Today we will continue to explore the different drinking water filtration systems available to the general public by discussing briefly the specifics of a drinking water filtration system known as a Distiller.

• One part of a distillation system boils drinking water into steam and a second part recondenses the ‘purified’ steam back into water.
• Distillation systems may take the form of countertop models and point-of-entry (whole house) systems.
• Distillation systems work quite well for people whose unfiltered/untreated drinking water contains heavy metals and elements such as copper, cadmium, chromium, lead, mercury, arsenic, selenium, barium, fluroide and sodium.
• Some people opt to combine a distillation systems with an activated carbon system for more complete drinking water purification. Adding the activated carbon drinking water filter to the purification systems allows it to remove bad tastes and odors and a well-rated activated carbon filter will filter out many hazardous contaminants such as heavy metals, disinfection byproducts (i.e. haloacetic acids and trihalomethanes to name a few), chlorine, radon, volatile organic chemicals, parasites, and pesticides.

On August 19, the American Medical Association published the results of a medical study involving the medical records of just under 800 Americans. They concluded that a link exists between exposure to arsenic and a specific type of diabetes. They could not, however, pin down what type of exposure (by air, soil, water, etc.) caused the diabetes.

Study: Possible diabetes link to arsenic in water

“CHICAGO, Illinois (AP) — A new analysis of government data is the first to link low-level arsenic exposure, possibly from drinking water, with type 2 diabetes, researchers say.

The study’s limitations make more research necessary. And public water systems were on their way to meeting tougher U.S. arsenic standards as the data were collected.

Still, the analysis of 788 adults’ medical tests found a nearly fourfold increase in the risk of diabetes in people with low arsenic concentrations in their urine compared with people with even lower levels.

Research outside the United States has linked high levels of arsenic in drinking water with diabetes. It’s the link at low levels that’s new.” ( source )

Announcements about arsenic in water such as this one by the American Medical Association serve as strong, compelling proof that the amount of arsenic in our drinking water does matter and that it needs monitoring at regular intervals.

Fact: Arsenic levels in groundwater change as the water table rises and falls.

Fact: Operators of public water systems must test the arsenic levels in the drinking water they produce and report those levels to the Government on a very regular basis — or face serious legal and financial consequences.

Fact: Owners of private wells have no compelling legal reason to test their water for arsenic or that matter, anything. Responsibility for the safety of their drinking water lies squarely in their laps.

Given that arsenic levels may vary greatly from week to week and possibly even day to day, Water Testing Blog suggest that owners of private well heed the advice of organizations such as the National Ground Water Association and the United States Environmental Protection Agency and test their well water (or get their well water tested by a certified lab) at least once a year — and definitely make arsenic testing a part of that routine.

Home Drinking Water Test Kits for Arsenic

While do-it-yourself home drinking water test kits for arsenic such as the EPA/ETV Test Verified^® Arsenic Quick^TM do not take the place of water tests performed by certified laboratories, they do provide fast, reliable results in the field and work quite well as on-site screening tools for arsenic in drinking water.

• 481396-2, Arsenic Quick, 0 - 500 ppb, 12 minute test time, 2 tests
• 481396-5, Arsenic Quick, 0 - 500 ppb, 12 minute test time, 5 tests
• 481297-2, Arsenic Low Range Quick, 2 - 300 ppb, 12 minute test time, 2 tests
• 481303-5, Arsenic Quick II, 1 - 160 ppb, 14 minute test time, 5 tests

If You Can Visually Detect Problems With Well Water…

• Scale or ’scum line’ from too many from calcium or magnesium salts in water. total hardness test kit
• Unclear, murky or turbid water caused by suspended solids such as dirt, clay salts, silt or rust in water. tds test kit | tds meter
• Green stains forming on sinks or faucets as a result of high acidity. pH test kit
• Brown-red stains forming on sinks and fixtures, in the dishwasher, or on washed clothes may indicate the presence of dissolved iron in water. total iron test kit
• Initially cloudy water that clears up completely if allowed to sit undisturbed for a few minutes may have had fine/small air bubbles injected in it by a poorly working pump or because of a problem with filters.

