Final Lab Report
Terri Buchwald
SCI 207: Dependence of man on the environment
Jacqueline Poole
March 14, 2016
Final Lab Report
The lab report focuses on the experiments showing how contaminated water can be turned into uncontaminated water. The process was interesting to do, as well, watch happen with my own two eyes. The three experiments completed were: 1. Effects of Groundwater Contamination, 2. Water Treatment, and 3. Drinking Water Quality. During the experiment I used the tools provided in the Lab Kit, which included: Glass Beakers, gravel, sand, charcoal, cheesecloth, oil, and detergent, different brands of water, vinegar, alum, and bleach. All of which showed the contamination of the water once I started the
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“Sources of drinking water are subject to contamination and require appropriate treatment to remove disease-causing contaminants. Contamination of drinking water supplies can occur in the source water as well as in the distribution system after water treatment has already occurred. There are many sources of water contamination, including naturally occurring chemicals and minerals (for example, arsenic, radon, and uranium), local land use practices (fertilizers, pesticides, and concentrated feeding operations), manufacturing processes, and sewer overflows or wastewater releases” (Prevention, 2014).
The purpose of the experiments that we did, were to show from doing several test, using the provided tools, would show how contaminated water was undrinkable. If we do not clean contaminated water, we will not survive, nor will other creatures on Earth. Once I started cleaning the contaminated water, I found that it was drinkable again, which proves that contaminated water can be treated and drinkable again.
In 2006 I was diagnosed with an illness related to drinking contaminated water. Doctor said that the bacteria had been dormant in my system for years. He stated that it was from drinking tainted well water. Well water, I said, he said yes…I had explained that I had not had well water since I was a child, that I lived on a ranch growing up, and that our water was provided by a
Well, although I don’t have very many past experiences with water testing, I am interested in learning about this. I am especially interested because of the Flint Water Crisis that occurred. I want to know if the officials knew that the water was unsafe before putting the water into our homes and contaminating all of our pipes. So, with this water testing opportunity, I feel that it would be a great thing take advantage of and learn more about things like this that interest me.
These cleanups are required by federal and state laws passed in the last two decades mostly in response to public concern that drinking contaminated ground water may cause cancer or other illnesses. The laws require that, in most instances, the contaminated ground water be restored to a condition that meets state and federal drinking water standards. Businesses and government agencies paying for the cleanups are calling for reconsideration of whether returning all contaminated ground water to drinking water standards is a realistic goal. At the same time, public interest groups are advocating maximum protection of the public's right to a safe water supply in places where there is
7. The Safe Drinking Water Act of 1974 established the basic framework for protecting the drinking water of the United States. Most ground water used for drinking water occurs near the earth’s surface and is easily contaminated .The major concern is the potential contamination of underground sources of the drinking water by any of the hundreds or thousands of subsurface wastewater disposal .Waste disposal wells dispose of approximately more than 11% of the nation’s toxic fluid waste. The injection wells can be good or bad and cause a major problem. Some of the wells are used many different ways like for a aquifer recharge and the production of oil, gas, or minerals. Also for improper usage as disposal of toxic and hazardous waste. The EPA
Many American homes could benefit from water purification and filtration systems. Anderson Water Systems explains that although municipal water systems have come a long way in terms of water purification, there are still other possible sources that can cause unclean waters. Having been in business for more than 60 years, they want you to be aware that old pipes can carry traces of lead and that natural deposits and groundwater can contain various chemicals like arsenic, iron.
As a cooperative activity one half of the groups/pairs will work on an activity to prepare a worksheet for an investigation on how to test the purity of water (refer to p. 478) whilst the other half of the pairs/groups will research and prepare a presentation on how water can be purified. Refer to key concepts (p. 479) and indicate why water must be purified. You can also use other relevant resources and refer to on line activities. A few pairs/groups will provide feedback.
