Microplastics in Bottled Water – New Study

Posted by on January 2, 2019 · Leave a Comment 


Study Summary:

  • “Tests reveal bottled water contains nearly twice as many microplastic particles per liter as tap water. The contamination is thought to originate from the manufacturing process of the bottles and caps
  • Researchers tested 259 bottles of 11 popular bottled water brands for the presence of microscopic plastic. On average, the bottled water tested contained 325 pieces of microplastic per liter
  • Only 17 of 259 bottles were found to be free of microplastic particles (5 mm and 0.003 mm), and none of the brands tested consistently free of plastic contaminants. The worst offender was Nestlé Pure Life, the most contaminated sample of which contained 10,390 particles per liter
  • In response to these findings, the World Health Organization has vowed to launch a safety review to assess the potential short- and long-term health risks of consuming microplastic in water
  • A report by the U.K. Government Office for Science warns plastic debris littering the world’s oceans — 70 percent of which does not biodegrade — is likely to triple by 2025 unless radical steps are taken to curb pollution.”

Read the full article.


We recommend the following:

  1. Get Your Drinking Water Tested you must Know Your H20.
  2. Read our article on Plastics.
  3. Consider treating your existing tapwater .
  4. Microplastic Testing of Your Drinking Water.

NSF Intl. has developed a test method and protocol to verify a water treatment device’s ability to reduce perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) and perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS) to below the health advisory levels set by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

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Filed under bottled water, Children's Health, Community Health, microplastics, plastics, Uncategorized · Tagged with , , , , , , , , , ,

New For 2019! Water Conservation Tools – Drip Calculator

Posted by on January 2, 2019 · Leave a Comment 

We found an interesting educational and information tool for 2019 – The Drip Calculator

“Have a Leaky Faucet? Find Out How Much Your Wasting.

Dealing with a pesky dripping faucet? It may be more than just a minor annoyance. While that constant drip can go unnoticed or be ignored over time, it can start to add up for your wallet. With every drop down the drain, you’re throwing money away! While a small leak may seem like a harmless plumbing issue, it can actually cost you big time if not fixed in a timely manner. ”

10 drips per minute – 5.45 liters per day  (1 liter = 0.26 gallons).  You are wasting 1.3 gallons per day, 39 gallons per month (30 days) and , 474.5 gallons per year per faucet.

Learn More


Please do not forget to get your drinking water tested, it is really up to you to Know Your H20 !

Leaky pipes may also be a sign of a water quality related problem, such as corrosion, elevated level of trace metals, biological contamination, or other environmental hazards that can impact the aesthetic quality and the safety of your drinking water.


Filed under Children's Health, city water testing, Clean Water Act, conservation, consumer products, environmental education, Hydration, Water, water conservation · Tagged with , , , ,

New Report – Violations NJ Utilities Drinking Water Testing

Posted by on December 21, 2018 · Leave a Comment 

Sharing an interesting article:

Violations At NJ Utilities Enumerated In New Report
By Sara Jerome, @sarmje

“A new analysis of New Jersey drinking water reveals widespread challenges.“More than 1.5 million New Jerseyans are served by a utility that has been cited for excessive contaminants since April 2014, when the Flint water crisis was revealed, according to an analysis of U.S. EPA data by USA TODAY NETWORK New Jersey,” The Asbury Park Press reported. “The data shows that water utilities in the Garden State have racked up at least 226 contamination violations of the Safe Drinking Water Act since Flint became synonymous with tainted tap water and put other water systems under a spotlight,” the report continued.  The report shows the state’s water challenges extend even beyond Newark, which is undergoing a major lead crisis.”

Read MORE

What we recommend:

1. Know if you are getting your water from a regulated or unregulated water system.
2. If you are part of a regulated system – Make sure to get a copy of the consumers confidence report for your supplier.
3. Inspect your piping and home, could you have a lead issue in your home?  This includes lead piping, lead solder, lead paint, lead dust, or consumer products high in lead.
4. Conduct a lead screening test on your home drinking water.
5. If necessary, conduct a first flush and flush test of your drinking water for lead and check to see if your water is vulnerable to corrosion.
6. Need help diagnosing a problem – Go to Know Your H20.
7. Get our educational booklet on drinking water.
8. Consider a point of use filtration system that reduces lead.

