|
|
March 1st, 2010
Source: NaturalNews.com – Staff Writer David Gutierrez
Contamination of drinking water by a common herbicide poses a greater health threat than previously believed, according to a report issued by the nonprofit environmental organization Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC).
 Toxic Chemicals in Water. Image Watermarked with source The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) monitors average yearly levels of the popular herbicide atrazine in drinking water supplies, based on four tests per year. But the NRDC notes that levels of the toxin in drinking water regularly spike after heavy rains or during the spring when it is being widely applied, and that the four yearly testings may miss these events. The organization’s researchers found several such spikes in its own testing of water supplies in towns in agricultural regions of the South and Midwest.
“Our biggest concern is early-life-stage development,” said Jennifer Sass of the NRDC. “If there’s a disruption during that time, it becomes hard-wired into the system. These endocrine disrupters act in the body at extremely low levels. These spikes matter.”
Because atrazine is compatible with no-till farming, it is popular among farmers seeking to acquire a “green” label by reducing their carbon footprint. It is known to disrupt the hormonal system, and may cause cancers and menstrual problems in adults. It is considered especially dangerous to the developing reproductive systems of fetuses and children. The chemical has been shown to kill aquatic microorganisms and suppress the immune systems of larger animals, and it can cause limb or reproductive deformities in amphibians at levels as low as 0.1 parts per billion.
The EPA has set a threshold of 3 billion parts per billion for permissible atrazine levels, which the NRDC says would be too high even without periodic spikes. The NRDC analysis of 139 different municipal water systems found that 54 of them had a one-time spike higher than 3 parts per billion at some point in 2003 or 2004.
Home or municipal carbon filters can remove atrazine from water, but many municipal treatment plants do not use such procedures.
Sources for this story include: http://www.washingtonpost.com/.
——————-
AirAndAqua.com Editor’s Note: You can find carbon filters on our site here: http://www.airandaqua.com/sunshop/index.php?l=product_list&c=26
October 21st, 2009
Source: HuffingtonPost.com – 10/19/2009
NEW YORK — A jury has found Exxon Mobil liable for contaminating New York City’s groundwater with a gasoline additive and has awarded the city $105 million.
 Exxon Mobil - Water Contamination The jury in federal court in Manhattan issued its findings Monday after an 11-week trial.
The city sued Exxon Mobil for the costs of removing a gasoline additive from drinking wells in Queens. It argued that the company ignored warnings from its own scientists and engineers not to use the additive in areas that use groundwater for drinking water.
Exxon Mobil said in a statement that it was disappointed with the jury verdict and was considering its legal options. The company said it was not the source of the contamination and should not have to pay for someone else’s contaminants.
August 28th, 2009
Source: http://www.voxy.co.nz/national/fluoride-linked-arthritis-study-shows/1312/22219
Contributor: Nyscof
Fluoride: A Pain in the Neck – Case Report
A 52-year-old American (New York) man’s arthritic-like joint pain and immobility went away after he stopped brushing his teeth with fluoridated toothpaste, according to a study in the Journal of Bone and Mineral Research (1).
 Got Fluorosis? There’s no scientific dispute that large fluoride doses cause crippling skeletal fluorosis over time. (See. http://www.nalgonda.org/fluorosis/victims.htm ) But, “less well-known causes of chronic fluoride toxicity include fluoride supplements, certain teas and wine and some toothpastes,” report researchers Kurland, et al. (1)
Skeletal fluorosis often results in abnormal bone hardening and thickening (osteosclerosis) with painful and impaired neck and spine mobility, spine curvature, and/or painful lower extremities ultimately causing crippling and incapacitation, report the researchers.
In this case, the only obvious fluoride exposure was toothpaste. The patient drank no fluoridated water, tea or wine; had no occupational fluoride exposure; did not chew tobacco, inhale snuff, cook with Teflon pots, use fluoridated mouthwash or get fluoride treatments at twice-yearly dentist visits. But he brushed before and after all meals (minimum 6 times daily) with fluoridated toothpaste.
Fluoride was elevated in his serum, urine and iliac crest (bone), the researchers report.
