Many of us take it for granted that the city is doing everything it could possibly do to protect us. The fact is they comply with what they have to but is it enough?
Unfortunately it is not and it is in our hands as consumers to fill the gaps to help protect ourselves. Below are some of the concerns about our city water and how we can prevent these contaminants from invading our lives, and water treatment options you have.
Chlorination of drinking water:
Other than the side effects of dry itchy skin, irritated skin, and even rashes chlorine studies now include harmful when inhaled. Water used for drinking and cooking should be free of pathogenic (disease causing) microorganisms that cause such illnesses as dysentery, typhoid fever, and gastroenteritis, and cholera.
Purification of drinking water containing pathogenic microorganisms requires specific treatment called disinfection. Chlorination is the method used by city water officials.
Chlorination is effective against many pathogenic bacteria, but at normal dosage rates it does not kill all viruses, cysts, or worms.
Chlorine is used to combat microbial contamination, but it can react with organic matter in the water and form dangerous, carcinogenic Trihalomethanes. According to Dr. Joseph M. Price, MD, in Moseby’s Medical Dictionary, “Chlorine is the greatest crippler and killer of modern times. It is an insidious poison”.
In a 1992 study that made front-page headlines, and was reported on in the July issue of the American Journal of Public Health researchers at the Medical College of Wisconsin in Milwaukee found that people who regularly drink tap water containing high levels of chlorine by-products have a greater risk of developing bladder and rectal cancers than people who drink unchlorinated water. The study estimates that about 9 percent of all bladder cancer and 18 percent of all rectal cancer cases are associated with long-term consumption of these by-products. This amounts to over 20,000 new cases each year.
Chlorine Water Treatment Solution:
Chlorine water treatment can be accomplished with carbon filter applications. For best results many people choose to use a whole
house filter to remove chlorine and other odors coming into their water supply. By using a whole house filter system it will remove these contaminates before they reach your drinking and bathing faucets. Other than tasting better you will remove the risk of inhaling toxic fumes when bathing, (chlorine’s toxicity rises when heated and is dispersed into the air.)
RAdata Provides solutions.
See all of our products designed to make your water safe!
Hardness:
Hard water is caused by calcium and other minerals in the water. The calcium or hardness is what makes your skin feel dry after a shower, yes we even get calcium build up on ourselves, It fills your pours, not allowing your skin to breathe properly. In your hair it makes it a bit unmanageable, the water spots on the shower, the ring in the tub and toilet. It accounts for having to use more detergents when washing dishes or clothes. Calcium also builds up 
in your plumbing reducing the flow of water through the pipes like a clogged artery.
By removing the hardness in your water supply you get these added benefits, Your skin can breathe and the natural oils are released giving you smoother skin and silkier hair. No more hard water spots, no ring around the tub or toilet either. Much less is spent on cleaning supplies as well. Did you know clean soft filtered water is a natural cleaning agent? These are just some added benefits when you protect your water supply.
Lead:
ALTHOUGH WATER SUPPLIED FROM YOUR WATER TREATMENT PLANT MAY BE FREE FROM LEAD/COPPER, contamination from your piping system may cause lead/copper to dissolve (leach) into your water supply if you have a lead service line connecting your home to the water main in the street and or your home has lead water supply pipes; and/or You have lead containing soldered joints in your copper supply pipes (installed from 1983-86); and/or You have plumbing fixtures containing lead. In rare cases some lead leaching may take place from piping in the street if it is a low flow area, i.e.; dead end streets. Homes built before 1986 are more likely to have lead pipes, fixtures and solder. However, new homes are also at risk: even legally “lead-free” plumbing may contain up to 8percent lead. The most common problem is with brass or chrome-plated brass faucets andfixtures which can leach significant amounts of lead into the water, especially hot water.
Lead & Hard Water Treatment Solution:
If the problem is not due to the corrosion of pipes and solder in the home, it is often best to use a Cation Exchange Water Softener at the point of entry,
or when the water enters the home. If the pipes are, in fact, to corroded, it will often be necessary to install a point of use treatment system as well. These are both only used if the pH of the water is below 7.
A water softener uses the principle of ion-exchange – in this case, cations – to remove lead from raw water. The equipment contains a “bed”
of softening material known as ‘resin’ through which the untreated water flows. As water passes through the resin, the lead in the water attaches itself to this material. At the same time, sodium in the resin is released into the water. This ion-exchange process occurs literally billions of times during the softening process.
Here is more information about lead and the treatment of it in your water supply.