Article by: Charles Duhigg
December 7, 2009
This picture just shows plain ordinary water. Water that we drink every single day though, it's a necessity in our lives so why not take a stand for SAFE drinking water. Summary:
As said before, water is a necessity. We need it to stay healthy. But what happens when the water we drink has started to become contaminated by bacteria that causes many illnesses? Then we have a huge problem. Some of the bacteria that contaminates the water, can cause illnesses like cancer which can obviously be deadly. We need to take a stand for this, and that is exactly what law officials were starting to do. The part that really irritates most people though is the fact that we are being given bad water and the companies responsible for this have not been punished. Many complain about the Environmental Protection Agency, E.P.A., because they have the ultimate responsibility for enforcing standards. Which, in this case they need to do something about it, because these UNSAFE water conditions are highly unhealthy for us, especially for those in areas that are affected by it the most. This was how the Clean Water Act was enforced. It regulates pollution into the waterways. However, violations of the Clean Water Act still occurred putting thousands of people in danger yet again. There's been yet another increase in cancer every year due to the water and bacteria, viruses, etc in it. If something is never done to prevent this from happening, no one really knows where we will stand.
Opinion:
I really liked this article because I found it as something that really hits close to home. I thought to myself as I read it, am I drinking contaminated water? How safe is the water I drink? It really made me think. This kind of thing really scares me personally because I drink water EVERY day, and to think that something that everyone thinks of as such a healthy thing to drink could actually make us sick really worries me.I hate how the companies responsible are not being fined as they should be. Action should be taken to make sure this stops happening, but it doesn't seem like much of a topic that people really care too much about unless it affects them or someone close to them. I would do anything to stop this, because I definitely don't want to see someone close to me die from water.
Questions:
1.) What other actions could be taken to stop this from happening?
2.) How would you know if you were drinking contaminated water?
3.) How could you stay on the safe side to make sure you are not affected?
4.) What is contaminating the water that makes it so bad in certain areas?
5.) How else could you warn people about the Safe Drinking Water Act?
Summary: Several events lead up to why the Clean Water Act was enforced, as shown in this article. People use water every single day of their lives, to cook, to bath, and to (most importantly) drink! Something we rely on for our daily lives, water, is lacking in the safety department. The water that people are drinking in some areas are causing major illnesses due to the contamination inside the water itself. An illness that it causes is cancer, and studies have shown that cancer in humans have been climbing every year. Is this due to the contaminated water? Possibly, and that is why the Clean Water Act was enforced to regulate the pollution in waterways that may cause the main contamination.
ReplyDeleteRelfection: Every single day, I start my day with washing my face with water, brushing my teeth with water and drinking water through out the rest of the 24 hour period. How would contaminated water effect my every day life? I could get sick because I rely on water so much! I am glad the Clean Water Act is being enforced, yet it still worries me just a bit when I go to take a sip of water. I hope larger actions are taking place to keep us safe!
Expand:I found this really interesting website from the EPA that lists the bacteria that is actually contaminating the water and it is so crazy to see it all actually written out. Check it out here: http://water.epa.gov/drink/contaminants/index.cfm
Answer: 5) We could do several things to warn people about the Safe Drinking Water Act. First of all I would take the news to social networking sites because that is where most of our modern day society spends most of their time. If that fails, broadcasting the news on local news networks and on the cover of newspapers can also spread the act.
New Questions:
1)What would be the first thing you would do if you found out the water you drank every day was contaminatated?
2)How should the water selling companies in this situation feel? Why?
3)What could be a possible punishment for the companies that are involved in this issue?
Summary: The safe drinking water act is sometimes neglected, and companies who violate their standards, are getting away unpunished.20% of water treatment systems are not following these regulations, and as a result, common households are receiving bacteria and some arsenic/radioactive substances. Out of the 20% of rule breaking treaters, only 6% were fined for their dangerous actions. It is said that The Safe Drinking Water Act is not a priority to the federal officials, which is causing life threatening diseases and harm to people. They work towards action and change to improve, but find little support.
ReplyDeleteReflection: I was surprised to find that such serious diseases, such as cancer, are linked to just bacteria in tap water. Personally, I do not drink tap water. Hearing statistics like this remind me of why. People often think of contaminated or dirty drinking water to be associated with developing countries, like those in Africa. However, I do not like to take any chances, so my family has a purified water faucet connected to our sink. I feel that these should be required in all houses, at least in our country. It also makes me angry at the treatment systems, because they should care about those consuming the water, and the problems they are causing should not just be overlooked. Both the federal government and the treaters should be ashamed for a lack of care towards Americans.
Lenny's Question 3: I feel these companies should be fined, and on probation. Officials should be constantly checking their water for contaminants for a while, to be sure they are making an effort to fix the problem.
While reading, I thought of the neti pot. My mom uses this to clear her sinuses at night, and I thought of how dangerous it could be to your body to use this dirty water in the pot. I found an article that shows this happening:
http://thechart.blogs.cnn.com/2011/12/16/two-dead-in-louisiana-after-unclean-water-used-in-neti-pots/
Opinion/Reflection
ReplyDeleteI know how big of an issue contaminated water has become. Considering how important water is in our health, it’s disturbing to think that contaminated water is an issue. Although this is a problem, I know there are many organizations and charities that are trying to provide clean water to people who don’t have it. I also wonder if contaminated water was a problem back when water was drawn from a well. I never read in any history books the problems caused by well water and I have to image that the same problems we face now were common then. It’s sad to this that with all this technology we can’t always provide people with clean drinking water. This concerns me because I drink water every day, because I need it. I don’t need the contamination to come with it. Now I would consider drinking bottled water more than tap. Unfortunately that would get costly and it would be placing extra plastic into the environment. I really hope that we can find a way to provide clean water for everyone.
Question
3) I guess when you think about it there really is no way to tell clean water from contaminated water. If the water looks dirty, then you really shouldn’t drink it anyway. Also if it tastes different could be a sign that the water is contaminated. Also you could check with the local water company to see if the water is drinkable. Really you never know if the water you are drinking is contaminated. This is a reason as to why contaminated water needs to be prevented. More people are becoming sick because they are trying to take care of their bodies.