H2 oh no!

Barely half of New York state’s public school eighth graders were able to correctly identify the atoms in a molecule of water on national science exams last year, test officials said this morning.

Just 54 percent of students here picked the correct combination — 2 atoms of hydrogen and 1 of oxygen — out of four options given for a multiple-choice question on the 2011 National Assessment of Educational Progress.

The same percentage of students nationally got the right answer. ( source )

If you have a young child PLEASE take the time to teach them about basic topics like what elements make up the chemical equation for water: H₂O. Two hydrogen molecules and a single oxygen molecule.

Water testing in schools

Despite the fact that half the students could not answer such a simple question about water, some students out there know a LOT about water because they have worked with test kits like the Science Project Kit manufactured by WaterSafe.

The WaterSafe Science Project Kit gives young scientists the ability to test different samples of waters, or the same sample at different times, for critical water quality parameter and compare the results to each other and to established or expected values.

Included in the test kit students will find tests for the following water contaminants and parameters: Lead, Bacteria, Pesticides, Nitrates, Nitrites, Chlorine, Hardness and pH.

As an example, check out this article on a lab in Pennsylvania that failed to comply with established procedures and as a result will now lose most of its accreditation for drinking and waste water testing. Oh, and they will have to pay a $20,000 fine, too.

WILKES-BARRE, PA, May 10, 2012 — Northeastern Environmental Laboratory (NEEL) of Scranton will pay a $20,000 fine and voluntarily surrender the majority of its accreditations for drinking water and wastewater management and testing after Pennsylvania DEP inspectors found several violations.

Discovered during non-routine visits in September 2011, violations included failure to properly train staff; failure to oversee and supervise testing of water samples; failure to maintain records; and failure to adhere to proper collection, receipt and handling of samples.

The lab’s certificate of accreditation expired on April 1, and the business subsequently notified DEP that it will not seek re-accreditation. ( source )

So… what have we learned from this? Nothing. We already KNEW to check a lab’s accreditation before allowing them to test a water sample and render a professional, analytical opinion. We posted THIS article as a reminder to everyone else.

Need your water tested by a certified water testing laboratory? If so, you may want to take a look at the WaterCheck Water Test that tests for 97 potential drinking water contaminants (including a number of commonly found pesticides and VOC’s)… and gets analyzed by a certified water testing laboratory. View National Testing Laboratories’ State Certifications.

State Certified National Testing Laboratories
97 Contaminant Test Kit

Question: Who besides us remembers the tragedy of kids’ toys and jewelry containing higher than acceptable levels of lead? Yeah, we thought that would ring a bell or two.

Next question: Who besides us remembers playing in the yard on a hot Summer day, getting thirsty and then taking a nice long drink of cold water out of the garden hose? We certainly do! Mom would have YELLED at us if we dared go into the house with dirty shoes on every time we got thirsty!

Well now we, as parents, may want to think twice about the hassle of vacuuming up the tracked in grass and dirt from our little ones… because recent studies have shown that a good number of garden hoses contain and give off potentially hazardous metals like lead.

Well looky here … HealthyStuff.org, an offshoot of the Ann Arbor-based Ecology Center, is an environmental nonprofit that has tested just about everything under the sun for the presence of toxic chemicals ranging from car seats to handbags. Recently, the group extended its reach into the garden shed and the results, released late last week, may find you thinking twice the next time you give Fido a sip from the garden hose on a hot summer’s day.

For the study, the Ecology Center tested a total of 179 run-of-the-mill gardening products — 90 garden hoses, 53 garden gloves, 23 gardening tools, and 13 kneeling pads — for lead, chlorine, bromine, cadmium, phthalates, and bisphenol A (BPA). The results found that slightly more than 70 percent of the products tested contained chemical levels of “high concern.”

The presence of both lead and phthalates, particularly in garden hoses, proved to be the most alarming. One hundred percent of the garden hoses tested (all made from PVC) contained phthalates, the notorious plasticizer that’s been linked to hormone disruption, genital birth defects in boys, breast cancer and other maladies. Two hoses contained the flame retardant 2,3,4,5-tetrabromo-bis (2-ethylhexyl) phthalate (TBPH) and 30 percent of all products tested contained lead levels well over 100 parts per million, the Consumer Product Safety Commission standard for lead in children’ products. What’s more, the water sampled from one hose contained 0.280 mg/l (ppm) lead while the standard for lead in drinking water is 0.015 mg/l. Not that most folks drink directly from garden hoses, but hey, it happens. High levels of BPA were also found in water samples. ( source )

So, after reading all that bad news and knowing that most companies have made serious efforts to rid products of potentially dangerous lead levels, BPA, phthalates, and additives known to leach out of various plastics in recent years… just how badly did WE get dosed with all that garbage BEFORE consumer advocacy groups put pressure on big business?

The answer to that question SCARES THE HECK OUT OF US so we will now abruptly change topics and try to think happy thoughts. Rainbows, Unicorns, Pay Raises, Winning Scratch Off Tickets, 2-for-1 Top Shelf Drinks at Happy Hour…

For the complete article and tips on how you can currently minimize your exposure to harmful chemicals and compounds in gardening tools, supplies, hoses, apparel, etc., you can read the full article here.

BPA-Free Filtrete Water Bottle Station Reduces Chlorine Taste and Odor

Gard’n Gro Chlorine Filter Reduces Chlorine in Garden Water by 85%

]]> http://test-for.com/blog/2012/05/dangerous-compounds-like-lead-bpa-phthalates-etc-found-in-garden-hoses/feed/ 0 http://test-for.com/blog/2012/05/drinking-water-safety-tip-after-a-vacation-regarding-metals-in-drinking-water/ http://test-for.com/blog/2012/05/drinking-water-safety-tip-after-a-vacation-regarding-metals-in-drinking-water/#comments Fri, 11 May 2012 13:03:44 +0000 Water Testing Blog http://watertestingblog.com/?p=5581 Summer weather appears to have made its presence known in a few places already this year and many people have already started planning their annual vacations. While making those plans we ask that you add one small note at the bottom of your schedule or itinerary:

Flush your home’s water lines for a bit when you return from vacation

When water sits stagnant for a while any residual disinfectant can lose its efficacy and bacteria could begin to grow. Also, the water may start to take on contaminants from the plumbing if it sits in contact with fixtures, pipes, etc. for an extended period of time.

People living in older homes should definitely consider flushing their water lines after a few days away from home since older homes more than likely have older copper plumbing that may have gotten connected using lead-based solder. The longer the water sits idle in metal plumbing the greater the risk of metals dissolving into the water.

Testing for metals in drinking water?

Typically the action level, or concentration of dissolved metals in water that warrants immediate action on the part of homeowners as suggested by the USEPA, gets measured in parts per BILLION so make certain the test kit you select can accurately detect concentrations of dissolved metals in the parts per billion range.

We have found that the SenSafe Heavy Metals Check test strips do an excellent job of detect the presence of dissolved metals in the parts per billion range. This product has a low detection level of just 10 ppb, requires no formal training, and has a total test time of well under 5 minutes.

Why test for metals like lead in drinking water?

Time and time again studies have shown a direct correlation between the presence of dissolved heavy metals such as lead in drinking water and birth defects, developmental disabilities in children, gastrointestinal disorders, organ damage, etc.

In many cases the dissolved metals in a home’s drinking water will have no distinct taste, color or smell to them and still exist in concentrations linked to the health issues mentioned above. Only testing for metals in drinking water on a regular basis can alert homeowners to their presence.

Heavy Metals Check

Chromium in Water Check

4-in-1 City Water Check

]]> http://test-for.com/blog/2012/05/drinking-water-safety-tip-after-a-vacation-regarding-metals-in-drinking-water/feed/ 0 http://test-for.com/blog/2012/05/how-dangerous-are-the-arsenic-quick-test-kits/ http://test-for.com/blog/2012/05/how-dangerous-are-the-arsenic-quick-test-kits/#comments Thu, 10 May 2012 13:03:51 +0000 Water Testing Blog http://watertestingblog.com/?p=5569 We recently received a rather interesting question from ‘Chmst411′ who asked, “Are your arsenic test kits dangerous? We want to do an experiment with the kids for a school project but fear the arsenic gas you say gets ‘liberated’ during testing. How dangerous IS that gas and what risk does that acid used pose?”

Having worked with the Arsenic Quick test kits for a number of years now we can honestly say that they do not pose much of a risk at all. To answer your questions more directly, though…

• Liberated Arsenic Gas – While true that this test procedure does generate a very small amount of gaseous arsenic, the volume created poses no risk to test personnel as long as the test gets performed in a normally ventilated room.

• Use of Tartaric Acid – All of the Arsenic Quick test procedures require the use of an acid, true, but the acid in question (tartaric acid) qualifies as a food grade acid rather than a more aggressive industrial grade acid like other test kits use. Use of tartaric acid in the Arsenic Quick test procedure poses no real danger to test personnel.

So… should you fear the Arsenic Quick Test Kits because they use an acid as a reagent and generate a small amount of arsenic gas? Not in our opinion — and as we said, we have used them many times in the past 7+ years.

Compared to the other methods available to the public for testing drinking or ground water for free, dissolved arsenic, the Arsenic Quick line of arsenic test kits have a shorter total test time, safer reagents and simpler instruction set. And yes, we have used other arsenic test kits manufactured by other companies, as well.

Arsenic Quic 2 Tests (481396-2)

Arsenic Quick II, 2 Tests (481303-2)

]]> http://test-for.com/blog/2012/05/how-dangerous-are-the-arsenic-quick-test-kits/feed/ 0 http://test-for.com/blog/2012/05/well-water-testing-in-michigan-quick-easy-affordable/ http://test-for.com/blog/2012/05/well-water-testing-in-michigan-quick-easy-affordable/#comments Wed, 09 May 2012 13:03:55 +0000 Water Testing Blog http://watertestingblog.com/?p=5571 We absolutely love finding out that local health officials and water quality experts in areas have banded together to provide low-cost testing to local residents. Today’s water testing good news came to us from Michigan where residents of Antrim, Charlevoix, Emmet, and Otsego counties can take advantage of two different testing packages for nominal fees.

Is your well water safe?

It may look crystal clear, but don’t let that fool you; contaminants could be lurking.

The only way to know for sure if your home’s drinking water is safe is to have it tested.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency recommends having well water tested every year, and the best time to do so is now, in the spring after a few rainy days.

“Unlike public water systems, there are no water quality monitoring requirements for private wells, and many never get tested,” said Scott Kendzierski, director of environmental health services for the Health Department of Northwest Michigan. “It is up to well owners to make sure their drinking water is safe for consumption. Fortunately, it’s easy, quick and inexpensive to test drinking water.”

The local health department offers two types of well water testing kits for a nominal fee. Both kits are available the department’s offices in Antrim, Charlevoix, Emmet and Otsego counties. The kit, which tests for the presence of E. coli and other bacteria, costs $16; and the kit that tests for fluoride, chloride, hardness, iron, sodium, sulfates and nitrites is $18. These are small prices to pay to assure your family’s drinking water is safe. ( source )

So, for less than $40 residents of Antrim, Charlevoix, Emmet, and Otsego counties in Michgan can have their water tested for coliform bacteria (including E. Coli), fluoride, chloride, hardness, iron, sodium, sulfates, and nitrites. We consider THAT a really great deal!

OK, but what about everyone else?

