The largest toxic and carcinogenic cover up in the history of the USA is about to be unleashed by the EPA and Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources in plain daylight. These two government agencies in collaboration with several paper companies responsible for the PCB pollution have approved a new PCB mitigation plan for about 39 miles of the Fox River adjacent to paper-making operations that are responsible for the release of about one million pounds of PCB's over nearly three decades from the 1950's to the early 1980's. PCB's are classified as persistent bio-accumulative carcinogenic substances that when ingested by animal and human creatures are stored in their bodies and eventually are capable of triggering cancers and other diseases. The health implications were first known in the mid 1960's, and a very comprehensive reports are available from The World Health Organization and The US Department of Health and Human Services, Report on Carcinogens, Number 11, 2004.
The sediments of the bay of Green Bay and Fox River are now PCB cesspools that release their cancer-causing poisons into the waters and all living organisms exposed. The fish caught in the waters contain PCB's and the WI DNR and EPA advise against eating fish caught in these waters. Ground water for wells is at risk as is drinking water that is piped from Lake Michigan. How many deaths and incurable diseases have been caused is incalculable, but any reasonable individual would take action to avoid exposure to PCB poisoned waters and sediments.
For the last 20 years the EPA and Wisconsin DNR and government big wigs have been promising that the PCB's would be removed. Wisconsin governors have all wagged their tongues proclaiming that PCB removal was around the corner. Don't expect that to happen any time soon.
The EPA, WI DNR, and the lobbyists who influence the political powers have now decided to save the polluters money and allow most of the PCB sediments to be covered in place with gravel, sand and rocks instead of removing the sediments and forever eliminating most of the cancer-causing chemicals. This process called "capping" has not been proven to be effective. It is expedient and will cost many hundreds of millions dollars less than the removal of PCB's to secure and enclosed storage sites. The paper companies will realize more profit at the expense of our health if this plan is allowed to proceed. The acquiescent politicians will wag their adoring tails as money support their campaigns. Our future generations and new born children will continually be poisoned and be threatened by deadly cancers as the capped PCB's eventually seep through the porous, and unstable capping materials for centuries to come.
This " colossal PCB cover up" is an example of how our government disdainfully disregards the safety of our people for the support of their political money bags. We the people are considered as secondary elements in this game of political power and are treated as dispensable pawns.
It is not too late to speak out and let our elected congressional and state representatives hear from us "the pawns". This colossal PCB cover up plan will not be substantially underway for at least a year; so contact your elected representatives now and tell them to stop the PCB cover up and insist upon PCB removal for all times. Your future health and that of your loved ones are dependent upon preventing this COLOSSAL PCB COVER-UP" and doing the right thing-REMOVE THE PCB's FOREVER.
Friday, July 6, 2007
Friday, May 18, 2007
How Sewage and Drinking Water Mix
One of the most common types of human waste is sewage. Whether we have our own septic system or use a municipal system, all of our sewage waste represents contamination of water and land. Substances that wash down our sinks, baths, showers, and toilets can contain pathogenic and toxic chemicals found in every day household products. Cleaning agents, solvents, paints, discarded prescription drugs, floor polishes, pesticide and herbicide residues on some foods, bug poisons and repellants, and certain personal care products are but a few types of toxic wastes that we may unconsciously dispose of that end up as sewage waste. We must individually try to avoid such waste disposal practices, and avoid the use of such products as well.
Industrial, hospital, and business wastes can include substances that adds to this monumental toxic sewage problem. These substances range the gamut from dry cleaning chemicals to potent disinfectants. The eventual destination of many of these wastes is the sewage treatment plant whose task is to attempt to remove toxic and pathogenic substance from the sewage wastes before the treated wastes return to water and land.
In Green Bay, for example, the municipal sewage treatment plant typically processes about 35 million gallons of sewage a day from the sewer lines that connect to homes, hospitals, businesses, and factories. Following treatment, designed to remove most of the bacteria, the liquid outflow (about 33 million gallons a day) is disposed of by discharging directly into the Bay of Green Bay. Most of the city of Green Bay’s drinking water comes from Green Bay water. Semi-liquid sludge wastes, derived from the sewage treatment, are incinerated (a toxin producing process), and the ashes (containing toxic residues) are stored in landfills, often near the shores of the bay. Green Bay is by no means unique. Most cities in the world process sewage similarly.
