OK, the warmer weather has arrived (finally) for most of us in the country, and in other countries, too, so that means a whole lot of swimming pools have gotten opened and/or fired back up for the fast approaching Summer months. Awesome!

Very few things take the brutal edge off of a super hot Summer day more than jumping (or walking slowly) into a swimming pool. Yep. Nice, cool pool water feels LOVELY in the hot Summer months… but the chlorine residue it can leave on your skin? Not so nice.

Most people do NOT like the effects of chlorine on their skin or in their hair so as soon as they get out of the pool they immediately go and rinse off in the shower — but what happens when the shower water has chlorine int it, too?

How does a person remove chlorine from their body using chlorinated water? Technically speaking, you can’t.

Not SURE if your shower water has chlorine in it? Use a simple at-home chlorine test strip and find out in seconds if your shower water has chlorine in it. For the testing we suggest using a product such as the Water Works 2 Free & Total Chlorine fest Strip from SenSafe.

So now the question becomes, how does a person get ALL the chlorine off of their body? Simple: Invest a few bucks in a chlorine removing shower head like the one below which removes 99% of Chlorine and also removes, or significantly reduces amounts of, Hydrogen Sulfide, Lead, Arsenic, Mercury, Iron, Calcium Carbonate, Magnesium, Bacteria, Fungi, Algae, Cadmium, Chromium and Selenium in shower water.

In case you didn’t notice this particular shower head features a ‘European-style sunflower rainfall shower head’ that allows chlorine-free shower water to fall down gently all over and around a person and with the ’10″ Hi-Low shower arm’ which allows for a maximum 20″ height and a plethora of angle adjustments, even tall people can get clean comfortably.

• How Often Will I Have to Replace the Filter? — Each filter will work at its fullest filtering capabilities for approximately 10,000 gallons.

• Difficult to Replace the Filter? — Not at all. Simply remove 6 screws around the perimeter of the shower head doubling as functional nozzles and the bottom plate of the shower head will come off to reveal the shower filter cartridge.

• Expensive Replacement Filters? — Absolutely not! Replacement filter cartridges for this unit cost around $20 apiece.

• What About NSF Ratings? — Excellent question! A while back we talked about NSF Ratings and how reputable water filtration devices will have NSF Ratings. This unit’s rating: “NSF certified to standard 177 for Free Available Chlorine Reduction.”

A recent addition to the water testing meter market, the Lamotte Color Q, uses either tablets or liquid reagents — depending upon which model you select.

Now that we’ve shown you the meters, we will now list off replacement reagents for various versions of the Color Q water testing meter:

Pretty much everyone we have ever met KNOWS that a chemical compound designed to kill creatures of even the smallest size could possibly have adverse effects on human beings. More to the point, though, a recent study of 1,139 children ranging in age from 8 to 15 years old found a definite link between the concentration of pesticide ‘markers’ in the children and the existence of ADHD or other behavioral problems.

We expect that the data generated by this study will definitely raise more than a few eyebrows and add fuel to the fire already burning regarding the topic of pesticide and herbicide use in the United States.

Exposure to pesticides used on common kid-friendly foods — including frozen blueberries, fresh strawberries and celery — appears to boost the chances that children will be diagnosed with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, or ADHD, new research shows.

Youngsters with high levels of pesticide residue in their urine, particularly from widely used types of insecticide such as malathion, were more likely to have ADHD, the behavior disorder that often disrupts school and social life, scientists in the United States and Canada found.

Kids with higher-than-average levels of one pesticide marker were nearly twice as likely to be diagnosed with ADHD as children who showed no traces of the poison. ( source )

Several of us on the Water Testing Blog staff have small children and it saddens us to learn that supposedly ‘safe’, also known as ‘better than giving them candy or chips’, types of snacks may fall into the category of foods that may contain the toxins mentioned in the article.

In the end…

…we will start washing even the frozen fruits and, of course, testing our drinking water. If the government and big business can’t even keep toxins off of our supposedly safe foods, should we REALLY trust them to keep contaminants out of our drinking water?

Once the warmer weather starts to creep into the Heartland of the United States, snow in the high country begins to melt, the ground thaws out, and water flows freely over manure and fertilizer laced soil. As it does, it undoubtedly picks up elements of whatever it comes in contact with.

Potentially harmful drinking water contaminants such as nitrates, nitrites and certain types of bacteria enter the water and may eventually find their way into aquifers tapped for drinking water.

For that reason, along with a host of others, the staff at Water Testing Blog encourage all owners of private wells in agricultural regions to test their wells for nitrates, nitrites and bacteria not just in the Spring, but several times throughout the year.

For the task of testing well water, WaterSafe makes a handy Well Water Test Kit that tests for the following parameters: bacteria, lead, copper, iron, pesticides, nitrates, chlorine, pH, and water hardness.

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.

