Skip to main content

Public health importance of safe drinking-water

WOW was my first reaction when I saw how much water earth holds. Over one billion people don't have access to clean water and it reminds me of how fortunate and blessed we are to have access to clean water. I am sure this video (Water Facts) will come to my mind tomorrow morning as I am having my coffee.

I was familiar with aquifers, however, I did not know at most of our surface water comes from aquifers. Groundwater is also essential as it is one of the Nation's most important natural resources. i often forget about groundwater because it is not something that we visually see such as rivers and the ocean.

Clean water is a basic right that everyone should have. The Clean Water Act is important because it protects water sources and public health. Although some of us have clean and safe drinking water at home, in the United States, the quality and safety of our drinking water continues to be an important public health issue. Therefore, we must improve public health education about drinking water risks, specifically education for public health and health care professionals. In order to make this happen, we must promote sufficient funding for federal and state drinking water programs.

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Green Chemistry

I have never thought about chemistry in a sustainable way and it was really interesting to learn about this as it was a new concept for me. My favorite part was learning about the difference between green chemistry and cleaning up pollution. Green chemistry reduces pollution while cleaning up pollution includes cleaning up environmental spills (and other releases) and treating waste streams. I think green chemistry is great for human health by providing cleaner water, air, i ncreased safety for workers in the chemical industry, s afer consumer products, safer food, and less exposure to chemicals. Green chemistry reduces the risk of exposure to chemicals of concern to human health and the environment across life cycle. It helps r educe exposure across the globe and aims to have healthier communities, materials, products, people and planet.  The 12 principles really helped me better understand how green chemistry reduces risk and minimizes environmental footprint. They serve as ...

Chemical Policy Reform

The background subject I chose to blog about is "Give the Public and Workers the Full Right-to-Know and Participate." I agree with this paper that we have every right to know about the chemicals we are exposed to. Policy makers and public health professionals need to come together and develop laws and practices that make it mandatory to inform workers and communities of toxic chemical sources and exposures. This paper does a great job at examining current limitations in disclosure policies. I like this papers approach, "Right to Know"basically saying that workers and the public shouldn't have to find out about exposures through government documents, it should be routine and systematic to report and let the public and workers know of any toxic chemicals or other environmental health hazards that we are being exposed to.

Consumer Confidence Reports (CCR) and water quality

What is the source of your drinking water? Where does your water ORIGINATE?  Water System Name: Morada Acres Water System  Type of Water Source: Groundwater wells What chemicals were found in your water that were higher than expected? Detection of Contaminants with a PRIMARY Drinking Water Standard: *There have been no contaminants detected in the water supply, however the source is still considered vulnerable to activities located near the drinking water source. See below: Gross Alpha Activity (pCi/L) 2010 2.90 1.76 – 5.11 15 N/A Erosion of natural deposits Uranium (pCi/L) 2010 4.92 – 20 N/A Erosion of natural deposits Radium 228 (pCi/L) 2006 0.11 0.10–0.12 5 N/A Erosion of natural deposits Arsenic (ppb) 2007 2 – 10 0.004 Erosion of natural deposits; run-off from orchards; glass and electronics production wastes Barium (ppb) 2008 130 – 1000 2 Oil drilling and metal refinery waste discharge; erosion of natural deposits Chromium (ppb) 2008 6 – 50 2.5 Disc...