LAT: Cancer Risk From Industrial Chemical in Drinking Water Rises: Study

[DeepModem Mom]

Cancer Risk From Industrial Chemical Rises, Study Finds
Trichloroethylene, or TCE, is widely found in drinking water. California has some of the nation's worst contamination.
By Ralph Vartabedian, Times Staff Writer
July 27, 2006

After a detailed study of the most widespread industrial contaminant in U.S. drinking water, the National Research Council will report today that evidence is growing stronger that the chemical causes cancer and other human health problems.

The 379-page report clears a path for federal regulators to formally raise the risk assessment of trichloroethylene, known as TCE, a step that has been tied up by infighting between scientists at the Environmental Protection Agency and the Defense Department....

***

If the risk posed by TCE is significantly higher than previously thought, it could prompt lower limits for TCE in water, as well as stricter cleanups of hundreds of military bases and other polluted facilities. The contamination occurred because TCE, a chemical solvent, was widely dumped into the ground.

Already, some EPA offices are forcing tougher cleanups based on evidence that the chemical poses a greater-than-expected cancer risk.

The EPA attempted to issue a risk assessment in 2001 that found TCE to be two to 40 times more carcinogenic than previously thought, but that action was opposed by the Defense Department, the Energy Department and NASA. The Pentagon has 1,400 properties contaminated with TCE....

http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-na-tce27jul27,0,563677.story?coll=la-home-nation

[Ezlivin]

1. Another reason to use reverse osmosis water filtering

I don't think it's too wise to drink water straight from the faucet (spigot, tap) any longer.

Water in the D/FW area is pretty laden with minerals and other stuff (that we know about). Congressman Barton fought long and hard to prevent any penalities for companies who manufacture MBTEs and let them leak into our ground water. God only knows what the hell else is draining into our water supplies.

[mom cat]

2. What is reverse osmosis water filtering?

[Ezlivin]

4. It uses a semi-permeable membrane to pass only some molecules

You can enlarge your brain here: http://www.howstuffworks.com/question29.htm

[CountAllVotes]

3. I have a Multi-Pure filtration system

A bit costly at first but the filters are not really expensive. If you have municipal water you might need to change it twice a year at the most.

I've been using one of these systems for 15+ years ever since I lived in an area where the ground water was indeed contaminated and I was on a well. Those filters I pulled out of the Multi-Pure (which passes everything through a carbon block system) were once green in color. After that I changed them every 3 months.

Scary as hell IMO. Had a neighbor die across the street from me of cancer (age was 35) and the guy living next door to her at same place mentioned was a vegan and recently dx'd with lymphoma. He's about 50 or so I think. I don't know what condition he is in now but he too drank the same awful ugly water unfiltered.

:puke:

:kick:

[Ezlivin]

5. Mine is a 5-stage R/O system with an activated charcoal filter

I use a TDS meter to read out the Total Dissolved Solids (usually less than 10 PPM) and a pH meter to verify a neutral pH.

Yeah, those regular filter changes are necessary to keep the system running.

[Lance_Boyle]

6. many of those minerals are GOOD FOR YOU

and belong in the water. RO filtering and distillation remove the good with the bad, depriving your body of the stuff it's expecting to find in the water with which you hydrate. Not to mention the incredibly wasteful nature of RO filtering - vastly more "waste water" is produced than filtered water. Boo for wasting water; yay for capturing RO "waste water" for other uses (toilet tanks, plant watering, etc.).

[CountAllVotes]

9. the Multi-Pure system does not remove the minerals

FYI.

:kick:

[eppur_se_muova]

7. I wouldn't assume reverse osmosis removes volatile organic solvents ...

of which TCE is one. TCE may very well dissolve in the membrane itself, and simply diffuse out the other side. Depends on what the membrane is made of -- if it's a polymer, best assume the TCE is going straight through.

RO is mostly useful to remove dissolved salts.

[KurtNYC]

8. That god none of the country's produce is grown in California!

:sarcasm: