, National Park Service or Bureau of Land Management land.

It’s problematic from the public safety standpoint, and also an environmental one.

“Pictures cannot capture what goes on out there,” Nichols said. “Environmentally, it’s a mess.”

Grow sites tear up the ground, use highly-toxic chemicals and leave behind months worth of trash in remote areas where water quality and wildlife are affected, officials say.

Even when gardens are raided, the damage to the environment has already been done.

“They’re destroying our public lands,” said Kevin Mayer, special agent with the Sierra National Forest. “They’re killing wildlife — mountain lions, bear and deer. They’re killing fish. They’re poisoning our water system.” ( source )

The piss poor and quite irresponsible antics of illegal marijuana growers result in chemical runoff often containing pesticides, ammonia, nitrites, nitrates, bacteria, etc. All of which throw off the surrounding ecosystem’s delicate natural balance and undoubtedly harm or kill off indigenous plant and animal life.

Recently we came across a situation in Iowa where a large company (Tyson Fresh Meats) has come under fire for allegedly violating several regulations governing the content of their wastewater discharge into the environment.

A group called Environment Iowa said Wednesday that it’s concerned about the water quality of all Iowa rivers, especially the Raccoon River. The Raccoon is a major source of drinking water for a good portion of Iowa, including the Des Moines metro area. The group said a fifth of Iowa’s population uses water from the river.

Upstream in Perry, the group accuses Tyson Fresh Meats of being a major polluter of the river. The group said data from the Environmental Protection Agency’s latest toxic release inventory backs up its claims.

“These are the chemicals such as lead, copper, mercury, dioxin; when dumped into our waterways, these chemicals contaminate drinking water, make places unsafe to swim or fish, and get absorbed by fish, which people eventually eat,” said Eric Nost, of Environment Iowa.

In an e-mailed statement, a Tyson corporate spokesman told KCCI, “The claims by this group against our company are misleading. Our Iowa plants, including the one at Perry, are complying with the state permits that regulate their wastewater treatment systems and they release wastewater into streams and rivers only after it has been fully treated in accordance with the requirements of those permits.”

The group claims that water and the chemicals in it flow from Perry downstream to Des Moines and into Des Moines Water Works intakes. ( source )

We don’t know whether or not the Tyson Fresh Meats has violated any laws and we will not speculate one way or the other. We will, however, recommend that any well owner living in that area, or ANY area for that matter, have their water tested by a certified water testing laboratory.

We also suggest that well owners conduct periodic tests on their well water after heavy rains, after long periods without rain, and pretty much any other time nature or other outside factors (i.e. manmade influences) may have affected the aquifer from which your well draws its water.

eXact Micro 7+ Water Testing Meter

Well Drillers Standard Water Test Kit

Arsenic Quick Water Test Kit

As most people already know, sulfur into hydrogen sulfide gas and create a rotten egg smell in drinking water. Arsenic, on the other hand, has no scent and can go undetected even in high concentrations.

While hydrogen sulfide in water creates a giant nuisance with its stench, arsenic poses some real danger to humans and should not exist in drinking water. The USEPA set the maximum contaminant level for (inorganic) arsenic in drinking water at 10ppb, or 10 parts per billion.

Before you can effectively remove either of the compounds you must first learn how much of one or both contaminants you have. The test kits below will provide on-the-spot testing results for screening purposes only. As always, though, we suggest having your water professionally tested by a certified water analysis laboratory before making any final decisions regarding which treatment system to purchase or deciding whether or not you actualll need a water treatment system.

Hydrogen Sulfide in Water Test Strips 0, 5, 10, 20, 30, 40, 50, 60, 80 ppm (IT-481197-1) Contains 50 Test Strips, Result in 31 Seconds $13.55 $12.75

Arsenic in Water Test Kit <2, 4, 6, 8, 10, 12, 15, 18, 24, 30, 40, 45 & >50 ppb (481297-I) 50 Tests, Results in 12 Minutes $179.99 $129.00

You tested your drinking water before you bought the filter to make sure you made the correct purchase. With the water filter system properly installed and functioning as it should you no longer have to worry about water quality, right?

WRONG! While you certainly did the right thing by purchasing and installing the correct water filter system based upon the results of initial water testing, you will still need to perform periodic testing to make sure your water filter continues to operate as it should.

Some water filter systems come with electronic warning lights or alarms to alert their owners when the catridge or filtration media needs flushing or changing but many do not — and some that do may not always work.

If your filter stops filtering, and you don’t know about it, some of the stuff (contaminants) you meant for the filter to catch may work their way through your water filter… and wind up in your next glass of water.

How Do I Check to See if My Water Filter Works?

In most cases a person can use a simple, at-home water quality test kit such as the WaterSafe All-in-One or the SenSafe Water Quality Test Kit to check the purity of the water discharged by a water filtration system.

While performing our usual search for water quality, water quality testing, and water quality improvement devices we stumbled across an article about a chemical-free technology (OXI System) which supposedly can remove high levels of iron, manganese and sulfur from water previously deemed unusable for many applications.

IRONPro manufactures a unique chemical-free water filtration system that improves water quality in home, agriculture, business, and other applications that rely on well water.

LWC Ltd. began developing a unique Iron and sulfur filtration system in 1995 called the OXI System. The OXI System uses a chemical free process to remove Iron, Hydrogen Sulfide, and Manganese from problem water applications. In 2000, LWC Ltd. was issued patents covering the system as well as its unique air injection method. The system is now marketed under the IRONPro trademark.

IRONPro is the new alternative to traditional water filtration equipment which requires the use of catalysts such as salt or caustic chemicals. ( source )

You can find more information about the OXI System at IRONPro’s web site.

For those intereted in rapid testing methods for iron, manganese, and/or sulfur in drinking water… We suggest you take a look at the following test kits:

With all the recent discussions about the use of mercury (as thimerosal) in some of the H1N1 vaccines, and others, in circulation right now it seemed only appropriate that we inform people of the potential dangers associated with mercury exposure from thimerosal, the air we breathe, the fish we eat, and the water we drink.

Once in the human body, mercury acts as a neurotoxin, interfering with the brain and nervous system.

Exposure to mercury can be particularly hazardous for pregnant women and small children. During the first several years of life, a child’s brain is still developing and rapidly absorbing nutrients. Prenatal and infant mercury exposure can cause mental retardation, cerebral palsy, deafness and blindness. Even in low doses, mercury may affect a child’s development, delaying walking and talking, shortening attention span and causing learning disabilities.

In adults, mercury poisoning can adversely affect fertility and blood pressure regulation and can cause memory loss, tremors, vision loss and numbness of the fingers and toes. A growing body of evidence suggests that exposure to mercury may also lead to heart disease. ( source )

Many health officials also believe the mercury in thimerosal administered to children as part of routine/required childhood vaccinations plays a large role in causing autism and the United States Environmental Protection Agency considers mercury toxic enough to mention it specifically in its Primary Drinking Water Standards.

Sources of Mercury in Our Lives

Although a naturally occuring element, it typically enters the environment as a waste product from industrial processes and poorly run gold mining operations.

The majority of mercury poisoning cases result from people eating fish containing large amounts of mercury and drinking water contaminated with mercury. We have not found evidence of acute mercury poisoning resulting from vaccinations containing thimerosal. Note that we specified ACUTE cases of mercury poisoning.

Other Possible Articles of Interest:

• MCL for Mercury in Drinking Water
• Information About Mercury in the Environment
• Testing for Mercury and Other Metals in Water
• Mercury Found in All Fish Tested in US Freshwater Streams
• Mercury Contamination in Fish
• H1N1 Flu Vaccine Will Contain Mercury