Within 8 months of eliminating all obvious fluoride sources, the patient’s urinary and blood fluoride levels dropped and bone function markers showed clear cut improvement, the researchers report.
“By approximately two years after diagnosis and apparent elimination of excess fluoride exposure, the patient had complete resolution of his neck immobility and no longer required analgesics,” the researchers write.
Roos, et al. documents a woman whose painful swollen fingers healed after she ceased eating fluoridated toothpaste.(2)
Whyte, et al. report a woman’s fluoride-caused debilitating joint pains disappeared when her two-gallon-a-day iced tea habit stopped.(3)
Eichmiller, et al. report a patient’s leg and joint pains from a dentist-prescribed high-concentration fluoride product.(4)
Osteoarthritis is linked to water fluoride in a Turkish study.(6)
A 2009 Brazilian study shows that, after brushing with a fluoridated dentifrice, a substantial amount of fluoride is ingested by children. (7)
“Fluoride at any level accumulates in the body,” says Paul Beeber, President, New York State Coalition Opposed to Fluoridation. “So even water fluoridation will cause arthritic-like symptoms in susceptible individuals which is compounded by U.S. physicians’and dentists’ lack of training to diagnose fluoride toxicity.” (See: http://tinyurl.com/Susheela
“We know US schoolchildren are fluoride-overdosed (5). What’s it doing to their bones?” asks Beeber.
References:
1) Recovery From Skeletal Fluorosis (An Enigmatic, American Case). Journal of Bone Mineral Research. October 2, 2006, by Kurland, et a.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=pubmed&cmd=Retrieve&dopt=AbstractPlus&list_uids=17014382&query_hl=3&itool=pubmed_docsum
(2) Osteofluorosis caused by excess use of toothpaste, Presse Med, 34:1518-20, by Roos et al November 2005
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=pubmed&cmd=Retrieve&dopt=AbstractPlus&list_uids=16301964&query_hl=7&itool=pubmed_docsum
(3) Environ Health Perspect. 2005 August; 113(8): “Food Safety: A Tea-Time Mystery,” by Michael Szpir
http://www.pubmedcentral.nih.gov/articlerender.fcgi?artid=1280381
(4) Journal of the American Dental Association, “Controlling the
fluoride dosage in a patient with compromised salivary function,”
Frederick C. Eichmiller, D.D.S.; Naomi Eidelman, Ph.D.; Clifton M.
Carey, PhD., Vol. 136, page 67 -70, January 2005
http://jada.ada.org/cgi/content/full/136/1/67
NYSCOF News Release: http://tinyurl.com/mbrmd
(5) NYSCOF News release http://tinyurl.com/mbrmd about
U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. National Center for
Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion Office of
Communication, 8/25/05
(6) http://www.orgsites.com/ny/newyorkstatecoalitionopposedtofluoridation/_pgg7.php3
(7) Rev Esp Salud Publica 2009 May-Jun;83(3):415-25. [Demonstration of fluoride systemic absorption secondary to toothbrushing with fluoride dentifrice in children]
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19701573?ordinalpos=1&itool=Email.EmailReport.Pubmed_ReportSelector.Pubmed_RVDocSum
———————–
Related Articles:
- Queensland Government Apologizes For Overdosing Public With Fluoride – June 30th, 2009
- Reuters: Another Study Links Fluoride to Bone Cancer – June 24th, 2009
- Organizations Spread Fluoride Truth in New Zealand – VIDEO: The Fluoride Deception – June 18th, 2009
- UK: New Health Secretary Calls for ‘Universal Fluoridation’ – June 15th, 2009
- VIDEO: The Dangers of Fluoride & Water Fluoridation – June 9th, 2009
- Medical News Today Breaks Down Water Fluoridation in Recent Article – June 5th, 2009
- New Product: Whole House Fluoride Water Filter – June 1st, 2009
- Fluoridated Water Supply Argument Rages in Wisconsin – March 19th, 2009
- Conway, Arkansas Fluoridating Water Supply Again – January 31st, 2009
August 21st, 2009
Source: Originally Posted Aug. 6th at SciDev.net – By Justine Davies
Scientists who have produced the first robust proof that cloud seeding can increase long-term rainfall are urging developing countries considering the technology to be cautious.
