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Archive for the ‘Impurity Solutions’ Category

Your Water’s "Safe" – Just Not For Babies

Posted by Rayne Water

For the third time in six months, Fremont, Ohio issued a warning for residents to use bottled water for children under the age of six months. The city’s water tested excessively high in nitrates, a toxic substance that often enters water supply systems from fertilizers, animal wastes, septic tanks, municipal sewage treatment systems, and decaying plant debris.
Even small amounts of nitrates can cause infants to become seriously ill, with symptoms including shortness of breath and blue baby syndrome. These symptoms require immediate medical care because the condition can rapidly progress to coma and death. It is highly recommended that breast-feeding mothers also refrain from using municipal water.
The Ohio Administrative Code requires that drinking water contain no more than 10 milligrams of nitrate per liter. This level is considered safe for more individuals. However, according to the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources website, pregnant women who drink nitrate-contaminated water during pregnancy are more likely to have babies with birth defects and long-term ingestion of water high in nitrates may increase the risk of certain types of cancer.
A good quality Drinking Water System will effectively reduce the nitrates in drinking water. Nitrate is tasteless and odorless, which means that water must be chemically tested by a professional laboratory to determine contamination. Boiling water will not reduce the nitrate level. In fact, excessive boiling actually makes the nitrates more concentrated as the pure water evaporates.
Your only means of treatment are an in-home water treatment system like the Rayne Evolution or a Rayne RO System.
To read more about this article, click here.

Just Because You Can’t See It, Doesn’t Mean It Isn’t There

Posted by Rayne Water

filter out this toxin for its residents?
According to the US Geological Survey’s site, a range of about 0.05 – 0.30 g is considered a deadly amount if ingested daily over a period less than or equal to 14 days in a row. A single ingested amount as small as 0.13 g can be lethal to an adult. Yet, even more alarming are the numbers here in the United States. It has been estimated that more than 34 million Americans have been drinking tap water supplied by systems containing varying levels of arsenic. So what’s the big deal? Arsenic intake can result in many symptoms including chronic health effects, including organ damage, cancer, and even death.
How is it getting in our water in the first place? According to the Natural Resource Defense Council, it naturally occurs in water after it has dissolved from minerals in our rocks and soil. Other times, arsenic enters our groundwater from mining, manufacturing, and pollution. While industrialization takes great pains to prevent groundwater contamination nowadays, we can’t wage war on naturally occurring processes – like minerals dissolving in rainwater.
What are our options if arsenic cannot be prevented from the main source? We could buy bottled water at the grocery store each week. But, in looking at the whole picture (the cost of the water, transporting the plastic to a recycling center, the costs associated with recycling plastic and not even knowing if the bottled water is assured to be safe) still don’t have me buying in.
Particularly here in California, where there are pockets of arsenic are in some places the highest in the nation, it is more appropriate to look into home water conditioning, water filtration, or reverse osmosis to rid many unwanted and unsafe toxins in drinking water. Weigh your “costs”- an affordable water filtration system, or unaffordable health risks.

President’s Anti-Cancer Panel Recommends Home Water Filters

Posted by Rayne Water

In their official annual report, President Obama’s Cancer Panel recommends the use of home water filter devices to decrease exposure to cancer-causing chemicals. While municipal water systems are tested on a regular basis and homeowners are encouraged to test their wells for contamination, studies find that there are still numerous known or suspected carcinogens and endocrine-disrupting chemicals that are ingested through drinking water. The report says that control of environmental cancer risks is hampered by conflicting or inadequate exposure measurement and ineffective regulation of chemical exposures. And, while disinfection of public water supplies has dramatically reduced waterborne illnesses, research indicates that long-term exposure to disinfection by-products such as trihalomethans may increase cancer risk.
In addition to man-made dangers, there are naturally occurring problems with drinking water. For example, most of the inorganic arsenic in drinking water is from natural sources. Even though it is “completely natural”, this ingested arsenic has been linked with skin, lung, bladder, kidney, and prostate cancers.
The President’s Cancer Panel’s report, titled “Reducing Environmental Cancer Risks: What We Can Do Now” indicates that “individuals and families have many opportunities to reduce or eliminate chemical exposures.” Some of the suggestions made by the Panel include:
Filtering home tap or well water to decrease exposure to known or suspected carcinogens. Also, when water must be stored or carried, stainless steel, glass, or BPA-and phthalate-free containers should be used.
In 2009 alone, approximately 1.5 million Americans were diagnosed with cancer, and 562,000 died from the disease. Further, approximately 41 percent of Americans will be diagnosed with cancer at some point in their lives, and about 21 percent will die from cancer. In addition to causing cancer, many of the chemicals that the panel studied also interfere with normal hormonal function. Also distressing is the fact that many cancers are increasing in children. The report states that “pound for pound, children take in more food, water, air, and other environmental substances than adults.”
How do we combat the millions of contaminants facing our bodies every day? The first step is to become informed. Second, we take the necessary precautions to protect ourselves and our families. The Water Quality Association recommends purchasing water treatment products that have received the Gold Seal certification for being able to remove a variety of contaminants. Finally, we must each take a stand for our community. Every person can choose to be the voice that demands responsive policy making and responsible industry.
To read the full report, click here

