H2O

Consumption | Dehydration | Filtering | Filters | Bottled Water v. Tap

We can’t live without it!  It’s almost everywhere on earth, including within our bodies. In fact, water (or H₂0) comprises approximately 75% of our body’s total weight.  Drinking water daily is essential to our health!  Some of the vital bodily processes that water is involved with are: cleansing our body tissues of waste material; regulating our body chemistry and temperature; and assisting in the transport of digested food substances, oxygen, waste products, and hormones - from one part of the body to another.

In the world of agriculture and the growth of plant-based foods for our diet, water is also critical. It is essential for the energy producing process of plant photosynthesis, transports mineral salts from the roots to the leaves, and transports food substances from the leaves to other parts of the plants.  For the growth and development of agricultural crops, they require water in adequate quantities and at the right time. Crops have very specific water requirement and these vary depending on local climate conditions.  [The production of meat requires between six to twenty times more water than for cereals.]

Chemical definition:

The symbol H20 for (each molecule of) water represents the bonding of 2 atoms of hydrogen with 1 atom of oxygen.  Pure H₂O is tasteless and odorless.

Amount of water individuals should consume per day:

Based on average recommendations by the medical & nutritional community, an adult individual ( about age 20 & up)  should strive to consume, as a base amount, about 64 ounces of water (or) 8 cups / day, spread out at 8 to 16 ounces (or 1 to 2 cups) every few hours throughout the day.  If body cells become dehydrated (dried out), they will not be able to function properly and this can sometimes happen quickly if not drinking water throughout the day.  You lose water through urination, respiration, and by sweating.  If you are very active, you lose more water than if you are sedentary.   A more precise amount of water intake would depend on:  one’s daily level of activity, the temperature & humidity of one’s environment, and other body measurement factors.

The standard recommendation of water intake for children is at least 6-8 cups a day, again consumed regularly throughout the day - ensuring that plenty of fluids are taken in during warm weather, when exercising, or playing.  Students spend at least half their waking hours in school.  During this time, they should be drinking at least half their daily requirement, spread regularly throughout the day.  The Institute of Medicine of the National Academies, Washington DC (2004), includes a separate category for active teenage boys (aged 14 and up) and they recommend a higher average fluid intake of about 11 cups / day throughout their teenage years.

What is dehydration?

Dehydration is simply not having enough water in your body.  It may result from inadequate water intake and/or from losing body water and can develop rapidly or slowly.

How can you tell if children are dehydrated?

A lot of children (and even adults) don't even realize they are dehydrated because they have become so used to feeling below their best.

Symptoms of mild dehydration can be difficult to spot.  In class, some children may become irritable, tired and less able to concentrate.  By the time they get home, many children are complaining of tiredness or headaches and some may be too lethargic to do anything but slump in front of the television. Although we may think of this behavior as normal, it is now known that it may, at least in part, be due to the effects of dehydration.

Children can be taught to recognize when their fluid intake is too low as the urine becomes concentrated, deep yellow in color, cloudy, & excessively odorous.  [Normal urine is about the color of pale straw, clear, and is almost odorless.]

What effect does dehydration have on the brain? [1]

Water makes up about 80% of the brain and is an essential element in neurological transmissions. Poor hydration adversely affects a child's mental performance and learning ability. Symptoms of mild dehydration may include tiredness, headaches, a jet-lag feeling as well as reduced alertness and the ability to concentrate.  Mental performance including memory, attention and concentration can decrease by about 10 %, once thirst is felt.   Mental performance deteriorates progressively as the degree of dehydration increases.

Thirst is usually felt when dehydration results in 0.8 - 2 per cent loss of body weight lost due to water loss. For a 10-year-old child weighing 30kg (66 lbs), this is equivalent to one or two very large glasses of water - which is the amount a child could lose during a PE lesson or running around in the playground.  Water consumption also has an immediate alerting and revitalizing effect.  In schools taking part in the Food in Schools water provision pilot project, the consensus from teachers was that "enhanced provision contributed to a more settled and productive learning environment, as well as helping to instill good habits".  The key to boosting the capacity to learn is to keep well hydrated throughout each day – by keeping (& drinking from) a personal water bottle - within arm's reach.  Students spend at least half their waking hours in school.  During this time, they should be drinking at least half their daily requirement, spread regularly throughout the day.

Is filtering / purifying water important for one’s health ?

Any contaminants found in one’s drinking water can potentially integrate into one’s body organs or body chemistry.   These contaminants can also potentially affect one’s health in a negative way!  Therefore, the water that we consume daily should ideally be free of all toxic chemicals; bacteria & viruses; and all other potentially bio-toxic contaminants.  [ For a wide selection of very well priced, home water filtering equipment, visit :  www.pure-Earth.com ]

“Water purification is a process of removing undesirable chemicals, materials, and biological contaminants from raw water.  The goal is to produce water fit for a specific purpose.  Most water is purified for human consumption (drinking water) but water purification may also be designed for a variety of other purposes, including meeting the requirements of medical, pharmacology, chemical and industrial applications. In general the methods used include physical process such as filtration and sedimentation, biological processes such as slow sand filters or activated charcoal, chemical process such as chlorination and the use of electromagnetic radiation such as ultraviolet radiation. [2]

The purification process of water may reduce the concentration of particulate matter including suspended particles, parasites, bacteria, algae, viruses, fungi; and a range of dissolved and particulate material derived from the surfaces that water may have made contact with after falling as rain.