The city of Green Bay, like other cities bordering or close to the Great Lakes, utilizes Great Lakes water as the primary source of drinking water. Under such conditions, the mixing of treated sewage waste and treated drinking water is virtually inevitable since the treated liquid sewage outflow goes directly into Great Lakes water as well. Communities depending upon ground water for drinking water, rather than surface waters, contend with the same problems. Treated sewage wastes discharged into lakes, rivers, and oceans contain toxic chemicals and bacterial/viral agents that are not removable by present sewage treatments systems. Sewage sludge that is incinerated, spread on land to decompose, or used for fertilizer also contains remnant bacteria and toxic chemicals. Many toxic chemicals are very stable and even when they decompose their by-products are sometimes toxic and often carcinogenic. Why are we surprised when beach closings are required because of bacteria laden lake water or when boiling drinking water alerts occur in affected communities?
This is precisely why EPA regulates sewage treatment wastes as well as drinking water. As previously described in the March article, “The Drinking Water Dilemma”, the EPA regulations governing the quality of drinking water are inadequate and do not assure safe water. The EPA regulations pertaining to sewage wastes are even less stringent than EPA drinking water regulations. Toxic chemicals (mostly manmade), found in sewage are not regulated by the EPA at all. Disease-causing bacteria found in human and animal excrements are regulated, but sewage treatments do not eliminate all of them. Neither sewage treatment nor drinking water treatment technologies have kept pace with the increasing production and use of manmade toxic chemicals, via growing populations, high density land-developments, and increasing industrial waste. The reality is that neither drinking water treatments nor sewage treatments that are in use today are capable of sufficiently removing myriad toxic chemicals and pathogens. Our well- being, and the health of generations to come are jeopardized.
Private well owners are equally at risk. Wells are usually located close to septic systems. This is a potentially serious drinking water contamination threat. If your well is not sufficiently deep and encased, sewage waste from your septic system can infiltrate ground water and contaminate your drinking water. The particular soil conditions that are prevalent on your property will determine whether the wastes from your septic field can contaminate your well water. Certain types of soil effectively scrub and retain contaminants more effectively than other (soil) types, and prevent infiltration of toxic wastes into the water from your well. The proximity to neighboring septic fields is another important factor. Every well represents a special case, and must be individually evaluated, and tested (on a regular time schedule) to determine the safety of the well water. There are no regulations in Wisconsin that pertain to water from privately owned wells. The safety of your water depends primarily upon your actions. Happily, your well water may be superior to most municipal water if you live in a rural area where neither industrial, agricultural, or animal operations are nearby.
If you live near industrial operations or power plants that create toxic wastes, that are not adequately contained, the potential likelihood of water contamination increases. Similarly, if you live near agricultural, dairy, or various animal operations the probability of bacterial and chemical contamination can become very acute. Toxic landfills and waste depositories also increase water contamination. You must stay informed about what takes place around you to try to prevent toxic contamination. [This may require individual activism to mobilize people in your community to protect your water quality from contamination caused by irresponsible actions and insufficient government controls.]
Foods are also at risk from the contaminated treated sewage water used for agricultural irrigation, as allowed by the U.S. Department of Agriculture. This is a common practice in California and elsewhere where water supplies are in short supply and/or costly. Why are we surprised when E.coli or other pathogens are found in various leafy vegetables and other foods and cause widespread illness and sometimes death?
The fish swimming in contaminated Great Lakes water are another source of food that contains manmade toxic chemicals derived from water in which they swim. Mercury (methyl mercury) from coal burning power plants, and PCB’s from previous paper mill operations are contained in fish caught in Green Bay and the Fox River waters. Wisconsin DNR advisories warn us that we should restrict our consumption of such fish. Unfortunately, we along with the fish and animal life are also recipients of these same disease-causing toxins.
Sewage wastes represent a growing threat to drinking water quality and food safety as developments, populations, industrial production, and use of manmade toxic chemicals increases. Substantial improvements in both water and sewage treatment technology must be developed and implemented soon to prevent escalating contamination of drinking water supplies and recreational waters. Unfortunately, this need seems to be largely unrecognized by governments and politicians, and the imperative improvements of sewage and water treatments are seldom, if ever, on a politician’s agenda or government’s priorities. The illnesses, cancers, miscarriages, birth defects, and deaths caused because of inadequate water and waste treatments are incalculable, and intolerable. They are also preventable if we take action.