Cloud seeding involves injecting clouds with chemicals that encourage water vapour to form ice crystals heavy enough to fall, melting on their way to produce rain. Chemicals can be injected into clouds using aircraft or by launching rockets.
 Credit - Flickr/izahorsky The researchers — led by Steven Siems, an associate professor from Monash University, Australia — examined more than four decades of cloud seeding experiments in Tasmania and found rainfall was at least five per cent higher over seeded areas.
But co-author Anthony Morrison points out that clouds in Tasmania contain vast amounts of supercooled liquid water and are unusually clean — making them particularly suitable for cloud seeding.
And Siems wants more research, saying, ”There could be other explanations for the increased rainfall — although we suspect that cloud seeding is a significant contributor.”
He told SciDev.Net that promoting cloud seeding to developing countries is “probably not a good thing to do”.
“There are many, many unscrupulous people in the field of weather modification who up until now have promoted some methods without any proper scientific evidence. Developing countries are particularly at risk here,” says Siems.
The technique ”remains controversial, especially because in the early days unrealistic claims were made about its success”, says Johannes Verlinde, associate professor of meteorology at US-based Pennsylvania State University.
Another reason for the controversy, he says, is that no two clouds are alike, making it difficult to compare clouds to prove it really works.
Siems cautions that developing countries should carefully consider whether cloud seeding is right for them and avoid other unproven techniques.
Roelof Bruintjes, of the National Centre for Atmospheric Research in Colorado, United States, agrees, and says that there are many companies promoting techniques such as ‘ionisation’ — where charged particles in the air are claimed to act as nuclei for rain drops to form — that have not been scientifically proven.
The problem, he says, ”is that people are desperate and in some cases are willing to try anything”.
However, he also says cloud seeding may be an economical way to enhance water resources in some developing countries. Bruintjes’ own organisation is helping Mali monitor cloud seeding experiments.
But he “would advise all governments considering cloud seeding to conduct tests first to see if it is going to work for their country”.
The research was published in the June issue of the Journal of Applied Meteorology and Climatology.
References:
Journal of Applied Meteorology and Climatology 48, 1267 (2009)
Related Articles:
August 13th, 2009
Article by: ADAM SHAKE – TwilightEarth.com
Environmentalist efforts, a sagging economy and major cities outlawing the sales of bottle water, have contributed to a drop in sales.
 Dasani Water Bottle In our article; Bottled Water – A 4,000 Percent Markup Via Coke And Pepsi, we wrote that:
- Bottled water cost’s up to 4,000 times more than tap water
- Bottled water is essentially tap water
- Bottled water does not fall under FDA guidelines, and is often has more mercury and other pollutants in it than public utility water.
- 80% of water bottles end up in landfills, streams and the environment.
- It takes 5 bottles of water to create the plastic for 1 water bottle.
- Pepsi, Coca-Cola (owners of Dasani and Aquafina) and Nestle have all been accused of over pumping streams, taking water from farmers, and in some cases, capping public wells in third world countries, claiming ownership of aquifers and making it illegal for people to collect rainwater. (forcing villagers to go to the river and drink polluted water)
The popularity of bottled water soared in the 1990s and the early 2000s, but that is changing, according to figures from market research company TNS. Last year the on-going year-on-year increase in sales was halted and sales actually fell by 9%.
The United States is one of the few countries in the word that has clean, publicly available drinking water at a low cost. There is no reason for us to be buying a product that is not only almost free, but pollutes our environment.
You’ve heard the old saying “Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime.” I’d like to say, “buy a bottle of water and you quench your thirst for a day. Buy a reusable water bottle and you quench your thirst for a lifetime.”
Keep up the good fight, and alter the eco!
Source: The Guardian
————————————
EDITORS NOTE: We say “RIGHT ON!!!” to this article! This is good news indeed, the lesser the numbers of plastic bottles sold, the lesser the numbers of landfills filling up with plastic junk! We recommend using re-usable Glass Water Bottles, which, of course, we sell here at AirAndAqua.com (On Sale Currently for $19.99 Here: http://www.airandaqua.com/sunshop/index.php?l=product_detail&p=48 ).