Or, if you prefer to test for parameters individually w/o having to buy parameters you do not wish to test for, the following links ought to come in handy.

Free Chlorine Water Test	Bacteria Check Test Kit	Mercury Check Water Test Kit
Water Quality Test Kit	Total Hardness Test Kit	Water Metals Test Kit
Well Drillers Master Test Kit	Manganese Check Water Test Kit	Well Drillers Standard Test Kit

A final word… or more accurately a sentence

If you have serious reason to suspect your well water has become contaminated, get your water tested by a certified water testing lab such as National Testing Labs

While many companies have moved away from single parameter water testing meters and now produce meters that can test for a number of parameters instead of just one, Hanna recently released its new Hanna Checker HC Photometer for Free Chlorine which tests exclusively for free chlorine using EPA Approved DPD-1 as its reagent.

Specifications for the Hanna Checker HC Photometer for Free Chlorine:

• Detection Range: 0.00 to 2.50 ppm (mg/L)
• Resolution: 0.01 ppm (mg/L)
• Precision: ±0.03 ppm (mg/L) @ 25°C
• Power Source: (1) 1.5 Volt AAA Battery
• Light Source: 525 nm LED
• Sample Size: 10mL
• Applicable Testing Method: Adaptation of the EPA approved DPD method Standard Method 4500-ClG

Does the Hanna Checker HC Photometer for Free Chlorine use DPD?

We already answered this one, but yes, it does. The Hanna Checker HC Photometer for Free Chlorine uses an adaptation of the EPA approved DPD method Standard Method 4500-ClG. Given that the test uses a standard 10mL sample, we would guess that the meter can use any standard DPD reagents for a 10mL sample size.

Our opinion of the meter?

• Many of us here at Water Testing Blog have large hands with clumsy fingers so meters like this one that still use cuvettes, and GLASS cuvettes at that, kind of scare us. On top of that, most pool areas prohibit the use of glass in the pool area and many food processing facilities do as well.

• The meter appears to use pouches of powder which get ripped open prior to use… and we see people accidentally spilling the DPD powder and/or having trouble pouring the powder into the little cuvette — especially if testing outdoors in a breezy climate like one might find poolside.

• Having said all that, we DO, however, think that Hanna hit a nice price point w/ this meter; not too expensive and not too inexpensive.

• Hanna MISSED the mark w/ its pricing for the DPD-1 reagents. Each test will cost nearly $0.40 to run… when other testing methods use DPD-1 reagents (i.e. DPD tablets) that cost less than $0.10 per test.

A lot of people believe they can mix-n-match test kit reagent brands to save money, but in reality, unless the instructions that come with their test kit specifically state that the kit uses ‘standard’ test kit reagents, such as a DPD Tablet for a 10mL sample size, then they may not get accurate test results when they use other brands of reagents.

While the ‘simple science’ of putting X number of drops or scoops of reagent in a sample, shaking, and comparing the resultant color to a color comparator or color chart sounds like a person could use any brand of reagent they want, that ‘simple science’ does not always forgive changes in procedure.

• Drop sizes may change between reagent manufacturers
• Concentrations of reagents may change between manufacturers
• Not all test kits use the same chemicals and procedures to detect certain parameters

Can you please tell me where to get Taylor Test Kit Reagents?

As a matter of fact, yes we can:

• TAYLOR #2 COPPER REAGENT 3/4OZ
• TAYLOR #2 DPD REAGENT 2OZ.
• TAYLOR #2 DPD REAGENT 3/4OZ.
• TAYLOR #2 IRON REAGENT 3/4OZ. R-0852-A
• TAYLOR #3 DPD REAGENT 2OZ.
• TAYLOR #3 DPD REAGENT 3/4OZ.
• TAYLOR #6 BASE DEMAND REAGENT 2 OZ.
• TAYLOR #6 BASE DEMAND REAGENT 3/4 OZ.
• TAYLOR #7 THIOSULFATE REAGENT
• TAYLOR #7 THIOSULFATE REAGENT 2 0Z.
• TAYLOR #8 TOTAL ALKALINITY 2 OZ.
• TAYLOR #8 TOTAL ALKALINITY 3/4 OZ.
• TAYLOR #9 SULFURIC ACID 2 OZ.
• TAYLOR #9 SULFURIC ACID 3/4 OZ.
• TAYLOR #10 CALCIUM BUFFER 2OZ.
• TAYLOR #12 HARDNESS REAGENT 2 OZ.
• TAYLOR #12 HARDNESS REAGENT 3/4 OZ.
• TAYLOR #13 CYANURIC ACID 2 OZ.
• TAYLOR 10 GRAM #11P CALCIUM INDICATOR POWDER R-0011P-I
• TAYLOR 3/4OZ DEOX (MONOPERSUL-FATE) REAGENT PACK K-2041
• TAYLOR DEOX REAGENT PACK(MONOPERSULFATE) 2 OZ
• TAYLOR PHENOL RED 2OZ
• TAYLOR PHENOL RED REAGENT
• TAYLOR REAGENT ACID DEMAND 2OZ
• TAYLOR REAGENT ACID DEMAND 2OZ R-0853-C

The Arsenic Quick Test II Mini-Kit detects low levels of arsenic, as low as 2 ppb (micrograms/L), in just 14 minutes. Testing can take place as easily in the field as it can in a lab, in a home, or just about anywhere.

