If you’re concerned about what’s in your water, you have every right to be. Local water municipalities across the U.S. have had issues with neglect of the water system, some intentionally. Beyond that, reports of the Brockovich chemical and radiation affect the water supplies of hundreds of millions of Americans are downright scary. Fortunately, a private water testing laboratory can help you find out what’s in your water and if it’s truly safe to drink.
Heavy Water
When one or both of the hydrogen atoms in a water molecule have a neutron, you get heavy water. A neutron makes the hydrogen twice as heavy as it normally is. Heavy water is not radioactive, and you would feel few if any effects from drinking a glass. A diet featuring about 25 percent heavy water would result in sterilization.
Heavy Metals
Mercury, lead, arsenic, cadmium, chromium, copper, and thallium are some of the heavy metals found in the Earth’s crust. Lead has been used in paint. Mercury in thermometers. Many of the electronics now common, like smart phones, also use significant amounts of heavy metals in their construction. These metals are poisonous to people, even in small doses. They’re most often found in water after leeching out from landfills or from places where they haven’t been disposed of properly. They can also be found in the food supply.
Up the Food Chain
Heavy metals do not get excreted by the creature that ingests them or the plant that takes them in through the roots. Instead, they accumulate in the creature’s body. When the creature gets eaten, the larger creature gets all of the heavy metals accumulated and holds onto it, which makes humans a prime source for bioaccumulation and the ill effects associated with poisonous metals. Contaminated drinking water is a problem because the metals may also accumulate in high doses. Fortunately, for people who are concerned, a private water testing laboratory can help them find out what’s in the water they’re drinking. Call Environmental Testing and Research Laboratories to learn more.