Alternative Water?

Today thankfully Anglian Water lifted its ban on drinking unboiled tap water for all customers in Northamptonshire affected by the inconvenience caused by cryptosporidium in the water supply. Tap water in that area is officially clear of the bug. But it has again raised concerns in people’s minds about the quality of tap water. At the same time those of us who buy bottled water are being labelled as ‘eco-criminals’. Water is heavy and large quantities of fuel are used to transport it, and also to make the packaging. So I have a proposal. We have alternative therapy, alternative education, alternative music ……  Why not alternative water? America is often two steps ahead of us trend-wise. So what’s happening on the other side of the pond? In Los Angeles apparently everybody fills up on tap water and orders it in restaurants. In Chicago there’s a tax on mineral water. In New York the mayor has called on citizens to boycott bottles. Are we lagging behind in this country? What’s the problem? I believe the problem is that people don’t want to risk drinking tap water. And despite the famous Panorama water testing experiment, I for one do not like the tap water taste. What is my alternative water? It’s simple really. It’s tap water treated at point-of-use, in the kitchen or in the workplace. No environmental issue. No taste issue. No health issue (it kills the cryptsporidium bug outright). Just good clean eco-friendly delicious Alternative Water! Hmmmmmm I love it! 

Julia Rosamund Brown

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More Water Features

Preliminary data indicates that the Cryptosporidium oocysts found at the Pitsford Water Treatment Works near Northampton are a type which results in low infectivity to man and the risk is therefore significantly reduced.  That’s a relief to everyone. However it does not help us feel less vulnerable, less exposed to potentially harmful living ‘things’ that could show up in our tap water, apparently at any time.

What a pity we have to drink the stuff at all! But we do. The jury has been out for a while on how much. But according to an article published today in a Special Report distributed by the Daily Telegraph, drinking 8 – 10 glasses of water a day can make an enormous difference to our health. It quotes Pamela Taylor, chief executive of industry lobbyist organisation Water UK, as saying that we now have the clearest evidence that water is a really powerful health drink. And this is especially true for older people. In fact, according to Baroness Greengross, founder of Action on Elder Abuse, not introducing minimum standards of hydration in hospitals and care homes could be seen as neglect. Apparently the thirst sensation decreases as you get older and so it’s good to remind elderly people of their hydration needs.

For details of the water treatment system I recommend, do get in touch. With one of these state-of-the-art purifiers installed in your kitchen you can confidently drink plenty of great-tasting water and you’ll be encouraging your family to experience the health benefit!

 

Julia Rosamund Brown

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Northampton Tap Water Crisis – the aftermath

Yesterday Anglian Water announced that it would lift the ‘boil notice’ for 60 per cent or more of the 108,000 homes affected, by the end of this week. The company has identified the source of the cryptosporidium protozoa found at the Pitsford treatment plant and are now ensuring that traces of the bug are removed from the water already in the distribution network. I understand the Drinking Water Inspectorate (DWI) will be carrying out an investigation. 

By coincidence the same DWI recently commissioned some research by the Centre for Ecology and Hydrology in Wallingford, Oxfordshire. It revealed that pharmaceuticals are finding their way into our water supply despite extensive purification treatments used by water companies like Anglian Water. Trace levels of bleomycin, a cancer chemotherapy drug, and diazepam, a sedative, were found during tests on drinking water. Andrew Johnson, the scientist who led the study, said: “There is not evidence to show that drinking water treatment removes all these drugs, so while we are not wanting to alarm people, it would be foolish to assume there is no risk.”

A separate study by environmental scientists has also warned that toxic chemotherapy drugs used to treat cancer patients are being washed into Britain’s rivers.And in America a vast array of pharmaceuticals — including antibiotics, anti-convulsants, mood stabilizers and sex hormones — have been found in the drinking water supplies of at least 41 million people, a recent Associated Press investigation has shown.

Meanwhile the plastic bottle mountain in the Northampton area is expected to grow (see picture). Not too green….

All this makes me even more sure than I already was that the domestic water treatment system we supply is the best solution to the drinking water issues we are now facing. Email us or give us a call on 01733 242756 to place your order.

 

Julia Rosamund Brown

P.S If you think you’re safe buying bottled water, you may have to think again! Natural Resources Defense Council, an American environmental action group, have found that chemicals called phthalates, which are known to disrupt testosterone and other hormones, can leach into bottled water over time. One study found that water that had been stored for 10 weeks in plastic and in glass bottles contained phthalates, suggesting that the chemicals could be coming from the plastic cap or liner. Although there are regulatory standards limiting phthalates in tap water, there are no legal limits for phthalates in bottled water — the bottled water industry waged a successful campaign opposing the USA’s FDA proposal to set a legal limit for these chemicals.

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