Is Clean Water A Right or a Privilege?
Sunday, October 11th, 2009
The answer to this question will vary based on the answerer’s location. One definite thing is the scarcity of water. Lack of water isn’t a concern in places such as the US and Canada but other issues related to consuming water are.
In a report published in 2005 by EWG (Environmental Working Group) , more than 230 million American citizens were exposed to 260 different pollutants in their tap water. This is when a water filtration system like the Katadyn Hiker Pro, comes to the rescue. Many scientists in America took part in this independent study over a 2 year period of time. They tested greater than 21 million tap water tests, and went to over 4000 water treatment plants.
Of the 260 contaminants found, only half were government regulated. As the situation was brought to public attention, concerned states like Arizona, Florida, and Wisconin used drastic measures to resolve their contamination problems.
Still, there are even more concerns about bottled water. EWG tried to perform an equivalent study on bottled water quality. Of 228 bottled water suppliers, more than half declined to give information about their water sources and treatment methods. This secrecy raises alarms for both consumes and health care practitioners. In bottled water samples that did under go testing, 38 separate chemical pollutants were found.
Some brands, like Wal-Mart’s “Sam’s Choice” showed cancer-causing chemicals in excess of drinking water safety standards.
It becomes clear, that bottled water is not a safer alternative to tap water. In fact it may be more dangerous, because little is known and disclosed on the origins of the water and the filtering procedures.
In places like Africa, Europe, and Latin America, this situation is even more adverse. If you’re in a part of the world where drinking the water might kill you, boil it or run it through a filtration system like “Katadyn hiker pro” before use.
According to World Health Organization, over 1.3 billion people have no access to drinking water, whatsoever. Natural waters become contaminated due to lack of sanitization and tap water is considered too hazardous to consume.
Pollution and neglecting the environment can make our greatest treasure, water, a deadly weapon. Each year, 1.8 million people die because of waterborne diseases such as Cholera and E.Coli.
People are now realizing how important it is to secure themselves and their families by filtering their drinking water properly and paying close attention to what they drink.Author Box