The standards for drinking water quality are typically set by governments or by international standards. These standards will typically set minimum and maximum concentrations of contaminants for the use that is to be made of the water.” [2]    The causes of water contamination are numerous and range from agricultural runoff to improper use of household chemicals and everything in between. While the standard use in our society of over 75,000 different chemical compounds has offered added convenience and productivity in our lives, it has also come at a tremendous price.

Types of water purification:

There are a number of devices on the market that filter out microorganisms, bio-toxins ( toxins that can affect our living cells), etc.   A water filter pumps water through a microscopic filter that is rated for a certain-size organism or chemical.  The standard size rating is the micron (the period at the end of this sentence is about 600 microns).   Be cautious when selecting a filter.  You should know what potential organisms or chemicals you need to treat for.  You do not want to go to an area where a virus like hepatitis A is present in the water (a problem in some developing countries) with a filter that will handle only a larger organism like Giardia.” [3]

*In addition, there is a good deal of controversy as to whether or not it is desirable to filter out all minerals from drinking water as well.  Whatever the decision, this can be accomplished via a water filtration process, called distillation.  ‘The jury is still out’ on this type of filtration for generally health individuals,  but for certain medical conditions ( short term or long term) , it is sometimes advisable to consume distilled water.

There are two basic types of filters.

1. Membrane Filters use thin sheets with precisely sized pores that prevent objects larger than the pore size from passing through.

• The positive:    Relatively easy to clean.
• The negative:   Clogs more quickly than depth filters

2. Depth Filters use thick porous materials such as carbon or ceramic to trap particles as water flows through the material.

• The positve:   Can be partially cleaned by backwashing.  Activated carbon filters also remove a range of organic chemicals and heavy metals.
• The negative:   Rough treatment can crack the filter, rendering it useless.

Organism Examples General Size Filter Type Particle Size Rating
Protozoa Giardia, Cryptosporidium 5 microns or larger Water filter 1.0–4.0 microns
Bacteria Cholera, E. coli, Salmonella 0.2–0.5 microns Microfilter 0.2–1.0 microns
Viruses Hepatitis A, rotavirus, Norwalk virus 0.004 microns Water purifier to 0.004 microns

Common microorganisms and the filter size needed to filter them out:  [3]

Bottled Water vs. Tap water: [4]

“Sales of bottled water in this country have exploded in recent years, largely as a result of a public perception of purity driven by advertisements and packaging labels featuring pristine glaciers and crystal-clear mountain springs. But bottled water sold in the United States is not necessarily cleaner or safer than most tap water, according to a four-year scientific study recently made public by NRDC.

NRDC's study included testing of more than 1,000 bottles of 103 brands of bottled water.  While most of the tested waters were found to be of high quality, some brands were contaminated: about one-third of the waters tested contained levels of contamination -- including synthetic organic chemicals, bacteria, and arsenic -- in at least one sample that exceeded allowable limits under either state or bottled water industry standards or guidelines.

A key NRDC finding is that bottled water regulations are inadequate to assure consumers of either purity or safety, although both the federal government and the states have bottled water safety programs.  At the national level, the Food and Drug Administration is responsible for bottled water safety, but the FDA's rules completely exempt waters that are packaged and sold within the same state, which account for between 60 and 70 percent of all bottled water sold in the United States (roughly one out of five states don't regulate these waters either).  The FDA also exempts carbonated water and seltzer, and fewer than half of the states require carbonated waters to meet their own bottled water standards.

Even when bottled waters are covered by the FDA's rules, they are subject to less rigorous testing and purity standards than those which apply to city tap water (see chart below).  For example, bottled water is required to be tested less frequently than city tap water for bacteria and chemical contaminants.  In addition, bottled water rules allow for some contamination by E. coli or fecal coliform (which indicate possible contamination with fecal matter), contrary to tap water rules, which prohibit any confirmed contamination with these bacteria.  Similarly, there are no requirements for bottled water to be disinfected or tested for parasites such as cryptosporidium or giardia, unlike the rules for big city tap water systems that use surface water sources.  This leaves open the possibility that some bottled water may present a health threat to people with weakened immune systems.”

However, many of us have heard stories around the country of public water municipalities’ water supplies being contaminated as well.  Though these government agencies try to keep on top of new potential contaminations or leaks within their local water systems, sometimes contamination does occur.  That leads us back to personal water filtration systems that can be monitored & placed point-to-point (to ensure that ‘possible’ old lead or copper water pipes do not leach into end-result water supplies  as well).   *Perhaps, this is the most effective & ideal solution to providing quality water for individuals – all at a reasonably price {based on accumulated year to year costs}.

Conclusion

Water intake is absolutely essential for our health & well-being.  Without it, we would not exist. The process of plant growth, the ability to have fresh agricultural produce, and our own internal body chemistry all depend on having enough water or H20 supply.  We must try to cherish & protect our natural resources of it; but, unfortunately, do to pollution in our environment, it is probably best to obtain filtered & purified sources of it.  To protect ourselves from these potential environmental contaminants in our drinking water, consumers should seek out means of purifying their water - in the most efficient & economical way.  After evaluating & comparing some of the various ways our governmental agencies & the bottling water industry try to purify and distribute water, it appears that the most consistent, the most efficient, and the most economical way to do this is to purchase some sort of home water filtration system – either as: a point to point (faucet) kitchen filter, a water pitcher filter, a water bottle (with a built-in filter), a whole house filter, or a combination of all (or ) some of these filtration systems.

References

[1]   http://www.medicinenet.com/dehydration/article.htm

[2]   http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Water_purification

[3]   http://www.princeton.edu/~oa/manual/water.shtml

[4]   http://www.ehso.com/ehshome/DrWater/drinkingwater.php#