Although this article praises the public water supply available in the U.S. , please take note that there are still harmful compounds such as Chlorine and Fluoride which you are ingesting! Consider a Water Purification System to filter these nasty substances and to fill your Glass Water Bottles with Clean, Pure Water!
July 28th, 2009
Source: WRAL.com – AP Writer Kevin Maurer
WILMINGTON, N.C. — North Carolina’s senior U.S. senator introduced a bill Tuesday calling for the Department of Veterans Affairs to provide health care to veterans and their relatives who were exposed to contaminated water at Camp Lejeune.
 Senator Richard Burr Sen. Richard Burr’s bill, “Caring for Camp Lejeune Veterans Act of 2009,” would grant care at a VA facility to any veteran or family member who was based at Camp Lejeune and suffers from adverse health effects. Burr’s office did not specify what kind of health problems, only that they are connected to exposure to contaminated water. Calls to the Department of Veterans Affairs were not returned.
A Marine Corps spokesman, 1st Lt. Brian Block, said the service would study the bill before making a statement.
“As far as pending legislation, it is something we’d be very interested in seeing because anything that impacts our former residents and Marines is very important to us,” he said. “Our first concern is taking care of our Marines and their family members.”
Water was contaminated by dry cleaning solvents and other sources at the base’s major family housing areas: Tarawa Terrace and Hadnot Point. It is impossible to know how many people would qualify, Burr’s office said. Health officials believe as many as 1 million people may have been exposed to the toxins trichloroethylene (TCE) or perchloroethylene (PCE) before the wells were closed 22 years ago.
“Camp Lejeune veterans and their families deserve closure on this tragic situation,” Burr said in a statement. He is a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee and is the ranking member of the Veterans Affairs Committee.
Jerry Ensminger, a retired Marine master sergeant who lived at the base, applauded the bill. He said veterans from the base are being diagnosed with cancer and the VA is turning down their claim because it is not service connected.
“At least this is a start. We haven’t had that up to this point,” said Ensminger, whose daughter was conceived at Camp Lejeune and died of childhood leukemia in 1985 at age 9. “This legislation is great for providing help to those who need it but it does not by any means exonerate the Department of the Navy and Marine Corps of their culpability on this issue.”
He would still like to see a hearing on the issue in front of the full Senate Armed Services Committee.
It was not immediately clear how the care offered in Burr’s bill would be funded. Burr’s office said the VA was a logical choice because veterans already go there for medical care and the bill will offer veterans and their families some relief while the problem is studied.
“This is definitely a necessary step,” said David Ward, a Burr spokesman. “This is kind of a first step in providing the care these folks need. We are starting here and then moving forward.”
People who lived at the base have claimed everything from child leukemia to skin lesions and rashes. A report released earlier this month by the National Academy of Sciences said there are severe challenges in trying to connect the contaminants to any birth defects, cancer and many other ailments suffered by people who lived and worked on base. The 341-page report reviewed past studies of the base’s water and called into question the value of further studies.
Burr’s office stressed that the National Research Council report is not the final word on the issue, and he looks forward to seeing the results of the ongoing study of water by the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry.
Burr and Sen. Kay Hagan, D-N.C., have also asked the Navy for details about gaps in information. Hagan plans to meet with Navy Secretary Ray Mabus in September, according to her office.
“While we continue to seek more answers, this bill is a step towards providing the Lejeune veterans and their families the respect and care they deserve,” Burr said. “We owe those who are sick the benefit of the doubt and the health care they need.”
—————————————-
Related Articles:
July 26th, 2009
Source: FoxNews.com
“DALLAS — Off-duty police officers are patrolling streets, looking for people illegally watering their lawns and gardens. Residents are encouraged to stealthily rat out water scofflaws on a 24-hour hot line. One Texas lake has dipped so low that stolen cars dumped years ago are peeking up through the waterline.”
The nation’s most drought-stricken state is deep-frying under relentless 100-degree days and waterways are drying up, especially in the hardest-hit area covering about 350 miles across south-central Texas. That’s making folks worried about the water supply — and how long it might last.
