Sponsors of study advocate use of solid carbon block filters to limit exposure to breast cancer chemicals. 

A new study published in the peer-reviewed journal, Environmental Health Perspectives,
identifies key chemicals in the formation of breast cancer tumors. Sponsors of the study advocate methods to limit exposure – including the use of solid carbon block filters for drinking water.

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Basic Information about Disinfection Byproducts in Drinking Water: Total Trihalomethanes, Haloacetic Acids, Bromate, and Chlorite

To protect drinking water from disease-causing organisms, or pathogens, water suppliers often add a disinfectant, such as chlorine, to drinking water. However, disinfection practices can be complicated because certain microbial pathogens, such as Cryptosporidium, are highly resistant to traditional disinfection practices. Also, disinfectants themselves can react with naturally-occurring materials in the water to form byproducts, which may pose health risks.
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WQA says homeowners should turn to certified products for removing Trihalomethanes

LISLE, IL, March 4, 2013 (Water Tech) — The Water Quality Association says homeowners concerned about trihalomethanes in their water supply should turn to certified products to learn about options for removing the contaminant, according to a press release
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Multipure Commentary:
Multipure Drinking Water Systems have been certified by NSF International, under Standard 53, to reduce Trihalomethanes, a VOC.

(NaturalHealth365) More than four out of five of America’s largest cities add fluoride to municipal water sources, a trend that has been growing since Grand Rapids, Michigan became the first to do it in 1945. For decades, scientists have been enamored with the association between fluoridated water and a decreased rate of tooth decay among the communities that drink it.  ... Read More

(NaturalHealth365) If the current trend towards warmer surface temperatures in our oceans and lakes continues, we can expect to see higher mercury concentrations in fish and shellfish – along with increased health risks for humans. In a new study published in the scientific journal PLoS One, researchers at Dartmouth College examined killifish – small fish common in saltwater marshes – ... Read More 

January 8, 2014 (Water Tech) - Fracking involves injection of a liquid that is usually a mixture of water, sand and chemical additives.

What is it:
Fracking, or hydraulic fracturing, is a process used by many oil and gas recovery operations. It involves injection of a liquid that is usually a mixture of water, sand and chemical additives.

To read entire article, go to:
http://www.watertechonline.com/articles/167399-contaminant-of-the-month-fracking

Multipure Commentary:
Multipure Drinking Water Systems have been certified by NSF International to reduce the widest range of contaminants of health concern.

Knowledge of chemicals is limited

WASHINGTON, DC, January 20, 2014 (Washington Post) — There are more than 80,000 chemicals in the United States cataloged by government regulators, and the health risks of most of them are unknown.

This became glaringly obvious when, on Jan. 9, a clear, licorice-smelling chemical leaked from an old storage tank into the Elk River in West Virginia, contaminating the drinking water for a big chunk of the state, including the capital, Charleston, before making its way down the Ohio River.

What made the spill alarming was not only the reports of rashes, stomachaches and other ailments, but also the paucity of solid information about the potential toxicity of Crude MCHM, which is primarily composed of a chemical named 4-methylcyclohexane methanol.
The 15-page Material Safety Data Sheet for the chemical, which is manufactured by the Tennessee-based Eastman Chemical Co., uses the phrase “No data available” 152 times.

So sketchy is the public-health system’s understanding of the chemical’s toxicity that officials wound up backtracking on whether it was safe for everyone to start drinking the water again after the do-not-use order was lifted last week.

At first, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said the water would be safe if it had less than 1 part per million of Crude MCHM. But then on Wednesday, the state Department of Health and Human Resources, after consulting with the CDC, said pregnant women shouldn’t drink the water until officials declare it free of any trace of the chemical.

“There are extraordinary gaps in knowledge,” said Daniel Horowitz, head of the U.S. Chemical Safety Board, an independent agency that investigates industrial accidents.

Chemicals in the United States generally are treated as innocent until proven guilty. A company does not have to prove that a chemical poses no health hazard in order to introduce it into the commercial market.
To read entire article, go to:
http://www.dispatch.com/content/stories/national_world/2014/01/20/
knowledge-of-chemicals-is-limited.html

Multipure Commentary:
Multipure Drinking Water Systems have been certified by NSF International to reduce the widest range of contaminants of health concern.