Water Filtration System

Custom Point of Use Systems
Crystal Quest Systems (Point of Use, Whole House Systems,  Air and Water Disinfection)
Filter Water Systems (Point of Use and Whole House Systems)
US Water Systems (“Forever Chemicals,, UV Disinfection, Iron, Manganese”)

Blog Post on Drinking Water and Real Estate

Filed under Community Health, Contaminated water, environmental education, Environmental Hazards, Home Inspectors, Homeowner, private well water testing, Water, Water Testing, Well water testing · Tagged with , , , , , ,

North Carolina School Finds Contaminated Drinking Water Perchlorate

Posted by on December 19, 2018 · Leave a Comment 

“On Dec. 18, elevated levels of perchlorate were discovered in drinking water at Lake Norman High School in Iredell County, N.C. The Iredell-Statesville School Board has decided to provide bottled water to students and staff until further testing of the water quality is completed.

According to a press release, the school found that perchlorate levels at Lake Norman High School were particularly elevated compared to neighboring schools. While perchlorate levels are not regulated in North Carolina, the school system recognizes the risks and has opted to provide bottled water. The schools system hired an outside agency, Reliant Environmental, to test the district’s water quality following the discovery of elevated lead levels at a neighboring school.”
Source: Water Quality Magazine

Read More

What is Perchlorate?
Perchlorate is a naturally occurring and manufactured chemical anion  (ClO4-).  Perchlorate occurs naturally in arid states within the southwestern portioin of the United States, nitrate fertilizer deposits in Chile, and deposits of clay deposits rich in potassium and sodium salts, i.e., potash ore,  in the United States.  It also forms naturally in the atmosphere by a photochemical interaction  between chloride and ozone in the atmosphere .  Perchlorate is commonly used as an oxidizer in rocket propellants, munitions, fireworks, airbag initiators for vehicles, matches, and signal/road flares.   The primary source of perchlorate is man-made.

People are exposed to perchlorate primarily through eating contaminated food or drinking water and perchlorate dissolves in water.  FDA perchlorate data can be found here.

The EPA has not yet established a maximum contaminant level goal for perchlorate and the intermim health advisory can be found here. Massachusetts adopted a drinking water standard for perchlorate of 2 µg/L, and California promulgated a revised standard of 1 µg/L.  In addition, states may impose clean-up standards related to the quality and use of the groundwater aquifer.

Perchlorate can be removed using a number of advanced treatment technologies. Each technology has advantages and disadvantages depending on the level of perchlorate present in the source water, removal goals, other water quality parameters, competing treatment objectives, and treatment waste disposal options. Regenerable and single-pass ion exchange, reverse osmosis, and fixed- and fluidized-bed biological treatment can all remove perchlorate from drinking water sources.

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Filed under Clean Water Act, Environmental Health, perchlorate, Water Testing, Well water testing · Tagged with , , ,

Newark Drinking Water Lead Corrosion Awareness and Testing Needed

Posted by on December 18, 2018 · Leave a Comment 

Interesting article – “Newark said its water was safe, but email reveals it was warned of problems months ago”.

“City officials in Newark said they learned in October that lead water contamination wasn’t just affecting a dozen homes, but was a “widespread problem,” potentially impacting as many as 40,000 residents. But, a newly-released email shows officials were warned at least seven months earlier — months they spent insisting the water was “absolutely safe to drink,” and assuring residents that the issue was confined to a small number of homes.

Beginning in April of this year, through messages on its website and in public statements, the city blamed old infrastructure for elevated lead levels in tap water samples. New court records in an ongoing federal lawsuit over the city’s lead problem, however, show a consultant pointed to another cause: Newark’s water treatment at one of its plants no longer appeared to work — an early sign that the issue could be widespread.

CDM Smith, the consultant hired by Newark to study how the city was treating its water, submitted its draft report in October but shared its initial findings with three officials as early as February, records show.

In a Feb. 22 email to the city’s top water department officials — including then-director Andrea Hall Adebowale and then-deputy director Kareem Adeem — the consultant said a preliminary review showed Newark’s method of preventing lead from corroding off old plumbing and dissolving into the distribution system “has not been effective.””

Read More

Our Take

  1. Identifing and fixing system wide water distribution problems related to corrsion is not fast or easy.
  2. Part of the problem may be your own household plumbing, fixtures, and service lines – have a plumber check your piping.
  3. In my opinion, it is the user that will first notice a problem.  These problems could be identified as a blue-green coating of aerators, blue green water, a metallic taste, and in the extreme corrosion and leaky pipes.
  4. Check your home for lead paint and dust hazards.
  5. We strongly recommend all water users to due the following:
    1. Order and have some easy to use self water testing kits.
    2. Consider using a point-of-use drinking water filter to polish your water.
    3. Know Your H20 – Get your water check by a laboratory at least annually.

Recommending Reading and More.

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Recommending Household Testing

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Filed under Children's Health, city water testing, Clean Water Act, Environmental Hazards, Environmental Health, Home Inspectors, Homeowner, lead, Water, Water Testing, Well water testing · Tagged with , , , , , ,

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