POTENTIAL SOURCE OF WATER POLLUTION

CONTAMINANTS
​Contaminants can be present in source water supplies or added during water treatment. At this time, Aqua Gold will have to limit the scope of contaminants to a small group of common water concerns. To see the full list of EPA contaminants click here.​

​Types of Drinking Water Contaminants

The Safe Drinking Water Act defines the term "contaminant" as meaning any physical, chemical, biological, or radiological substance or matter in water. Therefore, the law defines "contaminant" very broadly as being anything other than water molecules. Drinking water may reasonably be expected to contain at least small amounts of some contaminants. Some drinking water contaminants may be harmful if consumed at certain levels in drinking water while others may be harmless. The presence of contaminants does not necessarily indicate that the water poses a health risk.
Only a small number of the universe of contaminants as defined above are listed on the Contaminant Candidate List (CCL). The CCL serves as the first level of evaluation for unregulated drinking water contaminants that may need further investigation of potential health effects and the levels at which they are found in drinking water.

The following are general categories of drinking water contaminants and examples of each:

• Physical contaminants primarily impact the physical appearance or other physical properties of water. Examples of physical contaminants are sediment or organic material suspended in the water of lakes, rivers and streams from soil erosion.
• Chemical contaminants are elements or compounds. These contaminants may be naturally occurring or man-made. Examples of chemical contaminants include nitrogen, bleach, salts, pesticides, metals, toxins produced by bacteria, and human or animal drugs.
• Biological contaminants are organisms in water. They are also referred to as microbes or microbiological contaminants. Examples of biological or microbial contaminants include bacteria, viruses, protozoa, and parasites.
• Radiological contaminants are chemical elements with an unbalanced number of protons and neutrons resulting in unstable atoms that can emit ionizing radiation. Examples of radiological contaminants include cesium, plutonium and uranium.

10 Common Contaminants in the Water

• Fluoride
• Nitrates
• Chlorine & Chloramines
• Arsenic
• Radon

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​The Fluoride Debate: The Pros and Cons of Fluoridation

​Fluoride is one of the most abundant elements found in nature. Water is the major dietary source of fluoride. The only known association with low fluoride intake is the risk of dental caries. Initially, fluoride was considered beneficial when given systemically during tooth development, but later research has shown the importance and the advantages of its topical effects in the prevention or treatment of dental caries and tooth decay. Water fluoridation was once heralded as one of the best public health achievements in ​the twentieth century. Since this practice is not feasible or cost effective in many regions, especially rural areas, researchers and policy makers have explored other methods of introducing fluoride to the ​

general population such as adding fluoride to milk and table salt. Lately, major concerns about excessive fluoride intake and related toxicity were raised worldwide, leading several countries to ban fluoridation. Health-care professionals and the public need guidance regarding the debate around fluoridation. This paper reviews the different aspects of fluoridation, their effectiveness in dental caries prevention and their risks. It was performed in the PubMed and the Google Scholar databases in January 2018 without limitation as to the publication period.
READ MORE....​

​What is Nitrate?

​Nitrate is a compound that is formed naturally when nitrogen combines with oxygen or ozone. Nitrogen is essential for all living things, but high levels of nitrate in drinking water can be dangerous to health, especially for infants and pregnant women. Nitrates are also made in large amounts by plants and animals, and are released in smoke and industrial or automotive exhaust. 
​For more information about nitrate illness and treatment, please visit CDC-ATSDR’s nitrates and nitrites page.

​Water Disinfection with Chlorine and Chloramine

​Water comes from a variety of sources, such as lakes and wells, which can be contaminated with germs that may make people sick. Germs can also contaminate water as it travels through miles of piping to get to a community. To prevent contamination with germs, water companies add a disinfectant—usually either chlorine or chloramine—that kills disease-causing germs such as Salmonella, Campylobacter, and norovirus.
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​What is Arsenic?

Arsenic is an element that occurs naturally in rocks and soil and is used for a variety of purposes within industry and agriculture. It is also a byproduct of copper smelting, mining, and coal burning. Arsenic can combine with other elements to make chemicals used to preserve wood and to kill insects on cotton and other agricultural crops.
​For more information about arsenic illnesses and treatment, please visit CDC-ATSDR’s  arsenic page.

​​What is Radon?

Radon is a colorless, tasteless, odorless, radioactive gas. It occurs naturally and is produced by the breakdown of uranium in soil, rock, and water. It can also dissolve into our water supply.
For more information about radon illness and treatment, please visit CDC’s Radon page.

• Coliform Bacteria
• Chromium VI
• Perchlorate
• Hard Water
• PFAS

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What is Coliform Bacteria?

​​Water, like everything else on Earth, including you, is full of bacteria. Some bacteria are beneficial and some are not. Escherichia coli (E. coli) bacteria, found in the digestive tract of animals, can get into the environment, and if contacted by people, can cause health problems and sickness.
​Find out the details here.

​What is chromium-6 and how did it infiltrate America’s drinking water?

Chromium-6, the cancer-causing chemical best known for its role in the Erin Brockovich story, has been found at higher-than-recommended levels in the tap water supplying two-thirds of all Americans, according to a report from the Environmental Working Group.
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​Where is perchlorate found?

Perchlorate occurs naturally in arid states in the Southwest United States, in nitrate fertilizer deposits in Chile, and in potash ore in the United States and Canada. It also forms naturally in the atmosphere. Perchlorate can be manufactured and used as an industrial chemical and can be found in rocket propellant, explosives, fireworks and road flares. It has also been found in some public drinking water systems and in food.
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Are there any health risks associated with hard water?

There are no serious adverse health problems associated with drinking hard water. However, hard water can contribute to dry skin and hair. Washing your hair frequently with hard water can leave your scalp feeling itchy.
Learn a lot more about water hardness on the Water Science School site.

​​What Are PFAS?

The acronym PFAS stands for perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances, a class of almost 5000 human-made chemicals that are made by combining fluorine and carbon in one of the strongest bonds on Earth.  This makes them very useful in a wide variety of products. Many places in California will be impacted by manufacturing-related PFAS contamination because PFAS are used in electroplating. In terms of consumer products, PFAS are generally found in non-stick, water, stain and grease-resistant items.  

Unfortunately PFAS persist in the environment and have been linked to serious health impacts. The use of older forms of PFAS, called PFOA and PFOS are being phased out in the US due to an increased awareness of their harmful effects, yet, the newer short-chain versions⁠—or those with a smaller number of carbon fluorine bonds⁠—are replacing them in consumer products.
Mixtures of these newer versions continue to be used in items like food packaging and cookware, clothing, stain resistant carpet and furniture, and some personal care products-all of these products increase the potential for exposure in people. Industrial releases and the use of PFAS-containing fire-fighting foams (used for oil fires) can contaminate drinking water supplies and water bodies such as San Francisco Bay. 
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