Our well-being and the health of newborn children depend upon our actions. We can individually help by avoiding the use of products containing toxic chemicals and use instead natural non-toxic products. We must awaken politicians and governments to the essential need to expand regulations and to improve technology for the treatment of drinking water and sewage waste. These are essential priorities. We must demand that toxin-free drinking water is a basic human right for everybody.
Zalman P. Saperstein has an MS and BS in Interdisciplinary Engineering from UCLA and was involved in research and development. He is the author of A Drinker’s Guide to Pure Water — Is Your Water Safe?
For more information, visit: www.safewaterguide.com.
Industrial, hospital, and business wastes can include substances that adds to this monumental toxic sewage problem. These substances range the gamut from dry cleaning chemicals to potent disinfectants. The eventual destination of many of these wastes is the sewage treatment plant whose task is to attempt to remove toxic and pathogenic substance from the sewage wastes before the treated wastes return to water and land.
In Green Bay, for example, the municipal sewage treatment plant typically processes about 35 million gallons of sewage a day from the sewer lines that connect to homes, hospitals, businesses, and factories. Following treatment, designed to remove most of the bacteria, the liquid outflow (about 33 million gallons a day) is disposed of by discharging directly into the Bay of Green Bay. Most of the city of Green Bay’s drinking water comes from Green Bay water. Semi-liquid sludge wastes, derived from the sewage treatment, are incinerated (a toxin producing process), and the ashes (containing toxic residues) are stored in landfills, often near the shores of the bay. Green Bay is by no means unique. Most cities in the world process sewage similarly.
The city of Green Bay, like other cities bordering or close to the Great Lakes, utilizes Great Lakes water as the primary source of drinking water. Under such conditions, the mixing of treated sewage waste and treated drinking water is virtually inevitable since the treated liquid sewage outflow goes directly into Great Lakes water as well. Communities depending upon ground water for drinking water, rather than surface waters, contend with the same problems. Treated sewage wastes discharged into lakes, rivers, and oceans contain toxic chemicals and bacterial/viral agents that are not removable by present sewage treatments systems. Sewage sludge that is incinerated, spread on land to decompose, or used for fertilizer also contains remnant bacteria and toxic chemicals. Many toxic chemicals are very stable and even when they decompose their by-products are sometimes toxic and often carcinogenic. Why are we surprised when beach closings are required because of bacteria laden lake water or when boiling drinking water alerts occur in affected communities?
This is precisely why EPA regulates sewage treatment wastes as well as drinking water. As previously described in the March article, “The Drinking Water Dilemma”, the EPA regulations governing the quality of drinking water are inadequate and do not assure safe water. The EPA regulations pertaining to sewage wastes are even less stringent than EPA drinking water regulations. Toxic chemicals (mostly manmade), found in sewage are not regulated by the EPA at all. Disease-causing bacteria found in human and animal excrements are regulated, but sewage treatments do not eliminate all of them. Neither sewage treatment nor drinking water treatment technologies have kept pace with the increasing production and use of manmade toxic chemicals, via growing populations, high density land-developments, and increasing industrial waste. The reality is that neither drinking water treatments nor sewage treatments that are in use today are capable of sufficiently removing myriad toxic chemicals and pathogens. Our well- being, and the health of generations to come are jeopardized.
Private well owners are equally at risk. Wells are usually located close to septic systems. This is a potentially serious drinking water contamination threat. If your well is not sufficiently deep and encased, sewage waste from your septic system can infiltrate ground water and contaminate your drinking water. The particular soil conditions that are prevalent on your property will determine whether the wastes from your septic field can contaminate your well water. Certain types of soil effectively scrub and retain contaminants more effectively than other (soil) types, and prevent infiltration of toxic wastes into the water from your well. The proximity to neighboring septic fields is another important factor. Every well represents a special case, and must be individually evaluated, and tested (on a regular time schedule) to determine the safety of the well water. There are no regulations in Wisconsin that pertain to water from privately owned wells. The safety of your water depends primarily upon your actions. Happily, your well water may be superior to most municipal water if you live in a rural area where neither industrial, agricultural, or animal operations are nearby.
