News

Half of All Americans Have Radiation in Their Water

Posted by: Rhona Reid On February 1, 2018 12:00 pm

According to this report published in January by the Environmental Working Group (EWG), 173 million people – around half of all Americans – have been exposed to radiation in their drinking water.  That means an increase in the possibility of developing certain types of cancer and can also have a detrimental effect on fetal development.  

Radioactive elements enter our groundwater…and stay there.
The “Erin Brockovich” Chemical

By studying 50,000 water systems countrywide, the EWG found that millions of people across 50 states are drinking water that contains radioactive contaminants; including the most commonly-occurring radioactive element, radium.

In Texas – one of the worst affected states – up to 80% of homes are supplied with water containing potentially dangerous levels of …

Read More
4 Comments Click here to read/write comments

The Future for Flint’s Children

Posted by: Rhona Reid On November 21, 2017 7:00 am

 
In 1990, the New England Journal of Medicine published the results of an 11-year study into the long term cognitive and neurobehavioral effects of lead exposure in children.  

What are the long terms behavioral effects of lead exposure for children?
What Does Lead Do?

The children had been exposed to lead during their childhood, in some cases relatively low levels.  132 test subjects were re-examined in 1988 and the following neurobehavioral traits were identified as being related to lead exposure during childhood:

  • School absenteeism
  • Lower vocabulary
  • Poorer hand/eye co-ordination
  • Slower reaction times
“No Safe Level of Lead”

Although some lead can be excreted by the body, children are more susceptible to long term effects from lead exposure, as their …

Read More
2 Comments Click here to read/write comments

Can an 11-Year-Old Really Change How Lead in Water is Identified? 

Posted by: Rhona Reid On November 14, 2017 7:00 am

America’s water system is undeniably in crisis.  The projected cost of fixing the miles of pipeline that criss-cross the country runs to $1 trillion, according to some estimates.  There’s no quick fix.

Our infrastructure won’t be updated any time soon…
Next Generation – New Hope

But where there is a future, there is always hope.  And where there is hope, there is a future.  Maybe the next generation will come up with some answers, determined to put right what is broken and unsustainable.  This possibility has been highlighted by eleven-year-old Gitanjali Rao, winner of America’s top young scientist award.

Mythical Inspiration

Horrified by the news of lead contamination in the water of Flint, Michigan, Gitanjali quickly realized the issue …

Read More
2 Comments Click here to read/write comments

Imagine a Day Without Water?

Posted by: Rhona Reid On October 26, 2017 12:00 pm

The third annual Imagine a Day Without Water took place on the 12th October.  Schools and workplaces participated with utilities and water organizations to look at how much we depend on water.  

Can you imagine a day without water?
The True Value of Water

The recent hurricanes that have seen thousands of people having their access to clean, safe water cut off, highlight just how vital water is to our health and well being.  

Some communities in America already know how impossible it is to try to go a day without our most precious resource: Water.  Imagine a Day Without Water 2017 is the third annual day to raise awareness and educate America about the value of water.

~ …

Read More
0 Comments Click here to read/write comments

Drinking Plastics – Why Our Water Infrastructure Just Can’t Cope (Plastics Series: Part III)

Posted by: Rhona Reid On October 19, 2017 12:00 pm

We recently looked at the plastics that we unknowingly drink when we crack open a fresh bottle of water or turn on the tap.  America is the world leader in plastic fiber contamination, with a horrifying 94% of nationwide samples testing positive.  India and Lebanon are the closest runners-up; but for now, the dubious honor of topping the plastic fiber contamination table belongs to us.  

Sometimes being first isn’t so great…
Plastic is Not Fantastic

Plastic fibers are expelled into the air and into our water supply all the time.  The problem is that our current methods of treating drinking water are inadequate.  That’s not a new fact; horror stories about the problems with America’s water infrastructure are …

Read More
0 Comments Click here to read/write comments

Are You Drinking Plastic Chemicals From Your Tap? (Plastics Series: Part II)

Posted by: Rhona Reid On October 16, 2017 5:51 pm

 
Yet another unpalatable fact about America’s drinking water emerged upon publication of a report into the presence of microscopic plastic fibers in an astonishing 94 percent of samples tested.