“The water table’s fallin’ and fallin’ and fallin,’ like a whole lot of other people around here,” said Wendell McLeod, general manager of Liberty Hill Water Supply Corp. and a 60-year resident of the town northwest of Austin. “This is the worst I can recall seeing it. I tell you, it’s just pretty bleak.”
There are 230 Texas public water systems under mandatory water restrictions, including those in and near San Antonio, Dallas, Houston and Austin. Another 60 or so have asked for voluntary cutbacks. Water levels are down significantly in lakes, rivers and wells around Texas.
Liberty Hill’s Web site urges its 1,400 or so residents in all-red letters to stop using unnecessary water with this plea: “If we follow these strict guidelines, we may have drinking water.” The town’s shortage eased some with the arrival this week of 35,000 gallons a day from a nearby water system, but residents are still worried.
According to drought statistics released by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, 77 of Texas’ 254 counties are in extreme or exceptional drought, the most severe categories. No other state in the continental U.S. has even one area in those categories. John Nielsen-Gammon, the Texas state climatologist at Texas A&M University, said he expects harsh drought conditions to last at least another month.
In the bone-dry San Antonio-Austin area, the conditions that started in 2007 are being compared to the devastating drought of the 1950s. There have been 36 days of 100 degrees or more this year in an area where it’s usually closer to 12.
 From drought.unl.edu - Click for Large Image Among the most obvious problems are the lack of water in Lake Travis and Lake Buchanan near Austin, two massive reservoirs along the Colorado River that provide drinking water for more than 1 million people and also are popular boating and swimming spots. Streams and tributaries that feed the lakes have “all but dried up,” according to the Lower Colorado River Authority.
Lake Travis is more empty than full, down 54 percent. All but one of the 12 boating ramps are closed because they no longer reach the water, and the last may go soon. The receding waters have even revealed old stolen cars shoved into the lake years ago, authorities said.
There’s no threat to the area’s drinking water supply, said Bob Rose, a meteorologist with the river authority. But there are increased boating hazards from the “sometimes islands” that pop up when the water’s low, increased risk of wildfires, and more interactions between humans and wildlife.
“We’re seeing deer and armadillo and other animals in places we don’t typically see them,” he said. “They’re starving for water and food.”
At the Oasis, a popular restaurant with a deck overlooking Lake Travis, the islands are even starting to grow heavy vegetation.
“You can see all the white on the rocks where the waterline used to be,” said Becca Torbert, a server at the restaurant who says the boat traffic is down, but the water’s down even more.
San Antonio, which relies on the Edwards Aquifer for its water, is enduring its driest 23-month period since weather data was recorded starting in 1885, according to the National Weather Service. The aquifer’s been hovering just above 640 feet deep, and if it dips below that the city will issue its harshest watering restrictions yet.
The city’s not just sitting around, though. A total of 30 off-duty officers and other employees are working overtime to patrol the city looking for people illegally watering. Since April, about 1,500 people have been cited and ordered to pay fines ranging from $50 to over $1,000. Residents also are encouraged to rat out water scofflaws on the 24-hour Water Waste Hot Line.
“We don’t go out in a car with sirens blazing or anything like that, but we do take the report and send out a letter saying ‘You’ve been reported for not following water rules,’” said Anne Hayden, spokeswoman for the San Antonio Water System.
There have been smatterings of light rain in the area this week, but not enough to make much difference. But hopefully, the end is in sight. Victor Murphy, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service, said an El Nino system is developing in the Pacific Ocean. That phenomenon is usually followed by increased rainfall in Texas in the fall.
McLeod, from Liberty City, hopes his little town can hang on till then.
“I don’t know how we can,” he said. “I try not to look too far ahead.”
July 16th, 2009
Source: PanHandleParade.com
 Boil Water Alert: Springfield, Florida - Credit: WMBB The City of Springfield Utilities Department will be performing underground maintenance work and water service will be interrupted for approximately 1 hour beginning at 8 a.m. Thursday, July 16 for addresses on School Avenue from 6th Plaza to 8th Street and on 8th Street from School Avenue to Nottingham Drive.
