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.

Once again all of us here at Water Testing Blog feel the need to mention a testing topic slightly off from our usual water testing subject — though in the end this discussion will come right back to it.

Many different newspapers, magazines and other media outlets have published articles about the dangers presented by pressure treated lumber containing chromated copper arsenate. Studies have shown that over time, chromated copper arsenate treated lumber in wooden playgrounds, decks and other structured have a tendency to leach inorganic arsenic out of the wood, onto the ground, and potentially into the local drinking water supply.

“NEW YORK (August 27th, 2007) – More than thirty percent of New Orleans schoolyards tested two years after Hurricane Katrina are contaminated with arsenic in amounts two to three times the levels requiring cleanup under both state and federal law, according to findings released today by the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC). ( source )”

Children whose lives got thrashed apart by Hurrican Katrina returned home to their battered neighborhoods only to find their favorite playgrounds coated in cancer-causing arsenic which officials believe may have come from deposits of deeply buried old pesticide deposits which came to the surface when flood waters rushed through the city and eroded the soil, carrying the toxins wherever they went.

More proof that arsenic in pressure treated wood poses a danger to the environment. . .

The following text taken from an article written entitled “U.S. Tests for Arsenic in Playgrounds Sets” by Julie Hauserman and published in the St. Petersburg Time on 9/26/2001 ought to give the average parent nightmares:

“TALLAHASSEE — The U.S. government plans to take more than 1,000 samples at wooden playgrounds around the country to find out if the arsenic in pressure-treated lumber is leaking out.

The testing could start as soon as November, according to a draft plan released this week by the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

The government’s action follows a series of studies around the country — including soil tests commissioned by the St. Petersburg Times — that show that arsenic is leaking out of pressure-treated wood, one of the most popular building products in America. The wood is infused with a pesticide called chromated copper arsenate, or CCA.

EPA plans to make random calls to city parks, private schools, day care centers and public schools, asking for permission to test. The Consumer Product Safety Commission plans to test about 75 playgrounds, and also test lumber purchased at home-improvement stores around the country. Government testers plan to take some 750 soil samples.

The strategy could change, though, in the next month. It becomes final after a 30-day public comment period.

Ordinary pressure-treated lumber has enough toxic chemicals in it to rank it as a hazardous waste, but the industry got a special exemption years ago from hazardous waste laws. The wood is banned in several countries.

Some advocates hope the federal study will lead to a ban on pressure-treated wood at playgrounds, where children can pick up traces of arsenic.

“I think we know enough now to know that CCA wood is dangerous,” said Jane Houlihan, research director for the Environmental Working Group in Washington, which is pushing for a ban. “The government should be acting, not studying, at this point.”

To find out whether pressure-treated lumber leaks arsenic, the Times commissioned soil tests around five wooden playgrounds, picked randomly in the Tampa Bay area. Every test came up positive for arsenic, at levels higher than the state allows when polluters clean up contaminated neighborhoods.

Pressure-treated wood executives agree that arsenic leaches out, but say the levels are too low to worry about.

“The testing that’s been done in the past has consistently held up the safety of CCA wood,” said Mel Pine, spokesman for the American Wood Preservers Institute, an industry trade group. “We have every reason to believe these new tests will affirm the safety of our product.”

The Consumer Product Safety Commission last studied pressure-treated wood in 1990, testing seven wooden playgrounds purchased from “major U.S. manufacturers.” The study found that arsenic was leaking from the wood. The study looked only at a child’s risk for skin cancer from the arsenic and found “a small risk that should be reduced further if it can be practically accomplished.”

Arsenic can also cause neurological problems, birth defects and other kinds of cancer.

The Environmental Working Group and the Healthy Building Network filed a petition with the Consumer Product Safety Commission last spring, asking the government to ban arsenic-treated wood on playgrounds. That petition will be addressed at a public meeting in Bethesda, Md., Oct. 3.