To make testing for arsenic in private wells more affordable, Arsenic Quick Test II Mini-Kits contain enough of the three needed reagents — tartaric acid (food grade), zinc powder, and monopersulfate — and patented detection strips to run two full tests for arsenic in water.

While other arsenic test kits use harsher acids and have more complex testing procedures, Arsenic Quick Test Kits provide a safer, faster method for testing arsenic in well water, groundwater, surface water, etc.

Arsenic Quick Test Kits work so well, in fact, that the States of Michigan and Arizona have each incorporated an Arsenic Quick Test Kit into their Arsenic Testing Compliance Regulations.

StaceyG from Rhode Island asked us a question recently:

Hi. Do chlorine test kits work for bromine, too?

Yes, Stacey, you can use a DPD-based chlorine test kit to detect bromine levels in water. Oh, and since you’ve asked about bromine, we will assume you want to test pool or hot tub water… so you can expect us to arrive shortly for the pool party.

Generally speaking, and as long as you follow the directions for testing chlorine in water using a DPD-based water test kit, you will simply have to multiply the results of the test by 2.25 if you have bromine in the water instead of chlorine.

In other words, if you got a reading of 1.0ppm chlorine, but the water actually contained bromine, you have a concentration of 2.25ppm bromine in the water.

That’s too much math for me! My brain hurts!

For those of you NOT interested in having to perform any sort of mathematical calculations poolside, many pool & spa test kits come with color charts/labels for both chlorine and bromine.

And then, for the folks who don’t want to do any math OR have to compare colors of liquids to a color chart or color comparator, we have meters such as the eXact Micro 7+ Pool/Spa Testing Meter which takes ALL the guesswork out of chlorine and bromine testing!

Last we checked, the eXact Micro 7+ Pool/Spa Testing Meter qualified for free shipping at FilterWater.Com.

Many people believe radioactive material only comes from nuclear power plants, submarines, etc., but in actuality, it has existed on the planet long before any of man’s creations — and once in a while it shows up in well water.

The detection of radioactive material in well water, though it sounds scary, does not always mean people ought not drink the water… as residents in Darlington County, South Carolina have recently found out.

DARLINGTON—The Darlington County Water and Sewer Authority has taken a well that supplies drinking water to some county residents out of service after tests by state health officials found levels of naturally occurring radioactive contaminants that exceeded the maximum level allowed by the state.

But officials with the agency say the water is still safe to drink.

…

Officials have taken the well with the highest level of contamination out of service, according to the notice. If authority officials are able to reduce the level of contaminants in that well, it may go back into service. If not, it will remain out of service, according to Jerry Stutts, operations manager for the water and sewer authority.

Water from the two remaining wells is being blended with water from two other water treatment plants to reduce the levels of contaminants, Stutts said.

…

Tests by DHEC at the end of December found levels of two radioactive materials, Radium 226 and Radium 228, that exceed the maximum contaminant level set by the state, according to Stutts. Both are naturally occurring elements in the earth, Stutts said. As ground water moves through underground aquifers, the two elements are absorbed in the water, the agency’s public notice to customers says.

The average level of the two elements found in the tests was 6.1 picocuries per liter. The maximum allowable level is 5.0 picocuries per liter, Stutts said.

A picocurie is a small amount of radioactivity associated with about one trillionth of a gram (a picogram) of radium, according to the notice to customers.

The notice to customers said there is no immediate risk from the contaminants but said that some people who drink water containing Radium 226 and Radium 228 in excess of the maximum contaminant level over many years may have an increased risk of cancer. (source )

The levels of radiation picked up in the testing sound pretty low, if you ask us, but we commend the health officials in Darlington County, South Carolina for taking prompt action and notifying residents of the situation.

Another Water (and Air) Invading Substance…

Radon gas in homes can wipe out whole families and the victims never even know the gas existed before it happens. Therefore, we suggest all home owners check for the presence of radon gas on the first floor and in basements a few times a year, with more frequent testing preferred.

Many people do not know, or failed to hear, that the water filtration system they purchased for their home or office has a lifetime… or more accurately its internal parts have a life expectancy.

As an example, many whole house water filtration systems make use of activated granular carbon, manganese greensand, and/or an acid neutralizing media of some sort.

After filtering a certain number of gallons of water, or more accurately removing a certain amount of contaminants from water, the filtration media needs to get replaced. Consult your filter’s manual or contact its manufacturer for product-specific information.