If an Unusual or New Taste is Detected in Well Water…

• A salty or brackish taste in the water typically results from a high sodium content. chloride test kit
• Presence of an alkali/soapy taste may come from dissolved alkaline minerals in water.
• Acidity or a high iron content may result in a metallic taste. pH test kit | total iron test kit
• Chemical tastes are known to come from industrial chemicals or pesticides. pesticides test kit

If an Unusual or New Odor is Detected in Well Water…

• A rotten egg odor may be the result of dissolved hydrogen sulfide gas or certain types of bacteria in your water. Note, though, that if you only notice the smell coming from hot water, it is more than likely coming from a part in your hot water heater. hydrogen sulfide test kit
• You may notice a detergent odor and/or foaming water of seepage from septic tanks has gotten into your well.
• A gasoline or oil smell indicates (obviously) that some form of fuel oil or gasoline has found its way from a tank into the water supply.
• Decaying organic matter can result in a methane gas or musty/earthy smell coming from the water.
• Excessive chlorination of a well, or not waiting long enough after shocking a well with chlorine (obviously) results in a chlorine smell coming from the water. free chlorine test kit | total chlorine test kit

As always, if you suspect that your well has gotten contaminated in any way, always consult with a trained water professional. Do-it-yourself home water test kits like Well Water Check, COMPLETE Water Test Kit and the Drinking Water Test Kit serve as excellent screening tools but they do NOT have the same amount of accuracy as the results you can get from a certified water testing laboratory. It’s your well, your water, and ultimately — your life.

Although one would normally only find bacteria strains such as Giardia lamblia and Cryptosporidium in surface waters such as rivers, lakes, streams, ponds, etc., they can contaminate a well during a flood.

• Symptoms shown by a person afflicted by Giardia include, but may not be limited to, diarrhea, fatigue, and cramps.
• Symptoms shown by a person afflicted by Cryptosporidium include, but may not be limited to, diarrhea, nausea and stomach cramps. Additionally, this type of bacteria resists many common disinfection methods quite well.

note: Individuals with suppressed or compromised immune systems may exhibit worse symptoms for longer periods of time than peole with ‘healthy’ or ‘normal’ immune systems.

The best way to guarantee the safety of your water after a flood means getting the water tested by certified water professionals. Home water test kits for bacteria serve as excellent maintenance tools for checking the bacteria levels of well water, but in the event of an actual ‘incident’ such as a flood, which may have caused the contamination of your drinking water, always seek the advice and assistance of Water Quality Experts in your area.

Locating Certified Drinking Water Laboratories

The United States Environmental Protection Agency suggests you contact the State Certification Officer for Drinking Water Laboratories for your state.

Click here to access a list of contact phone numbers, email addresses and physical addresses for State Certification Officer for Drinking Water Laboratories on the United States Environmental Protection Agency web site.

Many people fail to realize the impact that pesticides in water can have on wildlife, on aquatic life, and in what humans consider ‘extreme’ situations, on human life.

In an article by Jeff Barnard (Associated Press Writer) published on Yahoo News on Thursday August 14, 2008. . .

“GRANTS PASS, Ore. - Three pesticides commonly used on farms and orchards throughout the West are jeopardizing the survival of Pacific salmon, the federal agency in charge of saving the fish from extinction has found.

Under the settlement of a lawsuit brought by anti-pesticide groups and salmon fishermen, NOAA Fisheries has issued a draft biological opinion that found the way chlorpyrifos, diazinon and malathion get into salmon streams at levels high enough to kill salmon protected by the Endangered Species Act.

. . .

Banned from many household uses, tens of millions of pounds of the chemicals are still used throughout the range of Pacific salmon on a wide range of fruits, vegetables, forage crops, cotton, fence posts and livestock to control mosquitoes, flies, termites, boll weevils and other pests, according to NOAA Fisheries.

. . .

The chemicals are the first of 37 that NOAA Fisheries and EPA must evaluate by 2012 under terms of a settlement reached last week in a lawsuit brought by Northwest Coalition Against Pesticides and the Pacific Coast Federation of Fishermen’s Associations, which represents California commercial salmon fishermen.

A total of 28 species of Pacific salmon are classified as threatened or endangered from overfishing, dams, logging, grazing, urban development, pollution, irrigation, misguided hatchery practices and other threats.

Lecky said he could not say where pesticides rank in the threats to salmon, but eliminating the harm from pesticides would boost efforts to save them.”

