According to the CDC, millions of Crypto can be released in a bowel movement from an infected human or animal. To become infected, a person must consume contaminated food or water, including from streams or rivers. “Cryptosporidiosis is a diarrheal disease caused by a microscopic parasite that can live in the intestine of humans and animals and is passed in the stool of an infected person or animal. Both the disease and the parasite are commonly known as “Crypto.” The parasite is protected by an outer shell that allows it to survive outside the body for long periods of time and makes it very resistant to chlorine-based disinfectants.” Diarrhea, abdominal cramps, headaches, nausea, vomiting and a low-grade fever are symptoms which can last for weeks and may result in weight loss and dehydration. Symptoms are more severe for people with weakened immune systems and in the most extreme cases can lead to death. A reverse osmosis system or water filter is qualified to eliminate this parasite. You could boil all of your water which you want to consume, but that is time-consuming and not an eco-friendly solution. With a water filtration system, you are able to still provide your household with safe drinking water as if it were from the tap and worry less about what parasites or other unwanted contaminants you may be drinking.

Hypothyroidism (underactive) is a condition in which your thyroid gland doesn’t produce enough of certain important hormones resulting in depression, fatigue, memory loss, weight gain, and sensitivity to cold. These symptoms are familiar to many people across the country. In a recent study, hypothyroidism has been tied to dissolved lithium in drinking water.

Lithium is found in varying concentrations in the ground across the world. The element is most commonly used in making batteries as well as being used in medicine, such as for the treatment of bipolar disorder. So, not only does Lithium seep into our groundwater from nature, but also from manufacturing and other people’s medications. It was noted that while the amounts of lithium being ingested via the drinking water are only a tenth of what a patient would take for bipolar disorder, the study participants had been absorbing this lithium all their lives, even from before birth. What this implies for their health, we don’t really know. That is why a new study is being planned that will compare the health of two groups of mothers and children: respectively, the ones with the highest and lowest levels of lithium in their blood.

All of this information is important because recent studies are showing that hypothyroidism can be triggered by the ingestion of too much lithium in groundwater. Lithium is an alkali metal that is found in nearly all igneous rocks (rocks formed from lava and magma) and in mineral springs. Lithium is the lightest metal with a density about half that of water. If lithium didn’t react with water it would float on top of it, however it does react somewhat vigorously.

Most cities have municipal water treatment facilities that help to treat the water making it safe to drink, however these treatment processes don’t always remove contaminants simply because some are not known, or have not been identified as dangerous. When it comes to safe water, perhaps the safest water is water that we have treated ourselves. There are many water treatment systems available to homeowners today so there is no longer any reason to be drinking contaminated water. While tap water is “safe” to drink, it may not be as clean as we would want it to be. These water filtering systems can be one more line of defense in removing contaminants leaving us with safe, clean, great tasting water to drink. The road to better health begins at your tap; make sure you are drinking the cleanest safest water you can.

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This rural community is one of 121 public water systems in Texas serving more than 130,000 people drinking water that violates a federal arsenic rule that went into effect in 2001. In 2001, the EPA lowered the maximum level of arsenic permitted in drinking water from 50 micrograms per liter to 10 micrograms per liter. Drinking water with levels higher than this poses a greater health risk. In fact, long term exposure to arsenic can cause cancer and circulatory problems that mimic the effects of diabetes. Young children, elderly, and those with serious health problems are at even greater risk.

Arsenic is a toxic chemical element that is unevenly distributed in the Earth’s crust in soil, rocks and minerals. Arsenic in ground water is largely the result of minerals dissolving from weathered rocks and soils; however it can also enter from agricultural and industrial practices. This particular Texas community is surrounded by acres of farm land.

These rural communities are just an example of what can be going on all over the United States in communities that serve fewer than 3,300 people. Those small communities were given an extension until 2015 to comply with the new EPA standards regarding arsenic. That’s a long time to continue to serve water that isn’t safe to drink. The main problem seems to be funding for these little areas to change the water source, partner with another water system, or upgrade and install new filters or a water treatment device. Any cost would be passed on to the customers, many of whom are on fixed incomes and already have a difficult time paying their water bill.

With our current economy, many cannot afford changes in monthly bills. However, we definitely cannot afford medical bills from drinking water that isn’t safe. We simply must have safe drinking water. In these small areas where that seems to be impossible, the responsibility lies with individuals. Fortunately, there are many home water treatment systems available both for purchase and for lease.

Arsenic can be removed from drinking water by ion exchange, chemical filtration systems, membrane separation systems and absorptive media. Among the ion exchange system is the home drinking water system with LINX Technology ®. This system also has a Dial-A-Taste ®control that allows the consumer to customize the taste of their water. The chemical filtration systems include the always popular reverse osmosis systems. This system will consistently produce water that is as good as or better than bottled water and do it more economically. These systems can change your life.

We have to drink water, it’s a fact of life, but we don’t have to drink water that isn’t safe. It is important to know what our drinking water has in it and then decide what we can do about it. We are in control of what we drink so long as we are informed. It might cost us more than we planned to guarantee the safety of our water, but that cost would be far less than the potential medical cost we could see with constant exposure to arsenic.

This research began with a group of adults in an Ontario town who developed gastroenteritis (stomach flu) in May 2000 as a result of E. coli contamination in the municipal water system and followed the victims’ health statuses eight years after the outbreak. Of the study participants, those who had the most severe gastroenteritis were 1.3 times more likely to develop high blood pressure, 3.4 times more likely to develop kidney problems, and 2.1 times more likely to have a heart attack or stroke.

While most of us feel like food poisoning is pretty far removed – like something you only get from Aunt Betty’s deviled eggs at a summer picnic or from the county fair – the truth is, it’s actually quite common. According to one source, E. coli causes and estimated 120,000 gastrointestinal illnesses, resulting in more than 2,000 hospitalizations, and 60 deaths in the U.S. every year. One of the leading causes? Drinking water.

Fortunately, you can add another layer of protection with an inexpensive home water treatment system like a reverse osmosis or a Century 22 Drinking Water System with LINX Technology. To learn more about these water systems, visit our website or if you live in the Escondido, Solana Beach, San Diego, or the surrounding areas, give us a call.

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Living in the United States with advanced sanitation and municipal water systems, we expect the water delivered to our homes to be safely treated so we can confidently drink and cook with it. However, this is not always the case. Several water systems around the country have shown traces of medications such as anti-anxiety drugs, acetaminophen, estrogen, and tranquilizers. Testing was also performed on 35 major watersheds and pharmaceuticals were found present in 28 of these.

Local municipalities are in a difficult situation. The federal government does not provide any limits for safe levels for pharmaceutical residues in the water nor does it require any testing for these compounds the way they do other mineral and chemical contaminants. If there is no required testing for drugs in the water, claims of safe water can be misleading.

How do these medications enter our water systems? We take our medication and unknowingly assume that the drug is fully absorbed into our systems. However, a significant portion passes through and is flushed, entering the water treatment cycle. Additionally, flushing or dumping unused medications contributes to this problem. Most municipal treatment processes cannot remove all drug residues and they remain in our water and flow back through our taps.

There is, fortunately, a step you can take in your own home that will provide the clean water you and your family require. The most effective is a Reverse Osmosis system, which provides drinking water that has passed through a semi-permeable membrane to separate contaminates from the water. The system is installed right at the sink and can be routed to include refrigerator water and ice service. Making this investment in your home’s water quality will decrease contaminates and increase the quality of the water you use every day.

You can read more about this AP investigation at http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/23503485