A precautionary water boil notice will be in effect after water service is restored. This precautionary boil water notice will be rescinded once satisfactory bacteriological water test results are received which may take up to three days.
We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause. If you have any questions, please call 872-7570, ext. 101.
July 10th, 2009
Source: redOrbit.com
Fearing the late arrival of the annual monsoon, scientists in India are flying through storm clouds seeding them with weather modification chemicals in hopes of artificially creating rain.
The monsoon’s late arrival has left the ground parched and crops damaged as water shortages sweep through the cities. At least 100 people have been reported dead as a result of the disastrous heat wave reaching temperatures as high as 113F.
 Weather Modification, Cloud Seeding in India In Delhi some residents have resorted to sleeping in their air-conditioned cars during power cuts that can last up to 12 hours a day. The government of the southern state of Andhra Pradesh has even ordered all religious institutions to pray for rain.
The water shortage crisis exposes the vulnerability of the region that is so dependant on the monsoon, which governs the lives of about 740 million people living in the countryside.
The Indian government has utilized the American method of cloud seeding technology before, but now it is working to develop its own techniques to ensure that monsoon clouds will yield torrential rains. It will be funding a three-year experiment to find the best way to seed the monsoon clouds that appear across the sub-continent between June and September.
On May 17, The Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology, based in the western city of Pune (Poona), introduced the cloud aerosol interaction and precipitation enhancement experiment (Caipeex). “I’m not saying the cloud-seeding is the only solution,” J. R. Kulkarni, the manager of the program, told The Times. “But in several different parts of the globe it has now been attempted and found to be successful, so it will definitely help to ease the situation.”
Cloud seeding involves spraying chemicals into the air such as dry ice, silver iodide and potassium or sodium chloride, which causes moisture particles to expand, forming drops of rain that fall to the ground.
In the first part of the experiment, three scientists took a dangerous trip in a light aircraft through the rain clouds with their equipment every day for two to four hours, according to Professor Kulkarni.
“Yes, it’s a little bit dangerous,” he said. “Normally, people avoid the monsoon clouds — we go into them — but that’s a part of the research.” He explained that the equipment is used to measure the temperature, speed, chemical composition and moisture and particle levels of the clouds from the inside.
In the second part of the experiment, during the 2010 and 2011 monsoons, they plan to use two aircrafts to seed the clouds at random while rain gauges on the ground measure the precipitation.
Then, the final stage of the process will take place in 2011 through 2012 when scientists will do the tedious work of analyzing data, compiling computer models and drawing up guidelines on how to seed clouds.
India’s cloud seeding experimentation started in 1951, but the technology has only been used sporadically. They have yet to succeed in drawing up a national policy for how and when it should be used. The largest cloud seeding program is in China, followed by Russia and Israel, and at least 24 other countries are known to use the technology.
Many critics argue that the endeavor is too expensive and that there are too many risks involved in compromising the balance of nature and conjuring the tempestuous monsoon waters, which is causing many disputes between neighboring states. Those supporting the method insist that it has the potential to create balance in rainfalls that flood much of eastern India every year, while the northern areas are parched.
India has a variety of traditions and rituals that are believed to bring rain. For example, in Vedic and Hindu rituals, frogs are married to supposedly please the rain god and conjure the monsoon. Rain summoning dances are also documented across the globe and are still used in the Romanian ritual of paparuda still performed in some villages.
In the ritual, a girl wearing a skirt made of knitted vines and small branches, sings and dances through the streets of the village, stopping at every house, where the hosts pour water on her. The people of the village follow her dancing and shouting.
—
Related:
July 8th, 2009
The American Lung Association has released their annual air quality report for 2009. You can view information on ozone readings, particle pollution, groups at risk and more. Click the map below.
Breathing polluted air can seriously harm your health and even shorten your life. For 10 years, the American Lung Association has used data from state air quality monitors to produce its annual State of the Air report. The more you learn about the air you breathe, the more you can protect your health and take steps to make our air cleaner and healthier.
View the Full Report Here and choose a state to see the report for your area.
 Air Quality Report for 2009
|
|