If you live near industrial operations or power plants that create toxic wastes, that are not adequately contained, the potential likelihood of water contamination increases. Similarly, if you live near agricultural, dairy, or various animal operations the probability of bacterial and chemical contamination can become very acute. Toxic landfills and waste depositories also increase water contamination. You must stay informed about what takes place around you to try to prevent toxic contamination. [This may require individual activism to mobilize people in your community to protect your water quality from contamination caused by irresponsible actions and insufficient government controls.]
Foods are also at risk from the contaminated treated sewage water used for agricultural irrigation, as allowed by the U.S. Department of Agriculture. This is a common practice in California and elsewhere where water supplies are in short supply and/or costly. Why are we surprised when E.coli or other pathogens are found in various leafy vegetables and other foods and cause widespread illness and sometimes death?
The fish swimming in contaminated Great Lakes water are another source of food that contains manmade toxic chemicals derived from water in which they swim. Mercury (methyl mercury) from coal burning power plants, and PCB’s from previous paper mill operations are contained in fish caught in Green Bay and the Fox River waters. Wisconsin DNR advisories warn us that we should restrict our consumption of such fish. Unfortunately, we along with the fish and animal life are also recipients of these same disease-causing toxins.
Sewage wastes represent a growing threat to drinking water quality and food safety as developments, populations, industrial production, and use of manmade toxic chemicals increases. Substantial improvements in both water and sewage treatment technology must be developed and implemented soon to prevent escalating contamination of drinking water supplies and recreational waters. Unfortunately, this need seems to be largely unrecognized by governments and politicians, and the imperative improvements of sewage and water treatments are seldom, if ever, on a politician’s agenda or government’s priorities. The illnesses, cancers, miscarriages, birth defects, and deaths caused because of inadequate water and waste treatments are incalculable, and intolerable. They are also preventable if we take action.
Our well-being and the health of newborn children depend upon our actions. We can individually help by avoiding the use of products containing toxic chemicals and use instead natural non-toxic products. We must awaken politicians and governments to the essential need to expand regulations and to improve technology for the treatment of drinking water and sewage waste. These are essential priorities. We must demand that toxin-free drinking water is a basic human right for everybody.
Zalman P. Saperstein has an MS and BS in Interdisciplinary Engineering from UCLA and was involved in research and development. He is the author of A Drinker’s Guide to Pure Water — Is Your Water Safe?
For more information, visit: www.safewaterguide.com.
Friday, April 20, 2007
Congressman Kagen Questions Capping PCB's in the Fox River
About 600,000 to 1,000,000 pounds of PCB's poison the waters, fish, and animal and human life in North Eastern Wisconsin and have for more than four decades. The former Governor Tommy Thompson promised that the PCB poisons would be REMOVED. That was about 18 years ago. Nothing has been REMOVED. Now the paper companies and the derelict WI DNR and EPA want to "CAP: the PCBs in sediments of the Fox River and let them remain. This in-situ CAPPING simply covers the sediments containing PCB's by using unproven technology. The fast moving currents, storm churned waters, ice shoves, plus ship and boat traffic will inevitably break and dislodge the capping materials (essentially rock slabs, stones and gravel) and release the PCB's again. The inadequacy of in-situ capping has been demonstrated by Carnegie Mellon University researchers who worked with ALCOA. Capping simply covers the PCB's temporarily and cannot eliminate the hazard.Real long-term testing (for durations of at least 50 years)of the proposed EPA/WI DNR capping method has never been conducted. If allowed, we the residents of northeastern Wisconsin will be the guinea pigs of an unproven technology, that the EPA and WI DNR leadership are advocating.