Viruses are submicroscopic particles that infect cells.
Dr. Joseph Cotruvo, Technical Editor March 4, 2014 (Water Tech)

What are they:

• Viruses consist of RNA or DNA wrapped in a protein coat. They are considered to be quasi-living organisms. They are parasitic at the cellular level.
• Viruses are submicroscopic particles that infect cells. They enter a cell and take over the DNA function so that it replicates the virus, then multiple copies of the virus are released from the cell from leakage or rupture.
• Viruses are very small but their molecular weights are very large. For example, the molecular weight of a poliovirus is about 2,600,000 daltons and adenovirus is about 157 million daltons. By comparison, the molecular weight of chloroform is only about 120 daltons (dalton is the molecular weight unit that was once grams/mole).
• Probably all organisms, even bacteria and plants, have viruses for which they are a host. Viruses are selective and hosts are susceptible only to specific viruses.
• Bacterial viruses are called phages, e.g. coliphages infect coli bacteria.
• Numerous viruses are present in air, food, water, surfaces and adsorbed to some particulates.
• They are fairly stable in the environment, but they are denatured by oxygen, sunlight, heat and disinfectants like chlorine and ozone.
• Viruses are very different from bacteria. They are much smaller, do not have cell walls and are not free living.
• Viruses are nanometer-sized and 10 to 100 times smaller than bacteria, which are usually in the one or two micron size range. They are observed by electron microscopy.
• Some antiviral medications are available; antibiotics are not effective against viruses.
• The shapes of viruses are very distinctive.

To read complete article, go to:
http://www.watertechonline.com/articles/167709-contaminant-of-the-month-viruses-in-drinking-water

Multipure Commentary:
Multipure Drinking Water Systems have been certified by NSF International to reduce the widest range of contaminants of health concern.

Arsenic water treatment technical tips
A breakdown of this harmful contaminant and what customers must be mindful of.

February 3, 2014 (Water Tech - editorial staff )
Today, most consumers and prospects are at least mildly aware of the health risks involved with drinking water containing high levels of arsenic (As), or even low levels over a period of time. Water treatment dealers often face a different challenge when communicating that arsenic may be present in a consumer’s water.

Since arsenic is an odorless, tasteless metalloid, which can enter water naturally through the erosion of natural deposits in the Earth, most end consumers will not be able to conclude that this contaminant is present in their drinking water without testing.

Arsenic is acutely toxic, but it also has chronic toxicity and it is a human carcinogen. Inorganic arsenic (arsenate and arsenite) is considered more of a risk than the organic forms that predominate in the diet. Skin, bladder and lung cancer have been identified from exposures to inorganic arsenic at high water and dietary exposure levels.

To read complete article, go to:
http://www.watertechonline.com/articles/167517-arsenic-water-treatment-technical-tips

Multipure Commentary:
Multipure Drinking Water Systems have been certified by NSF International to reduce the widest range of contaminants of health concern. Multipure’s Aquaperform (MP880) units have been certified by NSF International, under Standard 53, to reduce Arsenic V.

Fluoridated Water Can Calcify Arteries, Study Finds

Fluoride is put in your drinking water 'for your teeth' without your consent, but did you know that it could also be calcifying your arteries?

GREENMEDINFO.COM

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…In the article, Cotruvo explains that a significant component of the quality of drinking water is salinity (dissolved solids), which can be beneficial or harmful, as well as aesthetically pleasing or a reason for rejection of the water.
He states, “Distilled water, desalinated water and rainwater have minimal salt content. Seawater and brines have tens of thousands of parts per million (ppm) of salts, and typical drinking waters can have hundreds to well over 1,000 ppm, mostly less than 200 ppm concentration (ppm equals milligrams per liter of water). The problems are: How much is too much salinity? What are aesthetic issues? Are there any potential health consequences, and can it be managed at a reasonable cost?”
http://www.watertechonline.com/articles/169383-understanding-salinity-in-drinking-water

…Although nitrates and nitrites may still contaminate consumers’ drinking water supplies after they have been municipally treated, domestic wells are at a higher risk of contamination as they are not federally regulated to monitor nitrate levels. Water dealers must educate their customers the right way and adequately understand certification criteria and system performance.
High levels of nitrate contamination can lead to such health concerns as “blue baby syndrome,” or infant methemoglobiemia. However, the greatest risks to infants from nitrate exposure occur when both microbial contaminants and nitrate are present in water…
http://www.watertechonline.com/articles/169265-educating-customers-the-right-way-when-it-comes-to-nitrates
Multipure Commentary:
Multipure’s AquaRO has been certified by NSF International to reduce the widest range of contaminants of health concern including Nitrates under Standard 58.

Don't wait until you have a home emergency to try and find your gas or water shutoff valves. This article will help you locate them now. Taking the time to familiarize yourself with the valves can help you avoid a disaster.

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Plumbing repair is no simple matter. Unlike gardening or painting, it allows for far less margin of error.
Water, water everywhere ... or a hefty bill for a 15-minute service call? That’s a decision you may have to make when you’re faced with a plumbing problem in your home.

Dripping faucet

These days, though, chances are good that your faucets don’t even contain a washer anymore.

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