On Oct. 22, a scientific panel convened by the EPA will explore the risk that arsenic-treated lumber may pose to children.

The wood-treatment industry is facing legal and regulatory challenges all over the country.

In Miami, a federal class-action lawsuit says the industry and home-improvement stores were negligent because they didn’t warn consumers that the wood contained toxic chemicals.

The EPA ordered the wood-treatment industry to add more warning labels on the wood, which should show up in stores before the end of the year.

Wood-treaters are also facing several personal-injury claims from people who say they have been poisoned by the wood. Some of those claims, including one filed by a Seattle teacher who was poisoned by arsenic wood when he built a raft, have been settled.

In Congress, U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson, D-Fla., is pushing a measure that would force the EPA to issue a report on arsenic-treated wood in just 30 days. He praised the government’s plan to do more tests.

“Thank goodness the Consumer Product Safety Commission is coming forth,” Nelson said. “The whole point of me doing my amendment and raising such a ruckus is to try to give some certainty to local government officials as to what they should do with their playgrounds. Some of them have closed, some of them have reopened. The county commissions and city councils need to have some definitive information — is the playground soil safe or not?”

In Florida, state Rep. Larry Crow, R-Dunedin, is pushing to ban arsenic-treated wood on playgrounds. The Florida Department of Environmental Protection has stopped buying arsenic-treated lumber for state parks, and the Florida Department of Health has convened a scientific panel to look at the risk that the wood may pose to children.

There are safer alternatives to arsenic-treated wood, and some of the same companies that sell arsenic-treated wood in the United States also sell the environmentally safer kind in countries that have banned arsenic-treated wood.

This summer, a Florida wood-treatment company became the first in state history to start treating wood without arsenic.

Large retailers like Lowe’s and Home Depot don’t carry the arsenic-free treated wood yet. Company spokesmen say there’s not enough consumer demand for it. ( source )”

Update: An ad campaign sponsored in part by Healthy Building Network has since convinced Lowe’s and Home Depot to stop selling arsenic treated wood. ( source )

No demand for safe lumber? Cost probably plays a factor in that, but that topic can get debated elsewhere. No one on the Water Testing Blog staff has a degree in Economics. . . but we all care about keeping dangerous compounds such as arsenic out of our (and your) drinking water.

Remember: Inorganic arsenic leaching from pressure treated wood typically goes into the ground where it can find its way into a stream, a river, the aquifer, someone’s well, and eventually someone’s drinking water.

How Can Homeowners Test for Arsenic in Wood?

A new test procedure developed by Industrial Test Systems, Inc. makes use of their patented, EPA/ETV^R Test Verified Arsenic Quick^TM test kit and provides accurate, repeatable arsenic in wood test results down to as low as 1 migrogram per liter in as little as 10 minutes. Suggested retail cost for 5 tests: $25.99 USD

International Aid Organizations worldwide make use of Quick^TM Arsenic testing kits to detect arsenic levels in water, wood and soil.

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.

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.

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.

Many microorganisms and forms of bacteria, including coliform bacteria, occur naturally in our environment and not all forms of bacteria or types of microorganisms cause harm to humans. The United States Environmental Protection Agency’s Primary Drinking Water Standards states that most harmful types of bacteria and microorganisms such as Legionella, Giardia lamblia, Cryptosporidium, E. Coli, fecal coliform, and enteric viruses come primarily from human and animal waste.

Simple Testing Methods for Bacteria?

Yes. Homeowners wishing to test their water for the potential presence of harmful bacteria can use a number of kits such as the 48 Hour Presence/Absence Bacteria Check test kit which is also available in 2-pack and 6-pack versions.

WaterWorks^TM Bacteria Check

Bacteria Check will not tell you what KIND of coliform bacteria it detected, but it will tell you that the sample water contained at least ONE coliform unit of bacteria in the 100 mL sample and that you may want to get the water professionally evaluated.