It’s truly amazing how the human body can go for weeks without food but only a mere few days without water of some kind. Just like the planet earth itself, water is what makes up the majority of the human body and is integral to the body’s natural metabolic processes. Unfortunately, many people are dehydrated without even knowing it. In fact, many times what may feel like hunger is actually a person’s body craving and asking for more water! Other symptoms of dehydration can include headache, tiredness, brain fog, nausea, irritability, dry skin, and constipation. And in terms of more severe symptoms of dehydration, a person can even experience muscle pain, joint paint, and dry mouth.
Are you drinking the recommended amount of water each day, which is known as consuming eight, eight ounce glasses for a total of 64 fluid ounces? This typically easier said than done due to the busy lifestyles so many people have nowadays. Though there are ways to make sure you’re getting enough water on a regular basis, this can be difficult to do at times because water quality indicators for both tap and bottle water reveal poor quality. Water quality testing kits often reveal impurities in water that can actually discourage people from drinking the water they so desperately need, though knowing exactly what’s in a public water source is extremely beneficial in terms of prevention.
Though you can buy water testing kits and water quality kits on your own to test the quality of the water coming out of your faucet or the quality of water coming out of a bottle, government agencies often use water resistivity among other popular water quality analysis methods. Water resistivity works by revealing how much a material, in this case water, resists the flow of electricity. The amount of contaminants or pollutants in a water supply will reveal it’s water resistivity.
The irony lies in the fact that although public water supplies are subjected to rigorous water resistivity and other forms of testing to ensure purity and safety, tap water can still contain traces of toxic agricultural run off, harsh industrial waste, fluoride, pharmaceutical medication, parasites, protozoa, and illness causing bacteria. Additionally, some brands of bottled, purified water isn’t that much better. Most of these are nothing but glorified and overpriced tap water. Yes, you read that right! Here’s a little known secret; many brands of purified bottle water actually come from the same public water supplies as tap water, meaning they can contain the same contaminants and impurities!
All of this can make drinking your eight eight ounces of water each day seem pretty unappealing. There are however, plenty of ways in which you can access safe, clean, and pure drinking water for yourself and your family. Here’s what you can do.
Take advantage of water filters
Although a whole house water filter is ideal, they’re very expensive to install. You can experience the same benefits however by using over faucet water filters, shower head water filters, pitcher filters for, and even portable water filters for when you’re on the go. These can eliminate the need to buy bottled spring water, which though it’s a better alternative in many cases to purified water, the cost of continually buying it can add up. Make filters your best friend!
Call the water authority to report violators
Everyone hates the feeling of being a tattletale, but when it comes to people and businesses showing a complete and total lack of environmentally responsibility and concern, it’s important to do something about it. If you know of a neighbor or company who is continually and illegally dumping chemicals that can lead to water contamination, it’s time to alert the water authority immediately.