This naturally leads all of us here at Water Testing Blog to wonder what sort of effect those same compounds may have on human life.

With that in mind, we sought out testing methods for ‘common’ pesticides currently viewed as harmful and/or toxic to human life and sometimes found in well, surface, and drinking water. We discovered the Pesticides in Water test kit which detects Atrazine and Simazine in drinking water at levels established by the United States Environmental Protection Agency as harmful to humans.

The Pesticides in Water test kit detects Simazine at the Maximum Contaminant Level (MCL) of 4 parts per billion and Atrazine at the Maximum Contaminant Level (MCL) of 3 parts per billion.

As always, though, if you have serious reason to suspect the accidental or intentional addition of harmful chemicals to your drinking water supply, we suggest you seek the testing services of trained water professionals.

Several membsers of the Water Testing Blog staff have spoken with members of the military, both currently enlisted and recently discharged, and found out that some soldiers do not have access to simple, efficient tools they can use to test potential drinking water while deployed in foregin countries.

In most cases they carry packets of sanitizing/disinfecting tablets which they can use to put into their canteens to kill off bacteria, but what about lead, arsenic, cyanide and other items which can EASILY render an entire unit inoperable and take them away from their assigned duties?

Thankfully US Army, Navy, Air Force, and Marine Corps medical units deployed around the globe now have the ability to make use of simple water quality test kits which give them the ability to read basic water quality parameters quickly and easily.

Arsenic in Water and Soil: Arsenic Quick^TM

Bacteria in Water: Bacteria Check

Chlorine Residual (Free): SenSafe^TM Free Chlorine Water Check

Chlorine Residual (Total): SenSafe^TM Total Chlorine Water Check

Cyanide in Water: Cyanide ReagentStrip^TM

DPD-1 and DPD-4 (Chlorine Testing): eXact DPD ReagentStrips^TM

Lead in Water: Lead in Water Test Kit

Multi Parameter (6 Parameters): Well Water Check

Multi Parameter (11 Parameters): Well Driller Standard Water Test Kit

Multi Parameter (13 Parameters): COMPLETE Water Test Kit

Multi Parameter (15 Parameters): Water Quality Test Kit

Most of us know how badly we feel after ‘a night on the town’ filled with margaritas, martinis, cocktails and body shots because of dehydration. Now try to imagine how our soldiers must feel after a few MONTHS in the desert wearing full combat gear.

Safe drinking water means safer soldiers.

Ivars Jaunakais of Industrial Test Systems, Inc. recently announced that he had successfully used one of his company’s EPA/ETV Test Verified Field Arsenic Test Kits to detect inorganic arsenic in undiluted ocean water.

According to the statement we received, Ivars spiked a sample of undiluted ocean water with 50ppb inorganic arsenic and recovered 100% during testing with both an electronic meter system (Arsenic Scan) and a visual test method (Arsenic Econo-Quick II).

Ivars went on to make comments about testing for arsenic in brackish water that contains suspended solids. He suggested that the solids have time to settle in the sample prior to testing and/or that samples get filtered before testing.

Additionally, he remarked that samples ought not sit for too long before testing as the organics in ocean water have the abilty to convert inorganic arsenic into organic arsenic. The Quick^TM series of arsenic test kits cannot detect organic arsenic.

People often ask about iron in drinking water.  It has the abilty to stain fixtures, clog certain types of filters, stain clothes, ruin the taste of food and beverages, cause water to have an unpleasant taste, etc.  It does not, however, at least according to the current Primary and Secondary Drinking Water Standards set forth by the USEPA, pose a health risk. 

Note: The USEPA has set the Maximum Contaminant Level for iron in drinking water at 0.3 ppm in their Secondary Drinking Water Standards, which deal more with aesthetic properties of water than with health-related issues.

Its presence in drinking and process water does annoy people, though, so knowing what types of iron may exist in a water supply has a bit of relevance. Below please find four types of iron commonly found in public and private water supplies:

• Ferrous — This form of iron results in the most complaints and reasons for examination of water for iron content.  If allowed to remain in a state with little oxygen present, this type of iron remains in solution and the water will appear colorless.  However, in the case of tap water allowed to remain in service lines coming from a well or other source, rust colored iron particles may begin to precipitate out of solution.  These particles obviously ruin water clarity and give the impression of unsafe drinking water.  Additionally, they clog certain types of water filtration systems and cause the owners of those water filtration systems to replace them well in advance of their expected replacement dates.  Water professionals often refer to this type of iron in water as ‘clear iron’.
• Ferric — This form of iron creates sediments ranging in color from riddish-brown all the way to black and the precipitates formed will not go back into solution.  Therefore they pose a great problem for water filtration systems.  Water professionals often refer to this form of iron in water as ‘red iron’.
• Iron Bacteria — While this form of bacteria does have the word ‘bacteria’ in it, it has no pathogenic properties and exists more as a nuisance than anything else.  You can expect to find this form of bacteria in drinking water showing up in soil, ground water, and surface water.  In a household environment you may encounter this form of bacteria lingering around the metal parts of plumbing fixtures and/or in dark areas such as spaces hidden under the toilet lid tank.  Appearance-wise this form of iron in drinking water can look like a slimy or gelatinous substance hanging in the water.  With regard to color, the substance will typically appear brown, red or sometimes even white.
• Organic Iron — This form of iron exists in a complexed form with a wide variety of different organic materials.  It typically has a yellow or brown appearance and shows up mainly in shallow wells and surface water.

If you want to test for iron, keep in mind that a lot of home water test kits will not detect total iron (Fe+2 and Fe+3).  Also keep in mind that even the total iron test kits do not detect iron bacteria or organic iron.  Therefore, when attempting to diagnose your water’s potential iron problems, make sure that you choose the proper test kit and/or certified laboratory testing service for your individual water testing needs.

What do we suggest as options for water testing when it comes to detecting iron in drinking water?  Companies such as National Testing Laboratories and MWH Laboratories offer nice packages of comprehensive water testing services which you may want to explore.

If you have only ferrous and ferric iron as your main concerns, then a simple home test kit for total iron (Fe+2/Fe+3) such as the new WaterWorks Total Iron visual test kit may work quite well.

Keep in mind, though, that nothing takes the place of a qualified laboratory analysis of your drinking water when/if you you feel your family’s safety is on the line.

Industrial Test Systems, Inc. (ITS), located in Rock Hill, SC, recently announce the release of its new WaterWorks^TM Total Iron visual test which detects ferric (Fe+3) as well as ferrous (Fe+2) forms of iron. They developed this test to make accurate total iron testing easier and possible without the use of a meter. Test times range around 3 minutes or less and require a very simple test procedure. See below:

WaterWorks^TM Total Iron

TEST PROCEDURE:

1. Add contents of one iron powder pillow to the supplied vial.
2. Fill the vial with water sample to top line.
3. Close the vial with the screw cap and shake for 20 seconds.
4. Wait 3 minutes for the color to develop.
5. Remove the cap.
6. Place vial in white circles and look down into the vial to match to the nearest color block, on the reverse side, to determine the iron concentration.

National Secondary Drinking Water Regulations, as set forth by the USEPA, recommend an iron level of no more than 0.3 ppm. Detection levels for the WaterWorks^TM Total Iron visual test are 0, 0.3, 0.5, 1, 3, 5 mg/L (ppm). The test kit contains 50 individually wrapped foil powder pillows, a test vial with cap, and a color chart card — everything you need to detect total iron in drinking water.

Interested in purchasing the WaterWorks^TM Total Iron visual test kit? Click here.

Thoughts of testing water for specific chemical parameters scares a lot of folks because they remember all the horrible nights they spent cramming for an upcoming Chemistry test in high school and/or college. Trust us when we say, “We feel your pain. Been there and done that.”

You should also trust us, though, when we say you don’t need complicated chemistry sets or highly specialized training to find out if your tap water contains dangerous levels of things like:

Worried about the quality of the drinking water in your home, office or school? Inexpensive, easy-to-use home water test kits are just a click or a phone call (800-861-9712) away!

Now, of course, should the results of your home water testing for key water parameters yield results above expected and/or acceptable limits, you will most certainly want to have a certified water professional perform more advanced tests on your drinking water and at no time should you rely on home water quality test kits if you have serious reason to suspect that your water contains know carcinogens or other life threatening contaminants. Leave that sort of testing up to the Water Testing Professionals in your area.