a guide to the hidden hazards of drinking water and what you can do to ensure a safe, good-tasting supply for the home /
by Carol Keough, with special contributions and technical assistance from Patricia M. Nesbitt ; foreword by Robert Harris ; ill. by Edward Hanke.
Emmaus, PA :
Rodale Press,
c1980.
xi, 265 p. :
ill. ;
23 cm.
Includes bibliographical references and index.
Foreword -- Acknowledgments -- Not a drop to drink -- Government in action-or government inaction -- Nature of water -- What's in your water? -- Elusive ingredients -- Let's clean it up -- Equipment -- Finding a new source -- Future: crisis, conservation, and a silver lining -- Appendix A: Glossary-all about water-from H20 -- Appendix B: Water supply disinfection chart -- Appendix C: How to visit your local water treatment plant -- Appendix D: Getting your water tested -- Index.
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If you care about the quality of the food you eat, you should know something about the quality of the water your drink. If you're like most of us, you take water for granted. It looks pretty good and has a reassuring, clean smell. Luckily for our peace of mind, a glass of water doesn't carry a list of ingredients. There's no printed statement declaring that this benign-looking liquid can cause cancer, or heart disease, or heavy-metal poisoning. Water fit to drink was written to shake your complacency. A recent general accounting office report says that "water supply quality may be deteriorating the nation's water supplies are threatened by the careless use of hundreds of chemical compounds and the heedless disposal of toxic wastes. The Environmental Protection Agency has listed 32,254 disposal sites with potentially hazardous waste problems. A check of water in 80 cities across the country showed that all samples contained cancer-causing chemicals. These were found in greater quantities in treated water than in "raw" water, because they are caused by the purification process itself. The result of our folly is that the National Cancer Institute has found 1,700 organic chemicals in the water supply of the United States and Europe. Having painted a grim picture, water fit to drink tells how you can be assured of a supply of good water. Are commercial tap filters really effective? -- Where can the home's water be tested? -- Can chlorine be removed from water by adding vitamin C? -- Is discolored water necessarily bad water? -- What are the pros and cons of fluoridation? -- Why is chlorination a mixed blessing? -- Why should only the home's not water be softened? -- If you're concerned about the junk in food, then read what's happened to the water you drink and cook with.
Guide to the hidden hazards of drinking water and what you can do to ensure a safe, good-tasting supply for the home