Plastic is on the menu for nearly all of us.
Global Problem

It’s not just America that is swallowing untold quantities of plastics from industry, homes and manufacturing; around 80 percent of samples worldwide tested positive.  If it’s in our water, then it’s in our food.  If it’s our food, then our bodies are awash with plastic fibers of unknown origin.  

Plastic Forever

It gets worse.  Plastic doesn’t biodegrade.  Instead, it just gets smaller and smaller until it’s a tiny particle measured by nanometer (one nanometer is one-billionth of a …

Read More
0 Comments Click here to read/write comments

Crisis in Texas – Is Reverse Osmosis Water as Good as a Water Ionizer?

Posted by: Rhona Reid On October 3, 2017 7:00 am

Our thoughts are with all of those affected by Hurricane Harvey, and it’s wonderful to see the heroic relief efforts of individuals and the large-scale aid that has been arriving since the Tropical storm hit.  

Crisis is often followed by kindness.
Helping Those in Need

Among the companies delivering assistance – in this case 1 million bottles of water – is Nestlé, in an act of charity that will help to repair its image after recent negative publicity.  

Big Companies With Big Hearts

There was also a big-hearted offer from Blackwater Draw Brewing Company, promising that affected residents could collect as much water as they needed.  But this isn’t regular water – it’s reverse osmosis water, used in the brewing …

Read More
4 Comments Click here to read/write comments

Best Energy Drink Ever!

Posted by: Rhona Reid On June 27, 2017 7:00 am

 
The dangers of so-called ‘energy drinks’ are becoming well known.   But what’s the alternative for anyone who needs an extra shot of energy now and then?

Feel like this, naturally.
Shocking New Evidence

Experts have been warning the public about commercially available sugar and caffeine cocktails for years.  Recently, a study by Dr. Emily Fletcher, deputy pharmacy flight commander at Travis Air Force Base in California, hit the headlines.

Health Warning

The research, published in the Journal of the American Heart Association, warns that consuming just one serving of commercial energy soda can be enough to harm your body.   Using electrocardiogram, researchers found that a single 32 oz can of energy soda was capable of causing profound changes in …

Read More
6 Comments Click here to read/write comments

Involuntary Manslaughter Charges Brought in Flint

Posted by: Rhona Reid On June 20, 2017 7:00 am

It’s been quite the week in Flint.  Dressed in custom-made gowns and bright, sharp suits, excited seniors of Flint Northwestern High School rode charter buses into Detroit for their prom.  At almost the same time, the news began to emerge that Nick Lyon, Michigan’s health chief, was to be charged with involuntary manslaughter, along with four other officials.

flint
Flint deserves justice.
Conspiracy of Silence?

Failure to tell residents in Flint that the water flowing into their homes was contaminated with legionella is one of the accusations the defendant’s face.  Twelve people died as a result, and 100 people in total contracted the disease.  Officials knew for months about the outbreak, but kept silent.

“People in Flint have died

…
Read More
0 Comments Click here to read/write comments

Water Ionizers and the Water Crisis in America

Posted by: Rhona Reid On May 18, 2017 12:00 pm

 
During the last few days, the New-York based Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) published a report regarding water violations across the nation, and uncovered some chilling truths.

water pollution in the news
I read the news today, oh boy…

The coast-to-coast study identified that an astonishing 1 in 4 households may not be drinking safe water.  That’s a shocking 77 million people at risk.

Looking the Other Way?

And you know what’s just as scary?  No-one’s fixing it.  Underfunded, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is virtually toothless.  A lack of meaningful penalties and enforcement means that violations – including arsenic and nitrate contamination – go unchecked. 

“America is facing a nationwide drinking water crisis that goes well beyond lead contamination.  The problem is two-fold:

…
Read More
0 Comments Click here to read/write comments