Capping costs much less than dredging and removal, and that is why the Chamber of Commerce and other politically indebted organizations (seemingly including the EPA and WI DNR) are supportive since it favors the paper companies that were responsible for poisoning the waters with PCB's to begin with. Previous Congressman Green had "earmarked" our tax dollars to remove the carcinogenic PCB's The time has come to REMOVE the PCB's. The paper companies that poisoned the Fox River and bay of Green Bay did so even after the toxic dangers had been well documented. The US Navy rejected the use of PCB's for submarine heat- transfer coolants as early as 1969 because of their toxicity. Our federal government finally banned the production of PCB's in 1978, but their use by paper companies continued into the 1980's. PCB' are very persistent and they do not decompose. They remain in sediments and river and bay waters ingested by fish and animal life(including human). They have been classified as probable carcinogens and are known to accumulate in human and animal tissues(including the fish caught in the waters of Green Bay and the Fox River).
Congressman Kagen is correct in demanding that proof be given before the cheaper in-situ capping method is foisted on the public; particularly a method that prolongs the dangers as the capping materials inevitably break and causes continuous and persistent PCB poisoning. I challenge any one, including the Chamber of Commerce President Paul Jadin, WI DNR leadership, paper company executives, and EPA leadership to prove to the public that capping is a reliable long term fix. Prove it if you are able, not with theory and modeling, but with experimental evidence and tests that proves the durability of the proposed in-situ capping (of large masses of PCB's such as exists in the FOx River) for at least 50 years without releasing PCB's. NO SUCH PROOF EXISTS! Tell the truth. REMOVE the PCB's from the Fox River and other contaminated areas of the bay of Green Bay as was promised by then Gov. Tommy Thompson more than 18 years ago. Make the paper companies that originally poisoned the waters with PCB's REMOVE all remaining PCB's NOW. Stop the lobbyists favoring the paper companies from undermining public health and safety with their advocacy of unproven technology.
Tell Congressman Kagen that you support his resistance to in-situ capping unless long-term sustainability is proven by real long-term tests that represent real Fox River and bay conditions and existing PCB sediment loads . Demand TOTAL REMOVAL of PCB's. Stop poisoning our children. We have waited long enough! Send Congressman Kagen an email or letter showing your support. Finally, an elected politician has shown real concern our environmental well being. If you are able join Congressman Kagen at Voyageur Park in De Pere, WI on Saturday, April 21 at 10:30 am for his press conference on this very important water resource issue.
Capping costs much less than dredging and removal, and that is why the Chamber of Commerce and other politically indebted organizations (seemingly including the EPA and WI DNR) are supportive since it favors the paper companies that were responsible for poisoning the waters with PCB's to begin with. Previous Congressman Green had "earmarked" our tax dollars to remove the carcinogenic PCB's The time has come to REMOVE the PCB's. The paper companies that poisoned the Fox River and bay of Green Bay did so even after the toxic dangers had been well documented. The US Navy rejected the use of PCB's for submarine heat- transfer coolants as early as 1969 because of their toxicity. Our federal government finally banned the production of PCB's in 1978, but their use by paper companies continued into the 1980's. PCB' are very persistent and they do not decompose. They remain in sediments and river and bay waters ingested by fish and animal life(including human). They have been classified as probable carcinogens and are known to accumulate in human and animal tissues(including the fish caught in the waters of Green Bay and the Fox River).
Congressman Kagen is correct in demanding that proof be given before the cheaper in-situ capping method is foisted on the public; particularly a method that prolongs the dangers as the capping materials inevitably break and causes continuous and persistent PCB poisoning. I challenge any one, including the Chamber of Commerce President Paul Jadin, WI DNR leadership, paper company executives, and EPA leadership to prove to the public that capping is a reliable long term fix. Prove it if you are able, not with theory and modeling, but with experimental evidence and tests that proves the durability of the proposed in-situ capping (of large masses of PCB's such as exists in the FOx River) for at least 50 years without releasing PCB's. NO SUCH PROOF EXISTS! Tell the truth. REMOVE the PCB's from the Fox River and other contaminated areas of the bay of Green Bay as was promised by then Gov. Tommy Thompson more than 18 years ago. Make the paper companies that originally poisoned the waters with PCB's REMOVE all remaining PCB's NOW. Stop the lobbyists favoring the paper companies from undermining public health and safety with their advocacy of unproven technology.
Tell Congressman Kagen that you support his resistance to in-situ capping unless long-term sustainability is proven by real long-term tests that represent real Fox River and bay conditions and existing PCB sediment loads . Demand TOTAL REMOVAL of PCB's. Stop poisoning our children. We have waited long enough! Send Congressman Kagen an email or letter showing your support. Finally, an elected politician has shown real concern our environmental well being. If you are able join Congressman Kagen at Voyageur Park in De Pere, WI on Saturday, April 21 at 10:30 am for his press conference on this very important water resource issue.
