Elderly and drinking water

Waterborne contaminants are not a new health risk. It has been the topic of discussion for years, inciting debates on policies, restrictions and technology when it comes to the water you use every day. Last year, a study by the University of California-Berkleyโ€™s School of Public Health shed some light on a population that may be more susceptible that the rest when it comes to contamination: the elderly. The report showed while some risk levels are acceptable for the public at large, the โ€œimmunocompromisedโ€ may need to invest in extra precautions. The article Increased Risk in the Elderly from Tap Water Consumption goes on to say, โ€œโ€ฆPOU drinking water filters were found to reduce stomach illness in the elderly (persons over the age of 55). The incidence of highly credible gastrointestinal disease among those with and without purification systems differed by 12 percent, a statistically significant improvement. It is important to note that the supplied water was from a high quality, treated source in Sonoma County, California that met all state federal water quality standards during the survey period. Thus, the additional rate of illness could be even higher in less quality supplies that are not treated at the POU.โ€ The overarching theme of these studies is to simply make people aware of their water. It is up to the individual to watch their faucet, and it is up to the individual to do something about it if there is an issue. source – www.culliganh2pointo.com

What does “TDS” mean to you?

TDS (Total Dissolved Solids)

Total Dissolved Solids (TDS) is a term used to define the amount of all the dissolved minerals in the water. Dissolved solids come from rock dissolved by water. High dissolved solids may have the following effects:
  • Bad Taste – This could be really any variety of tastes, but more common would be salty, bitter, or astringent
  • Scaling – High hardness in conjunction with high alkalinity or sulfates causes scale
  • Spotting – Even with soft water, a residue can be left behind on a surface after the water has evaporated
  • Mineral Fur – Mineral Fur is found around water spigots/faucets due to the accumulation of solids upon evaporation
  • Laxative Effect – caused by high sulfate
The Federal Drinking Water Standard on TDS is 500 ppm. ย  http://water.epa.gov/drink/contaminants/secondarystandards.cfm The best way to treat high TDS is through reverse osmosis.ย  It is important to know your TDS levels ahead of time before you purchase any equipment.ย  Reverse osmosis (RO) will have certain limits as to how much TDS it can reduce depending on make and model.ย  Other important factors in reverse osmosis is feed pressure and temperature.ย  It may be necessary to add booster pumps either before or after an RO depending on those factors.ย  More information on RO can be found here: ย  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reverse_osmosis

Drink Up – Some Home Water Test

There is a theme I am hitting on right now, and itโ€™s Drinking Water Month. So, here are some very quick ways to get an indication on how your drinking water stacks up.
  1. Check your ice cubes. If they are cloudy, you may have a water issue.
  2. Take the sniff test. Does your water have an odor? Is it similar to a swimming pool smell? Or a rotten egg smell?
  3. If you have a pet, pour some water from a bottle in a bowl and some tap water in another bowl. If your pet chooses to drink the bottled water, you may have high levels of chlorine in your tap water.
  4. Make a cup of tea with bottled water and one with tap water. Put the teas in a glass. If the tap water tea is darker than the bottled water tea, then you may benefit from a reverse osmosis (RO) drinking water system.
  5. Track how much you spend each week on single-serve bottled water. If itโ€™s more than $5 weekly, you could put a virtual โ€œbottled water plantโ€ under your sink for only pennies a glass.
Written by Peter Raisch
Virtual Drinking Water Plant!

TAMU Football Players Help Local Youth Team

Several weeks back a large group of the TAMU football team came out to help a local Bryan Youth Football team.ย  The Buccaneerโ€™s are group of 5-7 year old’s that love to play football. Our Bottle Water route manager coaches the Buccaneer’s and has his boys on the team.ย  TAMU head Coach Sherman heard about the need to work on the Buccaneer’s football fields and quickly send over a large group of guys to help work on the fields.ย  Thanks to Coach Sherman and the entire football team for coming out and supporting our local Bryan Youth.ย  It was good for the young guys/gals to see older players lending a helping hand. [Read more…]

So I ran a Marathon…

Austin Marathon Finish Line!
I ran a marathon! Great right? I was super excited to train for this not only for the great accomplishment but excited to see how it would change my body. I will be in the best shape of my life! Well, so I thought. Although I was exercising more then Iโ€™ve ever exercised before, worked harder then Iโ€™ve ever worked before I actually gained a few pounds while training. I am aware of what I eat and aim to eat a healthy balanced diet. The difference in my diet is that I started consuming gels/guโ€™s and sports drinks. Basically drinking a lot of calories that I normally donโ€™t. My rule is to not drink my calories, besides my one cup of FFBB00 juice in the AM. I stick to water and un-sweet tea and some diet soda although I did cut that out while training. This phenomenon happened to my good friend too who is also a woman. Our husbands on the other hand lost weight while consuming more calories, go figure! What did I learn in my training experience? I will stick to more good water while training and not as many sports drinks! Written by – Katy Garner Bookmark and Share