(Please start with the first article in this series.)
In the previous article, we looked at Red Cross and FEMA recommendations for treating dangerously contaminated water in an emergency. In this article, we want to take the first step to understanding WHY they recommend what they do. We need to start with a deeper understanding of water and water contamination…
POINT #1: water is water. So what do I mean by this? What is the difference between highly salty ocean water, stinky pond water, chemically contaminated water in a superfund site, or pure, distilled water? There is NO difference in the water. Water is water. The difference is the contaminants that are in the water. Remove the contaminants, and the water is the same. In fact, water continually recycles throughout our environment and it has a built-in cleaning mechanism called the hydrologic cycle.
POINT #2: you can NOT tell if your water is dangerously contaminated by how it looks, smells or tastes. Even if water looks crystal clear and tastes great, it can contain dangerous contaminants in the water. The fact is, we live in a contaminated world and we have created highly refined, very toxic chemicals that can be dangerous in extremely small quantities.
POINT #3: water contamination is not one-dimensional. There are different categories or types of contaminants that can be in water. These types of contaminants are…