Uranium a Common Problem in Wells

Posted by Rayne Water

Most people remember uranium from their high school chemistry class as being an element, but most homeowners aren’t aware of the ways it gets into drilled wells and into drinking water. The element uranium is a metallic gray and found naturally in rocks and soil. It is the result of volcanic activity, making it radioactive, which scientifically means that its atoms spontaneously break into new atoms, releasing energy in the process. It also has chemical toxicity which makes consuming it dangerous for the body. But even more dangerous is that it doesn’t have any taste, smell, or color, so many consumers have no idea it is present.

According to an article on suite101.com, uranium is present in larger quantities in certain types of rock. Some of these rocks include granite, shale, and sandstone. So wherever groundwater flows through these rock formations, the mineral can then dissolve into the water. Drilled wells that need underground water sources flowing through the bedrock are more likely to have higher, and sometimes unsafe, levels of uranium.

So what are the safe levels set forth for uranium in drinking water? Health Canada defines it as .02mg/L, and the World Health Organization has been working to determine the safe levels. In 2011, a provisional document has the amount at .03mg/L. And because uranium naturally occurring, those people with drilled wells are advised to get their well water tested. Uranium can also occur as a result of mining, industry, and agricultural fertilizers.

The health affects when consumed in large amounts are really quite alarming. According to the Nova Scotia Department of the Environment, the effects of uranium are caused only from consuming the drinking water, not through skin or air. Ingesting excessive amounts of uranium can lead to kidney damage. But the dangers don’t stop there. According to the online article, when the uranium breaks down, radon gas is produced. In homes, radon has a tendency to collect and increases the risk of lung cancer when inhaled. As previously mentioned, well water consumers are encouraged to test water. If the water test shows the presence of uranium or radon, water filtration systems can be the solution to a potentially harmful situation.

There’s Little Water Problems – And Then There’s 1000 TIMES THE LIMIT

Posted by Rayne Water

Desert Sun’s recent article about some California wells containing huge amounts of Chromium-6. In some cases, wells contained 1,000 times the amount deemed safe by the State.

Hexavalent chromium is a potentially carcinogenic (cancer causing) metal that Erin Brockovich brought to the media’s attention some time ago. Because scientific studies on the contaminant are still ongoing, official maximum allowable standards have not been set, but California’s public health officials have determined a “goal” of 0.02 parts per billion that public water utilities and private wells should try to stay under. To implement and maintain a chromium-6 removal system is speculated to cost just one California water district more than $275 million and would raise water rates by approximately 74 percent.

Many Californians complain that there is absolutely no room for cancer-causing agents in their drinking water. Others argue that if chromium-6 were a real problem, they would have felt the effects of it by now, since generations of people have been consuming this same water. Regardless of which way the public opinions swings, governmental regulation is a long ways off, with the EPA often taking four or more years to set limits.

The solution is surprisingly easy – and affordable. While a faucet-mounted or pitcher-style water filter will not remove the contaminant, a reverse osmosis system generally can. Be sure to ask your water treatment professional for a list of contaminants their water filter can remove.

Fix It, or Drink It

Posted by Rayne Water

Ultimatums and drinking water just don’t mix. The only option for drinking water from the tap should be pure and safe in order to do its job correctly for your health. But all over the country, in cities and small towns, we are finding out about harmful contaminants in drinking water that can cause some major health concerns. There are small steps being taken, but not all municipalities can or are doing much to solve some pretty alarming issues. Some cities have given the ultimatum. Either drink the water or don’t. But that doesn’t seem to be acceptable, even in the economic state we are in.
According to recent news from KWQC, Dixon, Iowa is currently being cited (again) for dangerous drinking water. Three times last year, dangerously high levels of nitrate were found in Dixon’s water at 11 milligrams per liter; the limit is ten. Now a year later, nothing has been done and water tests came back even worse at 13 milligrams per liter. Leaders say Dixon is leaning towards building a new well, but it’s not that simple. So although they may be correct, it may not be that simple, it is that important. Talking about the issue is not enough. Leaders must be doing something to solve the issue. Unfortunately, as stated in the article, “Dixon officials have to figure out how to pay for the cost of the new well, the cost of the land to put that new well on, and the cost to hire an engineer to do the research and make sure this problem doesn’t come up again. All of this is estimated to cost well over $100,000, but Dixon only has $2,000 to pay for it and the town is running out of options.”
But you don’t have to run out of options whether you are facing a similar issue in your area or fear that your water could potentially be contaminated. Water filters can be the best choice to eliminate or reduce harmful contaminants while still providing a constant flow of safe drinking water with the most advanced technology. Don’t choose an ultimatum when it comes to drinking water. Choose the best water filter for you, and worry less about what leaders in your town are doing, or would do, should you find yourself in this situation. To read more from this article, click here.