Tuesday, April 10, 2007
It's Necessary for Life but How Safe Is Your Drinking Water
The Drinking Water Dilemma
It’s Necessary for Life — But is it Safe?
By Zalman P. Saperstein
In Northeastern Wisconsin, Lake Michigan, the Bay of Green Bay, Lake Winnebago, the Fox River and the abundant forests provide exceptional outdoor experiences and natural resources without which we would all be impoverished. Water is the common denominator and is the most vital resource in the area. We depend upon lake and ground water for the water we drink and use for daily purposes, and for industrial and agricultural activities.
Water is so abundant that we may take its presence for granted and believe that we need not concern ourselves with either its quantity or quality.
The illusion of “safe” water is just that, an illusion. The water supplies from municipal water treatment utilities or your private wells contain toxic chemicals. This reality creates a major dilemma. Water is vital and life is not sustainable without it. How then can we drink water and still avoid toxic chemicals that can endanger health and well being? The reality is that it is virtually impossible. The challenge is how to minimize health dangers by minimizing toxic contamination of your body.
The Environmental Protection Agency National Primary Drinking Water Standards, used to regulate contaminants in municipal drinking water supplies, includes 119 substances that are acknowledged by the EPA to be toxic (some carcinogenic) and hence subject to EPA regulation.
EPA describes toxins in water
These “regulated” contaminants including some natural substances, but are mostly manmade synthetic chemicals including herbicides, pesticides, petrochemicals, disinfectants, many industrial chemicals, agricultural fertilizers, waste incineration toxins, and bacterial and viral contaminants usually from sewerage waste. Health dangers including cancers, anemia, multiple organ malfunctions, reproductive impairments, blood disorders, brain disorders, nervous system disorders are among those listed by the EPA as potential health effects for the 119 regulated chemicals. Many independent academic studies prove the toxic and carcinogenic nature of many of these substances.
Other EPA regulations identify between 600-700 carcinogenic and bio-accumulative (our bodies accumulate and store these) toxic/carcinogenic manmade chemicals that are from industrial sources for which annual discharge reports are mandatory.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention includes more than 75,000 manmade toxic chemicals in its list of possible environmental hazards, and the Department of Energy is developing emergency Homeland Security plans for the prevention of harm from the possible release of more than 70,000 chemical substances in use today in the United States.
The fact that only 119 substances are included in municipal drinking water regulations, when many thousands more are potentially present, should itself arouse major concern. Another issue of major concern relates to the fact that the maximum allowable concentration level for any contaminant is determined as if only one toxin were present at a time. The reality is that a toxic chemical cocktail is generally present. The huge number of toxic chemical combinations, likely to be present at various concentrations, is not included in EPA drinking water regulations, nor are they even mentioned as a precaution.
Clearly, the regulations that pertain to drinking water safety are inadequate and provide little or no guidance to the consumer about the real water quality and its safety. As a result, we face a major dilemma: Water is essential to all life, yet the toxins and carcinogens that are present in water pose a hazard to health and well being. What should we do?
Try to determine the quality of the water that you use and drink. If you are supplied water by a municipal or private water utility company, request a copy of the most recent water quality report. One hundred and nineteen regulated substances should be included in the report if you live in a municipality with a population greater than 10,000. Smaller cities are exempt from many regulations. Request a complete report if you are only presented a condensed summary. Learn how frequently the listed substances are tested. Ask for specific information about the sources of the substances regardless of the maximum concentration level indicated in the report. Ask your municipality what they are doing to improve water quality.
How you can improve water quality
Discuss your findings with you neighbors, and form a neighborhood Water Action Group (WAG) and persist in getting answers to your questions. Contact local politicians and government agencies and demand clear answers.
We can all do our part by eliminating personal use of toxic household products including many cleaning agents, pesticides, chemical solvents, fabric preservatives, bleaches, cosmetics, many plastics that contain toxins, and innumerable other products that require your scrutiny. Read labels and ask the manufacture for Material Safety Data Sheets that are required by the Occupational Health and Safety Administration for workers who are involved in production. Avoid the use of toxic substances and use organic and natural, non toxic, products instead.
