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Consumer Protection: What Steps to Take?
Published in Benjamin W. Lykins, Robert M. Clark, James A. Goodrich, Point-of-use/Point-of-entry for Drinking Water Treatment, 2018
Benjamin W. Lykins, Robert M. Clark, James A. Goodrich
Water analyses for health related water problems should be performed by a state approved water testing laboratory. Information on the nearest state approved laboratory can be obtained from the local health department or local Cooperative Extension System office. Aesthetic or nuisance tests can be performed by or through water equipment/conditioning dealers, major retail stores selling such equipment, or state approved water testing laboratories. A report by Consumer Reports offers the following advice:(3)Companies that sell water-treatment equipment often offer a free or low-cost water analysis as part of the sales effort. Don't depend on that kind of test: It's like asking a barber if you need a haircut. Consult an independent, state-certified lab instead. You can often find one in the Yellow Pages under "Laboratories - Testing".Or use a mail-order lab. The labs send you a kit containing collection bottles and detailed instructions. You collect water samples and ship them back by overnight package delivery. The labs provide test results and an explanation of the numbers two to three weeks later. Costs for testing range from $20-30 for a lead test, $75-100 for a combination of minerals and bacteria, to well over $100 for VOC or pesticide scans.The mail-order lab reports may be a little technical but not too hard to understand. State or local health officials can help interpret water analysis results.No single water test is perfect. Over the years, Consumer Reports has found that all labs tend to overstate or understate results occasionally.If a test report says your water has an especially high level of a contaminant like lead, nitrate, or radon, have the water tested by a second lab before taking costly remedial action.
Groundwater quality, health risk, and major influencing factors in the lower Beiluo River watershed of northwest China
Published in Human and Ecological Risk Assessment: An International Journal, 2021
Yanlin Li, Peiyue Li, Xinghan Cui, Song He
The pH and electrical conductivity (EC) were measured in the field through portable water quality devices (pH/EC meter Hanna HI9811-5). Other parameters including major ions (K+, Na+, Ca2+, Mg2+, Cl−, SO42−, HCO3−, and CO3−), total hardness (TH), total dissolved solids (TDS), Chemical Oxygen Demand (CODMn), NO3−, NO2−, NH4+, F−, and As were analyzed in the Soil and Water Testing Center of Shaanxi Institute of Engineering Investigation. The data quality was controlled through the blank samples and duplicates. The accuracy of each water sample is verified by the charge balance error percentage (%CBE) (Li, He, et al. 2018), and the %CBE of each sample is within ±3% in this study, indicating that the results are reliable.
Desalinated drinking-water provision in water-stressed regions: challenges of consumer-perception and environmental impact lessons from Antofagasta, Chile
Published in International Journal of Water Resources Development, 2022
M. Šteflová, S. H. A. Koop, M. C. Fragkou, H. Mees
Antofagasta has a very high compliance with national drinking water quality criteria regarding chemicals and metals, turbidity, presence of microorganisms and organoleptic parameters (colour, smell, taste and turbidity) (SISS, 2019). With regards chemicals and metals, national legislation is predominantly in line with international guideline of the WHO on safe drinking water quality (WHO, 2017). With regards turbidity, total dissolved solids (TDS) and organoleptic parameters, however, significant differences are found between the Chilean legislation and the WHO’s recommendations. For example, the WHO states that a TDS concentration > 1000 mg/l become significantly unbearable to consumers, while at present the Chilean norm allows for up to 1500 mg/l. The recommendation for turbidity is < 0.1 nephelometric turbidity units (NTU), however the national limit is 2.0 NTU. The recommendation for sulphates (which cause odour) is 250 mg/l, and the national limit is 500 mg/l. Thus, despite meeting the criteria to ensure a healthy drinking water supply, organoleptic parameters exceed international standards of taste, colour and odour – which in part can explain the strong citizen rejection. Until the 1990s, health-related quality parameters were widely accepted as the sole indicator of drinking water standards. However, today the public plays an increasingly important role in determining acceptable levels of drinking water properties and safety (Miguel De Franca, 2010). Water organoleptic parameters, particularly taste, are paramount for quality perception, service satisfaction, willingness to pay and the selection of water sources, including desalinized water (Gorden, 2000; Miguel De Franca, 2010). The importance of these parameters should not be underestimated on the basis of lacking health implications. Water testing must include measurements of physicochemical properties, biofilm presence and organoleptic parameters (Shomar & Hawari, 2017). Furthermore, qualitative research on water organoleptics suggests that people prefer what they are used to, and frequent changes in quality, such as the gradual expansion of the desalinated supply throughout Antofagasta, are inversely associated with quality acceptability and water risk judgements (Syme & Williams, 1993). Foreseeable changes in organoleptic parameters, for instance, owing to upgrades in the water distribution or treatment system, must be anticipated and communicated.