Removing Arsenic From Water With...Plastic Bottles and Nutrition Supplements?!

http://www.treehugger.com/files/2011/09/removing-arsenic-from-water-with-plastic-bottles-and-nutrition-supplements.php?campaign=th_rss

Picture:

This picture shows the removal of arsenic using pieces of water bottles. Arsenic in water is a serious problem, and this is a new solution to help fight the issue.

Summary:

Arsenic in people's water supply is a major issue, and it is getting worse. The American Chemical Society discovered that close to 100 million people are exposed to dangerous levels of arsenic from thier water. This is a potentially life threatening problem, but it is very expensive to fix. Therefore, a cheap solution is needed. Dr. Tsanangurayi Tongesayi discovered that using pieces of plastic bottles and a nutrient in dietary supplements is a cheap way to make water safe enough to drink. "Our process uses pieces of plastic water, soda pop and other beverage bottles. Coat the pieces with cysteine -- that's an amino acid found in dietary supplements and foods -- and stir the plastic in arsenic-contaminated water," said Tongesayi about the solution. The cysteine takes in the arsenic, so it is absorbed into the plastic. Then the water is drinkable for everyone. An experiment showed that in water containing 20 ppb of arsenic the plastic bottle and cysteine strategy brought the amount of arsenic down to 0.2 ppb. Plastic bottles are easily accessable and the addition of cysteine is an easy process, so giving clean, arsenic free water to everyone is now possible. Researchers are unsure of what negative effects this solution could have in the future, but for now this is the least expensive and most effective way to produce clean water.

Reflection:

I was very surprised when I read this article because I never knew that there was a possible solution for arsenic contamination in water. In class, we learned about different chemical contaminants in water, and arsenic is one that is located in many water supplies. I find it wonderful that using plastic bottles, a resource that so many people have, is a solution to such a terrible problem. Most people say that plastic bottles only hurt the environment, and they have no good qualities, but the bottles are helping to allow everyone the oppurtunity to drink clean water. My mom typically buys bottled water, and I usually say that we should use tap water because it is better for the environment and that bottled water has no positive impact on the environment. Now, I know I am wrong because the bottles do help the environment a major way. The bottles and cysteine may not always be the best solution, but for now it is making a huge difference to people who need clean water.

Questions:

1. Do you think this is a good solution to the problem of arsenic in water? Why?

2.Would you continue to buy products in plastic bottles knowing they have a positive impact on the environment?

3. Why do you think the use of plastic bottles will not be the best solution in the future?

Drugs In Drinking Water

Drugs in our Drinking Water: Prescription for Trouble by Sacca
http://nationalwatercouncil.org/?p=469
10/23/11
Picture: This is a picture of a faucet filling up a glass of water. This picture represents how you really do not know what is coming out of your faucet. You should make sure that your water is filtered and is healthy for you to be drinking.
Summary: For years Environmental engineers and medical experts have been researching the contaminates in the water we drink. It wasn't until recently that they have started looking at the drugs that could be found in our U.S. drinking water. "It is interesting that scientist only recently thought to look for drugs in our drinking water, given the fact that whatever passes through out bodies eventually ends up in our water system." Drugs like antibiotic, antidepressants, and more are taken everyday. Dr. David Oznoff said that, "The risk of disease associated with public drinking water has passed from the theoretical to real." Super microorganism could develop in your water from the chronic presence of low levels of antibiotics in your water supply. The worse part is if you became ill from the microorganisms, they might become resistant to antibiotics. To remove drugs from you water you should not use municipal water filtration systems because they are not made to remove synthetic chemicals, and that is exactly what prescription drugs are. There are some effective water treatments for your home. Multi-stage filtration systems are most effective for getting the job done right and removing all unwanted contaminates. Having a good purification system will keep your water healthy and clean.
Opinion/Reflection
I was very surprised when I read this article. I almost felt disgusted that there could be so many things in our water that could harm us. I am glad that the environmental engineers and medical experts are researching now so that maybe they can find a solution to the problem. I am also glad that there are ways to ensure that your water is clean. It is also scary to think that water that is intended to be good for you could cause you to become ill with no cure.
Question:
1. Do you think this issue will increase or decrease over time? Why?
2. Do you think people today would care enough to go out and buy a water purifier?
3. Why do you think this has just recently become a problem?  

EPA Finalizes Plan to Clean Up Contaminated Ground Water at Tri-Cities Barrel Superfund Site in Broome County, N.Y.

Release date: 10/20/2011 http://yosemite.epa.gov/opa/admpress.nsf/0/5132A990C186059E8525792F00596107


Around the Tri-Cities Barrel Superfund Site in New York, the groundwater was found to be contaminated. The area which is 15 acres total in land was contaminated between 1960 and 1980 by the company. The company was using a series of harsh chemicals to restore and clean used barrels and drums. The chemicals used specifically for cleaning were making the groundwater and nearby lagoon extremely unclean. The EPA found out and forced the company to remove all contaminated drums, barrels, and any other items. The structures on-site were demolished and any left over debri was taken away to be disposed of. The question then became, "How do we decontaminate the groundwater and lagoon?" Members of the EPA came up with three options. They could either do nothing, take out the contaminants themselves by extracting the water and cleaning it, or let the contaminants break down naturally while being monitered. They decided in 2003that the best plan would be to take it out themselves. Today, the EPA has found that even without their efforts to take the contaminants, the contaminants were being brokem down naturally. This has become great news for the lagoon and groundwater and for environmental research. Now the EPA knows that this is another method that could very much be a successful way to decontaminate groundwater and other water sources in the future.

I think that this issue shouldn't have happened to begin with. It is a horrible thing that this company was using these harmful chemicals which hurt our environment. At the same time I think the issue could benefit us a lot now. Researches now know more about the way that groundwater can be cleaned naturally. I think this will help us in the future when things like this happen again. It is an issue that really hurt our environment, but might benefit us in the longrun. Hopefully, researches can come up with even more methods to decontamination knowing the outcome of the groundwater incident.

Questions:
1. Do you think that manually taking out the contaminants or letting them naturally break down is the better method?
2. How could the contaminated water effected humans and the species living in the ground?
3. What types of precautions could be made today, to make sure that a problem like this doesn't occur again?