What You Need to Note About Home Water Testing
Maintaining the wellbeing and health of your family starts with home water testing. Averagely, every home consumes about 3000 water gallons in a day. Over a million miles of water pipes that were laid in the early and mid-20th century deliver water to different homes throughout the country. All families depending on the water for various things around the house like drinking, cleaning, and cooking. With the water consumption levels being very high, it is ideal to ensure that the home water is free from any contaminants such as bacteria, lead, nitrates, magnesium, iron, and arsenic.
Water tests usually measure the availability of contaminants. Contaminants are any radiological, physical, biological, or chemical components in water. Some of the physical contaminants are any substances that impact the physical properties and appearance of water like organic matter and sediments that exist in streams, lakes, and rivers.
Chemical contaminants, on the other hand, are compounds and elements that are found in water. They may either be human-made or naturally occurring, such as pharmaceuticals toxins, nitrogen, and pesticides. Biological contaminants examples include parasites, viruses, bacteria, and protozoan.
Radiological contaminants are the chemical substances that have an unbalanced number of neutrons and protons. Consequently, the unbalance will cause the atoms to produce radiation. Some of the radiological contaminants include uranium, cesium, and plutonium.
There are diverse impacts that contaminants have on the health of human beings. Different contaminant categories are depending on the kind of health effects it can lead to. Acute effects will happen several hours and days of consuming the contaminated water. Microbes like viruses and bacteria lead to a high chance of people experiencing grave health issues. The bodies of most individuals fight off microbial toxins, similar to how they fight germs. The acute contaminants thus do not have any long-term effects. Nonetheless, when consumed at very high levels, they can be hazardous, especially for individuals with weak immune systems.
Chronic effects of water contamination happen after people consume harmful substances for a more extended period. Some of the contaminants include arsenic, radium, and chemicals. Some of the resultant health risks that people can have include liver issues, reproductive difficulties, kidney conditions, and cancer.
It can be hard knowing when to test the water that you consume in your home daily. The necessary water test can significantly be impacted by various factors: the desired detection levels, federal and local regulations, agriculture, climate, and infrastructure. There are, however, signs that one must watch out for to carry out a water test at home. For instance, if your family continually suffers from gastrointestinal ailments, you should test the water for coliform bacteria. Analyzing the PH levels, copper, and lead will sow if or not the plumbing structures have lead.
If you reside close to an agricultural region, it is recommended that you test for coliform bacteria, pesticides, and nitrates. Testing for total dissolved solids and hardness is one of the top alternatives for the families who suffer from spotted dishware, scale buildup on appliances and fixtures, and itchy skin. The staining of laundry and plumbing may need you to test for specific contaminants like manganese, copper, and iron.