Copyright 2000 The San Diego Union-Tribune
The San
Diego Union-Tribune
February 2, 2000, Wednesday
SECTION: FOOD;Pg. FOOD-2
LENGTH: 777 words
HEADLINE:
Water quality a valid concern
BYLINE: Ed Blonz; Ed
Blonz, Ph.D., a nutritional scientist based in Northern California.
BODY:
Q. You are always talking about the
importance of drinking water, but I am concerned about the safety of the water I
drink. What is the difference between personal water filtration systems that
latch onto your tap and those that go into the pitchers? I've been reading about
water safety violations and how pesticides can get into water systems. Can those
filtration systems filter everything out?
O.O.
A. There are many
factors that can affect the safety of one's home water supply. For those who
live in industrial areas, there may be a risk of contaminants. If you live in an
agricultural area, agricultural chemicals may find their way into the ground
water. And even if the water coming into your house is pure, lead in your pipes
or faucets could be releasing that dangerous heavy metal into the water you use.
Chlorine is a very effective disinfectant, but it
represents a potential cause for concern. For more than 90 years,
chlorine has been used to disinfect public water. There's a
possibility, however, that the chlorine itself may pose a
health risk.
In addition to killing bacteria, chlorine
can react with natural materials or man-made pollutants to form mutagenic and
carcinogenic compounds.
These byproducts of
chlorination can increase the risk of certain cancers, but it is doubtful that
we will be seeing a cessation of chlorination any time soon, as it represents
the most economical and effective method of bacterial control at the present
time.
There are plenty of home water treatment devices on the market
ranging in price from the tens to the thousands of dollars. Inexpensive
cartridge filters can grab most of the chlorine and lead and
improve the taste of the water.
But it is only after you have found out
more about the quality of your water supply that you can make a decision about
whether additional purification makes sense, and which system would be best
suited to your needs.
A prudent first step is to request the annual
report on water quality from the department that supplies the water to your
house. This may not be necessary, though, because in October a new Environmental
Protection Agency (EPA) program called Consumer Confidence Reporting went into
effect. Water utilities are now required to supply an annual report on what's in
your tap water -- besides H2O.
In addition to telling you where the
water comes from, there should be a complete list of potential contaminants,
such as pesticides, herbicides, bacteria, metals, industrial chemicals and
radioactive substances.
These reports are to be mailed to the person who
pays the water bill, so if that is not you, you should seek out the appropriate
individual and make sure that you are in the loop when the report arrives.
(Customers of the city of San Diego Water Department can expect to
receive the annual water quality report as an insert in their bills sometime
during the spring, a department spokesman said.)
There is always the
option of having your water tested. If you decide to go this route, seek out an
independent testing laboratory.
The EPA operates a Safe Drinking Water
Hotline, (800) 426-4791, weekdays from 6 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. PST.
The
agency will answers questions about the safety of the water supply, where to
test water and what to test for.
You may request the free booklet "Is
Your Drinking Water Safe?" from the EPA Office of Drinking Water, WH-550, 401 M
St. S.W., Washington, DC 20460.
Q. While visiting our daughter in New
York, I noticed something called Milk for Life, Premium Fat-Free Milk. We tried
it and found that it looked like regular milk and not like skim. Are you
familiar with this product, and is it safe?
J.C., San Diego
A.
The makers of this product take fat-free milk and add a blend of carrageenan, a
thickener; titanium dioxide, for color; and natural flavors to change the
appearance and mouth feel into something that resembles a low-fat product.
I haven't tried this product, but the added compounds are all considered
to be safe. It is manufactured in upstate New York.
According to the
California Milk Advisory Board, there is no comparable product here because
carrageenan as a thickener is not allowed in milk sold in California. However,
milk solids are added to nonfat milk in California to improve the mouth feel.
Ed Blonz, Ph.D., a nutritional scientist based in Northern California,
is the author of "Power Nutrition" (Signet, 1998) and the "Your Personal
Nutritionist" book series (Signet, 1996). General-interest questions about
nutrition can be mailed to: Ed Blonz, Focus on Nutrition, P.O. Box 120191, San
Diego, CA 92112-0191. E-mail: ed@blonz.com
LOAD-DATE: February 18, 2000
