Water
Quality
The question
of whether or not to have your water tested is a serious one that concerns the health
of you and your family. In addition to illness, a variety of less serious
problems such as taste, color, odor and staining of clothes or fixtures are
symptoms of water quality problems. But not everyone needs to test their water
and it is impractical and unnecessary to test for all possible contaminants.
Although most households using water from public sources should have few
concerns, potentially harmful contaminants have been found in some water
supplies. If you have serious questions about the safety of your drinking
water, you can take the suggestions described in this general advice to have
your water tested and, if necessary, buy a water treatment unit.
When To Test Your Water: Municipal water supply systems perform regular
tests and will provide water quality reports upon request. If these reports do
not meet your need, or if you have an individual supply, you should have your
water tested if any of the following situations arise:
Where To Have Your Water Tested:
1) Private
testing laboratories are listed in the telephone book. Call the state lab
certification officer to make sure they are certified by the state health
department.
Water Testing Cautions:
*"Free" Home Water Tests. Offers to test the tap
water in your home for free are almost always part of a sales promotion. More
important, in-home testing does not provide the specific, in-depth analysis
that is required to determine if your water needs treatment and what kind of
system is suited to your needs. For example, in-home water tests may only check
for acidity/alkalinity, water hardness, iron, manganese, and color, but none of
these are harmful. Avoid dealing with salespersons who tell you strictly on the
basis of their in-home testing that your drinking water is polluted,
contaminated, or bad for your family's health.
* Be Wary
of Claims of Government Approval. If a salesman claims that water testing methods
or equipment are endorsed by the government, those claims are false.
The government does not endorse water tests or water treatment products. If you
see an Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) registration number on a water
treatment product label, it merely means that the manufacturer has registered
its product with the EPA.
* Determine
the Quality of Your Water Independently. To learn about the quality of your water,
ask your local water superintendent for the latest test results of the public
water supply and then compare them to state and federal standards available
from your state government and the EPA. If you use well water, ask your local
or state health department if it offers free water testing. Most will for
bacterial contaminants.
* Arrange
for An Independent Test. If you are concerned about the results you got from your local water
superintendent or are worried about possible contaminants in your water supply,
have your water tested by a private laboratory that is certified by your state
health department or environmental agency. To find out where you can get a list
of state-certified laboratories, call the EPA's Safe Water Drinking Hotline at
1-800-426-4791. When having your water tested, deal with the laboratory
directly. Some fraudulent sellers ask for a sample of your water to send to an
independent laboratory for testing, and then alter or misrepresent the
laboratory's test results.
* Decide
What You Need. If tests on your water indicate problems, the next step is to
determine what type of system you need to treat the water. This can be a
difficult decision because there is a wide variety of water
treatment devices on the market today. Water purifiers range from
relatively low-cost, simple filter devices for a kitchen faucet to more
expensive, sophisticated systems that treat water from its point of entry into
a home. Keep in mind, no one water treatment device can solve every problem.
Some systems only soften water by removing calcium and magnesium, while others
eliminate virtually all minerals and other foreign matter present in the water.
Ask the testing firm or local government officials what kind of water treatment
or purification system will suit your needs.
* Look For
the National Sanitation Foundation Seal of Approval. NFS is recognized for
its scientific and technical expertise in the health and environmental
sciences. Its staff includes engineers, chemists, toxicologists,
microbiologists, and environmental health professionals with broad experience
in both public and private organizations. You can call the NSF at (800) 673-6275
to see if a water quality company you are considering using is endorsed by NSF
standards. Or check out their web site at www.nsf.org.
*
Comparison Shop. Remember, first you need to identify the water problem, and then you
need to shop for the right device or filter to correct the problem. Consider
the following before purchasing water quality improvement equipment:
This report is
general in nature and not intended as a reliability report on any company,
service or product.