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How
to Test Your Drinking Water
Do
not purchase any home water testing kit from
any door-to-door salesperson or from anyone
selling them over the phone.
In fact, you should only purchase any
home water testing devices that are issued by
your local health department, and these are
often free.
Individual who sell water-testing kits
door-to-door, or from solution over the phone
are often scammers, who are only out to get
your hard-earned money.
These devices that they are peddling are
useless water testing device.
If you are concerned about the quality
of your drinking water, the only guaranteed way
of ensuring that your water does not contain
harmful pollutants is to have it tested by an
independent lab.
Unfortunately,
this can be expensive, as you must test for
each type of pollutant separately.
However, if your water supply comes from
a municipal utility, be aware that the quality
of your drinking water can change daily.
Therefore, it is usually a waste of
money as well as unnecessary.
The only exception to this would be if
your home is more than 20 years old and has
metal plumbing where lead could have leached
into the water from old lead-based plumbing.
If
you are purchasing home you can contact the
local health department or water company and
request copies of water treatment reports.
You want to check for any violations,
and if these violations were corrected.
You also need to know how frequently the
tests are performed as well as what the testing
encompasses.
You also need to inquire if the area is
known for any special hazards, such as radon,
or pesticides that could enter water supply
anywhere between the treatment plant and your
tap.
If
your water supply comes from a well, then you
should have your water tested for its mineral
content, lead, and radon (if radon is a hazard
in your area).
Then twice a year, you should have your
water tested for bacteria and nitrate.
You should contact your local health
department for any concerns you have about
contaminants found in your well water, and for
their recommendations on how to correct these
problems.
Some local health departments handle
tests, such as bacterial testing for little to
no cost to you.
If your property is located on or near
farm land or was once used as farm land then
you should also have your water tested for
chemicals such as solvents, pesticides and
petroleum products, which can be very
expensive, because each requires its own test.
To
locate an independent testing lab you can
contact your water utility or the state health
department for a recommendation.
Another way is to check under
"Laboratories" in the Yellow Pages. Some laboratories such as National Testing Labs
(800-458-3330) or Suburban Water Testing
(800-433-6595) specialize in water analysis and
offer affordable pricing may be another option
for you to consider.
Both companies will send you the proper
instructions as well as all the supplies you
will need to collect a water sample that you
will mail back.
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