If you live close to those counties but not actually in any of them, the article concludes by saying, “For more information about well water testing, visit www.nwhealth.org or call your local health department office.” — and we could not have said it any better than that.

Looking for test kits for home use?

Although all of us at Water Testing Blog highly suggest that private well owners get their water tested annually by a certified water testing laboratory such as National Testing Laboratories (see what they test for) or one recommended by your local Health Department, if you would like to test your own well or ground water we can definitely point you in the right direction.

The Water Testing Blog Store carries a variety of useful test kits for home water testing. Below you will find some of the more popular kits we carry:

Water Quality Test Kit

COMPLETE Water Quality Test Kit

4-in-1 City Water Check

You will find the full selection of test kits currently available on the Water Testing Blog Store’s Main Page.

Sanford, N.C. — Water-quality experts are testing people’s wells in Lee County to create a baseline that will help state regulators measure the environmental impact of natural gas drilling.

Teams from the U.S. Geological Survey’s Water Science Center are fanning out across the county to assess the best places to test the groundwater. About 150 area homeowners have asked the USGS to test their wells, but officials said locations will be chosen based on scientific criteria.

“We haven’t sampled in this area since the 1960s, 1970s,” Melinda Chapman, a USGS groundwater specialist, said Wednesday.

State lawmakers are expected to consider legislation when they reconvene later this month that would allow gas drilling as quickly as 2014.

Environmental groups have expressed concern about the controversial drilling method of hydraulic fracturing, saying that they fear it could contaminate water sources in central North Carolina. ( source )

As with any water quality situation, having baseline water quality test results to compare newer test results against makes it much easier to ‘prove’ that fracking mining or other activities in a region have had a negative effect on the water quality.

While the exact reason for a change in water quality cannot always get pinpointed and/or assigned to a particular cause, not having before drilling test results to compare against makes it easier for gas and mining companies to deny that their activities in an area have anything to do with changes in the environment.

Basic tests well owners can perform on their own?

Do owners of private wells have to pay for (expensive) laboratory tests each and every time they want to check their well water for evidence of contamination by fracking? Only sophisticated laboratory testing can detect some of the chemicals contained in fracking fluid but simple tests for indicators of contamination do exist.

Total Dissolved Solids (TDS) – This basic test checks for the presence of dissolved solids in a water sample. Spikes in TDS readings may occur on a regular basis but prolonged spikes with no apparent cause (i.e. heavy rains, etc.) may serve as an indicator that a new contaminant has entered the water source.

Simple meters like the COM-100 EC/TDS Meter and AquaPro TDS Water Tester make monitoring the total dissolved solids levels in samples a quick and easy process.

Heavy Metals – Since drilling involves a large amount of metal in its operations monitoring the level of heavy metals in ground/well water near hydraulic fracturing activity makes a lot of sense.

Products like the SenSafe Heavy Metals Test Strip allow users to quickly and easily monitor a water source’s overall heavy metal content — without the need for complicated lab equipment, potentially hazardous reagents, etc.

pH & Alkalinity – Keeping an eye on a water source’s pH and alkalinity also aids in determining if hydraulic fracturing activity in a region has had an effect on water quality. Sharp, prolonged changes in pH and alkalinity may indicate the possible presence of unwanted chemicals in the water source.

Meters like the pH-200 Waterproof pH Meter make pH testing about as easy as it gets. For those unwilling to spend the money on a meter, you can also use more traditional methods like pH & Alkalinity Test Strips.

Moral of the story?

Establishing the quality level of well and ground water in Sanford, NC prior to any fracking activity begins may give homeowners a leg to stand on if the quality of their water suffers after hydraulic fracturing begins.

It may also provide the gas companies with the evidence they need to ‘prove’ that hydraulic fracturing did not affect the quality of water in the area.

A double-edged blade, yes, but in our opinion a necessary one for any region considering issuing hydraulic fracturing permits to gas companies.