With air and soil pollution comes water contamination. In the event that a leak takes place underground it results in contamination to the groundwater. This groundwater slowly moves into other bodies of water and spreads the contamination. A wide spread area can be affected. (Rinaldi 422). The chemicals that are found in the contaminated water include Sodium Sulfite, Uranium 226 & 228, high levels of Sodium, and too many others to list. Bromite is among the worst because once treated at a water treatment facility it mixes with the chlorine to produce Trihalomethane. Trihalomethane is known to cause cancer. (Ken Dufalla, qtd. "FRACK US"). After repeated reports of drinking water contamination in PA alone, the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection released a statement that "[The industry will require an ‘adjustment period' to refine practices.]" (PA DEP, qtd. Bamberger and Oswald
Tap water contains a wide variety of organic and inorganic materials, most of which are innocuous. However, some trace constituents in water, including heavy metals such as copper, zinc, cadmium and lead, are more problematic. Water leaving a drinking water purification plant will ordinarily contain negligible levels of lead and other harmful metals. These metals enter the water during distribution, through the corrosion of service pipes and plumbing in a process called leaching. Metals such as lead can leach from pipes, old solder or fixtures. Although some corrosion of plumbing is inevitable, the severity of leaching depends on the material of the pipes, the corrosivity and temperature of water and the amount of time water is stagnant
Water pollution is the contamination of natural bodies of water by various hazardous waste, such as chemical, physical, radioactive or pathogenic microbial substances. Averse water quality can cause several different types of ailments, for example cholera is spread through contaminated food and water. It is most common in areas without a waste treatment systems, so the sewage seeps into the town’s water supply. There are four classes of water pollutants first being Chemical Pollutants which are “generally atoms or molecules, which have been discharged into natural water bodies, usually by activities of humans.” (Hogan) The second class being Physical Pollutants such as trash or temperature change. The third class is Radioactive substances “a special sub-class of chemical pollutants, and by mass represent the smallest of the contributors to water pollution.”
The moment the universe burst into existence billions of years ago, energy and matter began to create a vast and infinite world. Within this infinite atmosphere, a single planet, Earth, gave rise to life; it gave rise to humanity. Throughout our history, humans and our ancestors have evolved monumentally. In the process, we have made milestone developments such as verbal and symbolic language, advanced technology, cultures, and belief systems, all of which have allowed us to survive and shape our lifeways.
Human influences effect the natural occurrences in the environment and as we have discussed throughout this course the Anthropocene must be protected. The evolution of Earth has continued to transition and transform into a planet that has the ability to nurture life. Everything that we do as humans is in response to the environment and our lives are influenced by earths systems. This paper will discuss the negative life threating issues that are to come from the neglect of our atmosphere. As the greenhouse gas problem still lingers, this paper addresses Kurt Cuffeys predictions for our word in the coming years. This speech will address the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization and give the audience ideas on how to be the change our environment so helplessly needs.
Human reliance on a healthy environment has a profound effect on the operations of any organization in that it is typically beneficial, not only for posterity, but also for the sustainability of the industry, to minimize negative environmental impacts. For the purpose of quantitative analysis, organizations use environmental costing approaches to measure the effects resulting from its operations. The ongoing negotiation in Paris, symbolizing a global unification following devastating terrorist attacks, attest to the level of importance being placed on global greenhouse emission controls. Depending on the outcomes of the 2015 United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), organizations across the world may have to adhere to new guidelines on gaseous emissions. This is only a single aspect of environmental controls; waste water, ground pollution, radiation, deforestation are all examples of industrial environmental impacts. Furthermore, global politics (and the eventual laws which are put in place accordingly) are only one factor which require the analysis of environmental costs. Overall, environmental costing tools serve many purposes; they allow organizations to operate within the boundaries of law, to reduce the environmental impact which often requires innovative processes, and to account for the economic principle of limited resources from an environmental sustainability standpoint.
There are many problems in the world that people face today. One of the biggest concerns is the lack of clean and drinkable water for human use. Over 70% of the earth is covered with water, so the need for drinkable, usable and clean water is inevitable. Purified water is also used for medicinal purposes as well industrial. Clean water is used in making medicine and also used in food products. Water can contain thousands of contaminants like waste discharges from industrial or municipal use and runoff from agriculture use. Many chemical industries around the world focus on the process of water purification. With the help of this process we are able to get clean water for medical, pharmacological and even third world countries.
People don’t realize that with bioenergy you can create biomass and biofuels with power plants that supply electricity to the country. Many people don’t realize that what they do now will depend on how our future generations will be able to depend on
Surface and groundwater quality concerns apply to both drinking and recreational waters. I being an avid outdoors man and scuba diver have come to respect our nation’s waterways. Thus, contamination by infectious agents or chemicals is contradictive to public health. In my practicum I had the opportunity to test water for contaminants and protect natural water areas in order to protect water sources and prevent illness related
Factors effecting water quality and leading to contamination include agricultural runoff, industrial discharges, residential sewage disposal and land-use changes. These types of contamination can have deleterious impacts on drinking water supplies, the