Fluoridation – Again?

Posted by Rayne Water

I’ve been writing about water issues for a long time now, and was so relieved when, about a year ago, I determined that I could finally quit harping on the fluoridation issue. Many states and municipalities finally listened to consumers and the many scientists who argued that ingesting fluoride is not only pointless, but dangerous and expensive, and stopped adding the chemical to water. In fact, since 1990, more than 300 North American communities, including 43 cities serving at least 3 million residents hav voted to end fluoridation programs. Whew, one down!  BUT WAIT, now I’ve seen several news reports the last couple of months that fluoride is coming back!
Just last month, The Wall Street Journal announced that New Jersey is being threatened with mandatory water fluoridation. The state’s Senate Bill S-959 and Assembly Bill 1811 will require cities to add what the article calls “unnecessary, untested, health-robbing fluoride chemicals” into the public water supplies – all to the tune of $5 billion in start-up costs and $1 billion each year to maintain the practice.
Research shows that there is quite a long list of reasons why we should not want fluoride in drinking water:

  1. Fluoridation chemicals, often purchased from Mexico, China, and Japan, are hazardous waste byproducts of the phosphate fertilizer industry that are typically contaminated with arsenic, lead, and radionuclides.
  2. More than 40% of adolescents already have dental fluorosis – a visible sign of fluoride toxicity.
  3. Government, health, and dental organizations advise that infant formula should not be mixed with fluoridated water. Many families have to scrape together money for formula, without having to purchase special water with which to mix it.
  4. Low-income children have a greater risk of suffering from all forms of fluoride toxicity since poor diet exacerbates fluoride’s negative effects.
  5. There have been 25 studies showing that fluoride can lower the IQ of children.
  6. Fluoride works topically – and is much more effective when applied in toothpaste or mouth rinse form.

What I found most disturbing was that the Wall Street article indicated that most New Jersey residents did not even know about this bill that’s up for vote! So, keep your hears open and your eyes sharp – the question can arise in other states too!
Already stuck with fluoridation? Here’s what to do – purchase a home drinking water filter. But, when you do, ask the right questions. How much fluoride is left in the filtered water? What percentage does the drinking water system remove? Reverse osmosis or an ion exchange system are the most successful filtration systems. What won’t work? Many faucet-mount filters, many pitcher filters, boiling the water, and freezing the water.

Water Treatment Plants – Source of Antibiotic Resistant Bacteria

Posted by Rayne Water

Wastewater treatment plants were originally designed to protect the environment, cleaning up rivers that were once open drains of human waste. In recent years, many states have relied on wastewater treatment plants to even return clean water back into our drinking water system for relatively quick reuse. Now, Minnesota Public Radio tells us that there is a new category of pollution called emerging contaminants – new substances they don’t know enough about to determine whether they are harmful to the environment and human life. The most troubling of these contaminants, antibiotic-resistant bacteria, are flourishing in wastewater treatment plants.

Since our society uses antibiotics so frequently anymore in medicine, agriculture, and even cleaning products bacteria are evolving to defy antibiotics. Because of the nature of what’s in waste water, the process wastewater treatment plants use, and the chemicals that are used to control bacteria growth, scientists have found that the antibiotic resistant gene is 20-times more common in the outflow of the Minnesota treatment plant as in other water samples they collected.

The good news is that very thorough water filter can capture the contaminants quite effectively. The Duluth plant being studied uses an excellent multi-stage filter – a much more exhaustive system than many treatment plants use. In fact, the plant claims that most treatment plants in the United States don’t have their level of treatment, so this antibiotic-resistant bacteria is likely every where and proliferating quite rapidly. This means people everywhere could be exposed to the bad bugs by swimming in rivers and lakes where wastewater is discharged or even by drinking tap water.

Of course, this study is relatively new, and more scientific data is being considered to determine the level of risk, but adding another layer of defense sure wouldn’t hurt! Here at Rayne of Irvine, we know our California water. We offer tests of your home or business water, and we have technology that has been certified by the Water Quality Association. Our water filters, drinking water systems, water conditioners, and water softeners can be designed to fit your needs and your budget.