Multi-Parameter Test Kit for Ground & Well Water

State health and environmental experts performed testing of well water around a know 1,4 Dioxane contamination site and detected the compound in a number of wells… with that number expected to rise as more test results return from the lab.

ATKINSON – A cancer-causing water contamination in town has left many residents scared to turn on the tap.

The Department of Environmental Services has identified 12 wells contaminated with 1,4 Dioxane, four in just the past month. The contamination could affect more Atkinson residents than originally thought and to address concerns, representatives from DES and the Environmental Protection Agency held a public information session at the Atkinson Community Center last night. More than 80 people attended to learn more about what may be in their water.

Water is unsafe to drink if levels of the chemical exceed three parts per billion, according to David Bowen, hydrologist and project manager for DES. The state has found elevated levels in 12 wells and detectable quantities in 15 wells on Emery Drive and Belknap Drive, But that number will continue to rise.

…

Since DES began testing for it, the chemical has been found in about 70 sites in New Hampshire. 1,4 Dioxane is a stabilizer in chlorinated solvents and found in paint strippers, dyes, degreasers and varnishes, Regan said.

DES is still investigating, but the source of the contamination may have been a release of a chlorinated solvent at the Johnston and Johnston property in 1989, according to DES groundwater expert Stephen Roy. The company, which manufactured rolled aluminum, sold the property at 128 Route 111 to Windfield Alloy, a recycling company, in 2005.

“There is 1,4 Dioxane in the water below that facility,” he said.

…

The chemical does not degrade over time and spreads easily through groundwater. And there are considerable health risks over time, according to David Gordon, DES Health Risk Assessor.

“The EPA has classified it as a likely human carcinogen, based on studies in several animal species,” he said. “The cancer risk is one in one million, if you drink two liters of water per day. It can be toxic to the liver and kidneys.”

Drinking or cooking with the water accounts for about 90 percent of the risk, he said. But Dioxane cannot be filtered effectively with home water filtration systems, which is why DES has been supplying bottled water to residents in the area since finding the contamination. ( source )

Some pretty scary stuff right there AND it appears from this article, as well as some other research we’ve done, that most residential water filters can do NOTHING to make well, ground and drinking water contaminated with 1,4 Dioxane safe for consumption.

Still thinking this cannot happen to you? Ask the folks in Bally, Pennsylvania how THEY feel about the likelihood of an unthinkable well water contamination event happening to THEM. Oh, and by the way: The residents of Bally, Pennsylvania existed on bottled water for a period of around SEVEN YEARS before exhausting attempts at well water remediation and finally drilling a well that did not contain 1,4 Dioxane.

Moral of the story?

Do NOT think drinking water contamination can only happen to others. If you own a private well you need to get it tested regularly (experts suggest yearly) for as many potential contaminants as possible.

We’ve said it before and we will say it until we turn blue in the face… The responsibility for the quality of well water coming out of a private well falls squarely on the shoulders of the well owner!

Personal Well Water Test Kit

Laboratory Testing for Well Water

]]> http://test-for.com/blog/2012/05/carcinogens-found-in-new-hampshire-well-water/feed/ 0 http://test-for.com/blog/2012/05/why-safe-clean-pool-water-matters/ http://test-for.com/blog/2012/05/why-safe-clean-pool-water-matters/#comments Fri, 04 May 2012 13:03:11 +0000 Water Testing Blog http://watertestingblog.com/?p=5538 It shocked us that we received so many ‘negative’ responses to the recent string of pool and pool water articles on our site… because millions of Americans each year get sick in some way, shape or form from swimming (or as some people call it bathing) in water that contained harmful biological contaminants.

Even worse, a good number of the sufferers contracted their illnesses not from public pools and swimming facilities, but rather from private pools at friends’, neighbors’ and family members’ homes.

If I can smell chlorine, the water is safe, right?

