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29350 Northwestern Highway, Southfield, Michigan 48034 I 248.352.8000

WWW.FRANKLINCLUB.COM

Senior Housing and Care Directory
for Southeastern Michigan

Thinking of Choosing a Retirement Community,
Assisted Living Center, Nursing Center
or Home Care?

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42

February 24 • 2011

314

888.590 9098

Know Your Water

„

s consumers, learning about
our drinking water can be
overwhelming. The business
of water has perplexed many consum-
ers who are wanting only what is best
for themselves and their families. Most
of us don't have any idea of how water
makes its way to our faucet and to
bottles.
According to the U.S. Environmental
Protection Agency, an underground
network of pipes delivers
water served by a water sys-
tem that are either from the
ground or surfaces (rivers
or lakes).
Drinking water meets
very stringent health
standards. Water suppliers
use a variety of treatment
processes to remove con-
taminants, which include
coagulation (removing dirt
and other particles), filtra-
tion (removing all particles)
and disinfection (killing dangerous
microbial contaminants). The Safe
Drinking Water Act protects the water
by regulating the public supply and
sources of drinking water.
Bottled water
is regulated by
the U.S. Food
and Drug
Administration.
The FDA relies
on each state to
approve bottled
water sources.
These include
spring water,
artesian water
and well water.
Treatment options
include distillation, de-mineralization
(de-ionized) and reverse osmosis.
Distilling is a purification process
that uses heat to vaporize water and
separate it from its contaminants.
De-mineralized (de-ionized) water has
had its minerals' ions removed. By fil-
tering out the mineral salts (which are
the impurities) from water, it produces
a high purity water similar to distilled.
Reverse osmosis removes particu-
lates, some organics, most microor-
ganisms and 90 percent of dissolved
solids from water. It is the reverse of
the normal osmosis in that it uses a
semi-permeable membrane to allow
the passage of water, but not salt mol-
ecules. The salty water is put on one
side of the membrane and pressure is

applied and then reversed.
The bottled water industry is not
without controversy. According to the
National Resource Defense Council, "No
one should assume that just because he
or she purchases water in a bottle that
it is necessarily any better regulated,
purer or safer than most tap water." Its
website states many exemptions, limita-
tions and exclusions in the enforcement
of the above standards by the FDA.
In addition, BPA (bisphe-
nol A) is a chemical in
some plastic bottles that
has been linked to cancer,
autoimmune disorders and
hyperactivity. It can leach
into the water content.
There are many compa-
nies that are going above
and beyond requirements
to ensure that their water
meets the highest standards
for consumption. One local
company, Fuller Life, uses a
technically advanced process that uses
a unique distillation method to pro-
duce water that is virtually 100 per-
cent reliable against bacteria, viruses,
heavy metals, organic and inorganic
chemicals and
radioactive
materials.
Whether
buying local or
drinking water
from the tap, it
is important to
be an educated
consumer. In
Michigan, the
Department of
Environmental
Quality Water
Programs establishes water quality
standards, assesses water quality and
provides regulatory oversight for all
public water supplies.
For more information:
• http://water.epa.gov/ —
Environmental Protection Agency;
• www.nrdc.org/ — Natural
Resources Defense Council;
• www.michigan.gov — State of
Michigan;
• www.fullerlifewater.com — Fuller
Life Water Company. I I

Don't assume bottled
water is better
regulated, purer or
safer than most water
from the tap.

Julie Silver is founder and president of

Acupuncture Healthcare Associates of

Michigan in Farmington Hills. Her e-mail

address is julie®acupunctureinmichigan.

COM.