We must also insist on changes in government and industrial policies and practices that have caused earth’s water to become contaminated. The manmade toxic/carcinogenic substances that were all essentially developed, commercialized, and utilized during the last two and one half generations now endangers all life.
The short-term approach requires that you take individual action to inform and protect yourself and your loved ones from potential harm caused by toxins in water. Consider the use of home-based water purification of your drinking and cooking water. Although a good purification system can improve your drinking water quality, it does not eliminate the overall problem.
Toxins, removed by a purification system are subsequently discharged along with waste water, back into your sewer or septic system, and are not destroyed. They are recycled or adsorbed and may find their way back into the original water source. The total contaminant load will increase over time and your purification system will be less effective in protecting your drinking water. Continual surveillance is required as the waste water increases the contaminant amount in ground waters and continues to contaminate your water.
If dependent upon well water, obtain a comprehensive chemical analysis through an independent laboratory that does not sell water or treatment systems. Then decide what you should do. If you happen to live in a remote area, that alone does not assure safe water quality. Aquifers that provide your water can become contaminated at sites many miles, even hundreds of miles, from where your well is located. The contaminants may change in type and concentration from industrial or agricultural sources that are developing or changing over time.
If you choose bottled water, be selective. Most bottled water is no different than tap water and is regulated by the same inadequate EPA regulations. Contact the supplier and request a detailed chemical analysis of the water before you buy and use it. A further concern is the plastic container used for bottled waters. Certain harmful chemicals leach out of plastic containers and can cause additive contamination if the storage time before use is prolonged. Request information from your possible bottled water supplier before you make a decision.
The recommendations suggested here are to help guide you in your desire to use safe water. The future will depend upon our collective abilities to decrease, and eventually eliminate the production and use of manmade toxic chemical substances that nature never intended to contaminate earth’s most valuable resource, water. We all must become active in this for the benefit of all children yet to be born.
For more information: visit www.EnvironmentalHealthNews.org.
Zalman P. Saperstein has an MS and BS in Interdisciplinary Engineering from UCLA and was involved in research and development. He is the author of A Drinker’s Guide to Pure Water — Is Your Water Safe?
For more information, visit: www.safewaterguide.com.
It’s Necessary for Life — But is it Safe?
By Zalman P. Saperstein
In Northeastern Wisconsin, Lake Michigan, the Bay of Green Bay, Lake Winnebago, the Fox River and the abundant forests provide exceptional outdoor experiences and natural resources without which we would all be impoverished. Water is the common denominator and is the most vital resource in the area. We depend upon lake and ground water for the water we drink and use for daily purposes, and for industrial and agricultural activities.
Water is so abundant that we may take its presence for granted and believe that we need not concern ourselves with either its quantity or quality.
The illusion of “safe” water is just that, an illusion. The water supplies from municipal water treatment utilities or your private wells contain toxic chemicals. This reality creates a major dilemma. Water is vital and life is not sustainable without it. How then can we drink water and still avoid toxic chemicals that can endanger health and well being? The reality is that it is virtually impossible. The challenge is how to minimize health dangers by minimizing toxic contamination of your body.
The Environmental Protection Agency National Primary Drinking Water Standards, used to regulate contaminants in municipal drinking water supplies, includes 119 substances that are acknowledged by the EPA to be toxic (some carcinogenic) and hence subject to EPA regulation.
EPA describes toxins in water
These “regulated” contaminants including some natural substances, but are mostly manmade synthetic chemicals including herbicides, pesticides, petrochemicals, disinfectants, many industrial chemicals, agricultural fertilizers, waste incineration toxins, and bacterial and viral contaminants usually from sewerage waste. Health dangers including cancers, anemia, multiple organ malfunctions, reproductive impairments, blood disorders, brain disorders, nervous system disorders are among those listed by the EPA as potential health effects for the 119 regulated chemicals. Many independent academic studies prove the toxic and carcinogenic nature of many of these substances.