Not always and in some cases the powerful smell of chlorine in the air ought to tell you something may have gone wrong with the water recently. In general, with indoor pools excluded (for the most part), an intense smell of chlorine in the air tells you the pool may recently have received a dose of chlorine shock OR the water has very recently had a larger than normal biological load (i.e. people in the pool, someone had an ‘accident’ in the pool — see 1 in 5 Americans Admits Peeing in Swimming Pools), or the water has an overabundance of combined chlorine with little or no free chlorine available to combat bacteria, viruses, etc. in the water.

Pool water gets in eyes, noses, ears, mouths… and unmentionable areas areas each time you take a dip in the water. Allow us to repeat ourselves for the purpose of making our point:

Pool water gets in eyes, noses, ears, mouths… and unmentionable areas areas each time you take a dip in the water.

We hope this posting will teach at least a few folks the importance of carefully monitoring the quality and condition of pool water.

PLEASE don’t get us started on spa and hot tub water.

5 Way Test Pool Strips

Copper Test Strips for Pools

Salt Water Pool Test Strips

As a final, and quite NASTY reminder, some folks out there DO use public (and private) pools as a way to clean themselves after a day (or few days days) out in the hot sun.

Gross? Yes. But STILL a reality. Remember that.

Most of our staff has lived in apartments for a good portion of our lives so trust us when we say that we FULLY UNDERSTAND the inconvenience of not having enough room to put all your stuff, let alone put a big, bulky water cooler in the corner someplace.

Previously we wrote about a countertop reverse osmosis system that takes up a lot less space than a traditional reverse osmosis system in an article called Do They Make Reverse Osmosis Filters for Apartments? and today we would like to discuss a bottleless water cooler made by Global Water that occupies 11″x18″x16″ worth of countertop space and comes with either a 2-stage or 3-stage filtration system: The G4 Countertop Water Cooler

G4 Bottleless Countertop Water Cooler

5 Micron Sediment & 5 Micron Carbon Filters Provide Ultrafiltration Optional Reverse Osmosis Membrane .5 Gallon Hot Water & .5 Gallon Cold Water Storage Tanks Just 42 Pounds (w/o water in the tanks) T304 Stainless Steel Storage Tanks Adjustable Cold Water Thermostat Easy-to-Use Control Panel

For those who would like an additional level of water purification, FilterWater.Com will install a UV Water Sterilizer in the unit prior to shipping for an additional fee.

The G4 Countertop Water Cooler (G4CT) uses a reliable LG Compressor, qualifies as an Energy Star rated appliance, comes fully assembled with installation hardware included, and conforms to UL Standard 399 (for Drinking Water Coolers).

Why would I want a bottleless water cooler?

Putting it bluntly, your water tastes bad, you cannot install a water filter where you live, the thought of mounting 5-gallon jugs of water on a regular water cooler does not sound fun, and in the long run most people tend to make out better overall without the monthly water service bill.

What tests determine if I need a water filter?

We get this question all the time, and, as usual, we tell people to get their water tested by a certified water testing lab. National Testing Labs offers a reasonably priced drinking water test kit for around $155 that tests for 83 potential contaminants and a more sophisticated water test kit that tests for 97 potential drinking water contaminants including many chemical contaminants, such as pesticides, that occasionally turn up in well water.

What about at-home drinking water test kits?

After having your water analyzed professionally by a certified water testing lab it always makes sense to keep an eye on contaminants of concern and test kits like the SenSafe Water Quality Test Kit work well for the purpose — depending upon the water contaminants of concern.

Single-parameter water test kits that test for things like hydrogen sulfide, nitrates/nitrites, free chlorine, total chlorine, coliform bacteria, total hardness, etc. work well if you already know what water quality parameter typically strays out of an acceptable range at your home or office.

Got a question about home, school or office water quality testing?

Drop us a line on our Contact Us Page and we will do our best to answer your question(s).

As always, we thank you for visiting the Water Testing Blog!