Levels of Nitrates in Drinking Water Cause Concern

Posted by Rayne Water

drinking water system like reverse osmosis or a water filter with LINX technology to filter your water.
Here in California, drinking water is not perfect. Even within the state, there are areas where tested water has shown dangerous levels of contaminants. As explained in one recent article from CBS 47, even the Valley has some unsafe drinking water. U.C. Davis researchers tested water in California and found that the Tulare Lake Basin and Salinas Valley have unsafe levels of nitrate in drinking water. The California legislature asked U.C. Davis to test California’s drinking water to see if nitrate contamination from agriculture is a problem in the state and the study confirmed that it is. The water is unsafe and can cause health problems. Agriculture is responsible for about 90% of the nitrate contaminating drinking water.
According to the EPA, nitrates and nitrites are nitrogen-oxygen chemical units which combine with various organic and inorganic compounds. The greatest use of nitrates is as a fertilizer. Once taken into the body, nitrates are converted to nitrites. High nitrate levels in water can cause methemoglobinemia or blue baby syndrome, a condition found especially in infants less than six months. Methemoglobin does not carry oxygen efficiently. This results in a reduced oxygen supply to vital tissues such as the brain. Methemoglobin in infant blood cannot change back to hemoglobin, which normally occurs in adults. Severe methemoglobinemia can result in brain damage and death. Pregnant women, adults with reduced stomach acidity, and people deficient in the enzyme that changes methemoglobin back to normal hemoglobin are all susceptible to nitrite-induced methemoglobinemia.
In 1974, Congress passed the Safe Drinking Water Act. This law requires EPA to determine the level of contaminants in drinking water at which no adverse health effects are likely to occur. These non-enforceable health goals, based solely on possible health risks and exposure over a lifetime with an adequate margin of safety, are called maximum contaminant level goals (MCLG). Contaminants are any physical, chemical, biological or radiological substances or matter in water. But the cost of the possible solutions is staggering, and is not an immediate possibility. Some are nearly impossible, like cleaning an entire basin, which could cost up to 30 million dollars a year.
A more affordable and direct solution is to contact us for information on our drinking water systems which will reduce these contaminants and filter drinking water right at your kitchen sink. Our water treatment systems are the most affordable solutions and will benefit anyone in the affected areas as well as other consumers who want to take the necessary precautions for safe drinking water at home or place of business. We also offer a reverse osmosis system, water coolers, and many other drinking water filters to meet anyone’s needs. Contact us and remove concern and contaminants from your tap.

They Couldn’t Taste it, but Tests Show Uranium in Drinking Water

Posted by Rayne Water

Some contaminants are regulated and some are not. Most are unrecognizable to the average consumer, however. This makes drinking water contaminants hard to identify unless tests are done regularly, and monitoring is done correctly. Residents of Coyle, Oklahoma have recently been told that their drinking water is not safe due to a high level of uranium. Health officials said the water in the town of Coyle contains too much of the radioactive metal. While it may not be much over the limitations, the Coyle officials sent out a notice to residents Friday from the DEQ stating that with it was a problem, there was no immediate health risks from drinking the water. The notice said that drinking water with high uranium levels over time could create an increased risk of cancer or kidney problems. These residents could not tell for themselves that it was there.
Uranium is a radioactive element found in nature. It can be present in soil, air, water, rocks, plants and food. Uranium breaks down (decays) very slowly into other elements including radium and radon gas. According to the EPA’s website, areas where uranium is present in rocks or soil, a drinking-water well can become contaminated with uranium. This can occur when the uranium in the surrounding rock or soil dissolves into the well water. Although western states are better known for having higher than average background levels of uranium in drinking water, uranium contamination of drinking water also can occur in eastern states as well.
Likewise, uranium has some health effects associated with high levels of contaminants. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency sets the upper limit for uranium in community public wells at 30 micrograms per liter (µg/L), effective in December, 2003. Intakes of uranium exceeding EPA standards can lead to increased cancer risk, liver damage, or both. Long term chronic intakes of uranium isotopes in food, water, or air can lead to internal irradiation and/or chemical toxicity.
Reverse osmosis is a treatment that uses a semi-permeable membrane to capture any uranium in the water. The device uses water pressure as a force against the membrane, and only clean water is able to pass through, which leaves the uranium behind. Plastic bottles end up in landfills and harm the environment. They are also a very costly solution in comparison to drinking water systems with advanced technology. We offer reverse osmosis systems that effectively reduce harmful contaminants, turning tap water into convenient, fresh, clean water at your own separate faucet. Here in the Camp Pendleton area, you can find that our services expand to many housing areas nearby. Reverse osmosis is by far the best solution – saving you money, time, and effort. You can feel good about the water from your faucet. When you can’t see or taste contaminants, a drinking water system can eliminate your worries and keep you healthy.