Other EPA regulations identify between 600-700 carcinogenic and bio-accumulative (our bodies accumulate and store these) toxic/carcinogenic manmade chemicals that are from industrial sources for which annual discharge reports are mandatory.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention includes more than 75,000 manmade toxic chemicals in its list of possible environmental hazards, and the Department of Energy is developing emergency Homeland Security plans for the prevention of harm from the possible release of more than 70,000 chemical substances in use today in the United States.
The fact that only 119 substances are included in municipal drinking water regulations, when many thousands more are potentially present, should itself arouse major concern. Another issue of major concern relates to the fact that the maximum allowable concentration level for any contaminant is determined as if only one toxin were present at a time. The reality is that a toxic chemical cocktail is generally present. The huge number of toxic chemical combinations, likely to be present at various concentrations, is not included in EPA drinking water regulations, nor are they even mentioned as a precaution.
Clearly, the regulations that pertain to drinking water safety are inadequate and provide little or no guidance to the consumer about the real water quality and its safety. As a result, we face a major dilemma: Water is essential to all life, yet the toxins and carcinogens that are present in water pose a hazard to health and well being. What should we do?
Try to determine the quality of the water that you use and drink. If you are supplied water by a municipal or private water utility company, request a copy of the most recent water quality report. One hundred and nineteen regulated substances should be included in the report if you live in a municipality with a population greater than 10,000. Smaller cities are exempt from many regulations. Request a complete report if you are only presented a condensed summary. Learn how frequently the listed substances are tested. Ask for specific information about the sources of the substances regardless of the maximum concentration level indicated in the report. Ask your municipality what they are doing to improve water quality.
How you can improve water quality
Discuss your findings with you neighbors, and form a neighborhood Water Action Group (WAG) and persist in getting answers to your questions. Contact local politicians and government agencies and demand clear answers.
We can all do our part by eliminating personal use of toxic household products including many cleaning agents, pesticides, chemical solvents, fabric preservatives, bleaches, cosmetics, many plastics that contain toxins, and innumerable other products that require your scrutiny. Read labels and ask the manufacture for Material Safety Data Sheets that are required by the Occupational Health and Safety Administration for workers who are involved in production. Avoid the use of toxic substances and use organic and natural, non toxic, products instead.
We must also insist on changes in government and industrial policies and practices that have caused earth’s water to become contaminated. The manmade toxic/carcinogenic substances that were all essentially developed, commercialized, and utilized during the last two and one half generations now endangers all life.
The short-term approach requires that you take individual action to inform and protect yourself and your loved ones from potential harm caused by toxins in water. Consider the use of home-based water purification of your drinking and cooking water. Although a good purification system can improve your drinking water quality, it does not eliminate the overall problem.
Toxins, removed by a purification system are subsequently discharged along with waste water, back into your sewer or septic system, and are not destroyed. They are recycled or adsorbed and may find their way back into the original water source. The total contaminant load will increase over time and your purification system will be less effective in protecting your drinking water. Continual surveillance is required as the waste water increases the contaminant amount in ground waters and continues to contaminate your water.
If dependent upon well water, obtain a comprehensive chemical analysis through an independent laboratory that does not sell water or treatment systems. Then decide what you should do. If you happen to live in a remote area, that alone does not assure safe water quality. Aquifers that provide your water can become contaminated at sites many miles, even hundreds of miles, from where your well is located. The contaminants may change in type and concentration from industrial or agricultural sources that are developing or changing over time.
If you choose bottled water, be selective. Most bottled water is no different than tap water and is regulated by the same inadequate EPA regulations. Contact the supplier and request a detailed chemical analysis of the water before you buy and use it. A further concern is the plastic container used for bottled waters. Certain harmful chemicals leach out of plastic containers and can cause additive contamination if the storage time before use is prolonged. Request information from your possible bottled water supplier before you make a decision.
The recommendations suggested here are to help guide you in your desire to use safe water. The future will depend upon our collective abilities to decrease, and eventually eliminate the production and use of manmade toxic chemical substances that nature never intended to contaminate earth’s most valuable resource, water. We all must become active in this for the benefit of all children yet to be born.
For more information: visit www.EnvironmentalHealthNews.org.
Zalman P. Saperstein has an MS and BS in Interdisciplinary Engineering from UCLA and was involved in research and development. He is the author of A Drinker’s Guide to Pure Water — Is Your Water Safe?
For more information, visit: www.safewaterguide.com.
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