Hidden 'safe' water crisis

By Bob Livingston Monsanto, Dow, Bayer, other chemical companies and Big Agriculture are co-conspirators in agricultural terrorism. In addition to contaminating our food supply with pesticides, hormones and genetic modifications, water supplies are being contaminated as well — even for those who live in the city far away from farmland. Flint, Michigan's contaminated water should not have been such a surprise considering the Environmental Protection Agency has revealed that only nine U.S. states are reporting safe levels of lead in their water supply. Those states are Alabama, Arkansas, Hawaii, Kentucky, Mississippi, Nevada, North Dakota, South Dakota and Tennessee. Add Springfield, Illinois, Milwaukee, Wisconsin and Dayton, Ohio to the cities that have found high levels of lead in their water. Some states like Georgia and Oregon are being criticized for not testing for it. The EPA says the other 41 states had higher than acceptable levels of lead in drinking water. EPA also said that of more than 7,000 schools that are subject to the agency's Lead and Copper Rule, 431 reported heightened levels of lead in the three years from 2012 to 2015. The EPA report doesn't even bother to mention the dozens of other contaminants and toxicants invading our water. Even within states, the water quality is not necessarily consistent throughout, so the water supply in a given community may be better or worse than the overall state levels. Even in those states with supposedly safe water overall, some communities may not be up to that standard. For example, Texas has the most widespread problem of radium in the water supply.    Communities get water from rivers, lakes, reservoirs and groundwater. Water utilities use a combination of processes to purify water before pumping it down the pipeline to the tap. Chemicals are added that attach to impurities so they will settle to the bottom of the water tank to be filtered out (except of course the additives sodium fluoride and chlorine, which are both cancer-causing agents, as numerous studies have shown. Sodium fluoride is added to most American drinking water under government fiat). Water is filtered through sand, gravel and charcoal to remove dust, parasites, bacteria, viruses and chemicals. Water is disinfected with chlorine, chloramine, phosphates or ozone or a combination of these. In some places, they use so much chlorine to kill bacteria and viruses, you can smell it when your pour the water. Some communities like Seattle and New York take extra measures to protect the source of the water supply with regulations and programs to protect their watershed. The problem of bad water coming into our homes is also about the infrastructure that delivers it from the water treatment facility to the tap in your kitchen or bath. Even if it's safe at the water treatment plant, it's what happens to the water on the way to your home that causes the worry. For many communities in the U.S., the water supply infrastructure is antiquated and sorely in need of upgrading and repair, even more than our roads and bridges. The pipes are underground and were installed as cities grew outward. Many older pipes are made of lead, which can leach into the water. Very low levels of lead can cause behavioral problems, slow growth and lower IQs. There are now studies that say our crime rate has fallen since the 1970s simply because lead has been taken out of gasoline. Bottled water is not necessarily safe either. Public water supplies are governed by the EPA, which requires disclosure of the contents of the water, and we see how that's turned out. Bottled water comes under the Food and Drug Administration, which regulates bottled water as food but does not have the capability of mandatory testing. Bottlers are required to list the source of the water but not the content (except in California). So you have no idea what you're drinking. These are some things you can do to have peace of mind that you are getting safe water: • Filter your water. Carbon filters are good but reverse osmosis is even better, removing contaminants that carbon filters miss. Or, consider using a solar still. Solar stills are easy to construct and require only two essential components: A container to catch water and large sheet of clear plastic. Optional items include a long plastic drinking tube with end cap, a small shovel and duct tape. The plastic covering allows solar rays to pass through, evaporating the water. The water vapor rises and collects on the underside of the plastic. The water can then be collected as drinkable water. A solar still can distill almost any tainted water, even sea water. It will not work on water containing high amounts of chemicals, radiator fluids, fuels or materials that give off toxins. • Get a whole-house filter to remove water contaminates that circulate in water vapor in the air from shower steam and dishwashing. • Boil your water. Boil water to be used for drinking, cooking, bathing or washing dishes. Bring it to a full boil for at least 5-10 minutes. • Purify water with bleach. If water quality is questionable and boiling is not an option, use a few drops of chlorine bleach (about 1/8 teaspoon or eight drops per gallon of water), stir it up well and let it sit for at least 30 minutes before use to allow the chlorine to kill bacteria. Store it in clean disinfected containers with tight lids. • Provide your own water supply. If your circumstances permit and you can afford it, dig your own well so you'll be completely "off the grid" for water supply. Be aware, though, that well water is vulnerable to contamination from underground sources. So have your water tested by a reputable lab regularly and maintain the pipes and fixtures diligently to prevent bacterial growth. If you've been drinking impure water: The contaminants in much of our water are responsible for fatigue, premature aging, chronic disease, even cancer. To reverse the saturation in body tissue, I look to chelation with EDTA. And I consider this book the quintessential guide on EDTA chelation. I highly recommend it and believe it will help open your eyes to benefits you can't afford to ignore.