The Clean Water Act (USEPA)

Under the Safe Drinking Water Act, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is required to establish the concentrations of contaminants that are permitted in public drinking-water systems. A public water system is defined by EPA as a “system for the provision to the public of water for human consumption through pipes or other constructed conveyances, if such system has at least fifteen service connections or regularly serves at least twenty-five individuals” (63 Fed. Reg. 41940 [1998]). Section 1412 of the act, as amended in 1986, requires EPA to publish maximum-contaminant-level goals (MCLGs) and promulgate national primary drinking-water regulations (maximum contaminant levels [MCLs]) for contaminants in drinking water that might cause

Drinking water provided by a municipality, “tap”, is regulated by the EPA. Additionally, the Safe Water Drinking Act requires all states submit annual reports regarding public water system violations to the EPA. The EPA determines Maximum Contaminant Level Goals (MCLGs) for tap water. The goals are the levels at which a consumer could perceivably drink

Bioassays, Daphnia magna, were used to monitor water for the presence of toxic compounds in various water samples, including samples 1 mile upstream from the Fletcher’s Paint dump site and one mile downstream. A bioassay is a living organism that serves as a detector for toxins. It is hypothesized that if the Daphnia mortality rate when exposed to water samples from various locations is higher in greater solutions, then their deaths' indicate that the water contains toxic compounds due to the harmful toxins that originated from human pollution. This is the same hypothesis for the Fletcher’s Paint experiment.

Contaminated water poses health risks on humans, pets, wild animals, and farm animals. (Mcdermott-Levy 2013)

Doctors are always telling us to drink more water to improve our health, but what if that water is contaminated by a potentially toxic chemical? When it comes to our drinking water in America, compared to other countries around the world, there is usually no concern in becoming ill after consuming a nice, big glass of tap water. The reason you don’t question the quality is because of the regulations in place by US Environmental protection Agency (EPA) for public drinking water. But now we are foreseeing issues with our drinking water due to chemicals used in items such as food packaging materials (such as pizza boxes and popcorn bags), fabrics, nonstick cooking pans and firefighting foams (Scutti). As a result of their inhabitance, the chemicals

The environmental issue of interest is clean drinking water and the abuse of our water sources. The interest in this discipline is because clean water and water abuse have been an issue for many years. Many countries around the world and in our own back yard lack clean drinking water. The cause of unclean water can be caused by bad agriculture practices and industrialization. The cause of these unhealthy practices may cause waters to be contaminated with a mineral called Chromium; this mineral exposes a high risk of cancer. The county of Gwinnett is full of lakes, rivers, streams, creeks and ponds but the only source of drinking water that is disposed to residents comes from a man-made lake called Lake Lanier. The lake provides clean drinking

Blue green algae, also known as cyanobacteria can be found in many lakes and ponds throughout Connecticut. It can go unseen or noticed in these bodies of water and not have an impact in others. However when the circumstances are just right the alga can bloom excessively and release toxins into the water. If and when this occurs people and animals using this body of water for recreation can be at risk. Because the toxins in the water cannot be seen, a chemical analysis of the water is needed to verify the release of the toxins. This issue began in my small community in 2012 when the weather was just right in temperature and the correct amounts of nutrients were

With the vast diversity of pollutants being introduced to these waters, it is becoming more and more difficult to analyze and identify the exact effects each pollutant has on the water quality as well as the organisms living in them (Howe and Clark, 2014). Scientists, though, have discovered new ways of identifying these negative effects the pollutants have by analyzing certain

In 2009, the World Health Organization (WHO) brought together experts in toxicology, water chemistry, water quality and health, water treatment and pharmacology to form a “Drinking–water” directive and policy. The quality Committee along with additional experts examined pharmaceuticals in drinking water, and the human health risk associated with pharmaceuticals in drinking water.

Michael Puccini EP has been professionally investigating and researching indoor air quality and water quality issues for over twenty-five years. In his profession, he has been awarded the ECO Canada Environmental Professional (EP) Certificate which is a formal recognition of the national standard of excellence in environmental work. Experiences includes over ten years conducting chemical analysis in the laboratory and in the field on many of the toxins that are discussed in this book. As a formal water quality analyst, he has diverse experience related to aesthetic and health related problems associated with small and large domestic water treatment/distribution/storage systems. Furthermore his analytical knowledge has been a primary

Water pollution in the United States has been a persistent yet widely ignored issue since the nascent of industrialization. As awareness and concern about water contamination spread during the mid-twentieth century, more and more pollution prevention plans and programs came into action. One of the most significant of these was the Clean Water Act (CWA), which still exists today. The Clean Water Act was passed as an attempt to restore the condition of America’s water bodies, and it has resulted in noticeable water quality improvements but also widespread controversy concerning cost, efficacy, restrictions on industry, and ambiguity of the text.

To determine the concentration of ciprofloxacin in sea water from various points around a major city by method of high performance liquid chromatography-mass spectroscopy, or HPLC-MS (Gates 2017).

Cyanide (CN- anion) compounds and deviations of it (HCN, KCN) have been in use for many years as poisons in various settings. In Ancient Egypt plants containing trace concentrations of cyanide have been used as lethal poisons and in World War II HCN was employed with a base to mass exterminate millions of people in Nazi camps. Another historically used method of cyanide poisoning is through gas chambers created by addition of a cyanide salt into an acid to create HCN (g). Although many forms of cyanide exist, the most common is HCN, which naturally is released into the atmosphere from plants, volcanoes and bacteria/fungi. The primary source of cyanide poisoning in humans is through accidental ingestion of plants. More than 2,000 plant species contain cyanogenic glycosides that when ingested can be rapidly hydrolyzed into cyanide. This rapid hydrolysis occurs when cell structure of the plant is disturbed thus plant products that are incorrectly processed may lead to cyanide poisoning. Cyanogenic compounds are present in surprisingly large number of common foods such as sweet potatoes, cassava, bamboo and lima beans1. An area of growing concern is inhalation of tobacco smoke, which is another common source of cyanogenic compounds. Many idiopathic syndromes have been shown to be associated with failure in detoxification mechanisms specifically targeting cyanide compounds2.

This chapter is a review of disinfection byproducts (DBPs) formation, identification of various types of DBPs, regulations of DBPs by US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), and the degradation of DBPs in natural surface water, particularly by natural solar sunlight and other engineered photodegradation processes such as UV light and advanced oxidation processes (AOPs).

Although the state of America’s water infrastructure is of great concern, the types of chemicals found in America’s tap water are equally as frightening. The passage of the Water Act in 1972 prevents the direct dumping of hazardous chemicals directly into waterways, and helps regulate quality standards of water. However, the Clean Water Act is has no jurisdiction on regulating indirect dumping of chemicals that integrates into water supplies. Pesticides and prescription drugs are the greatest cause for concern of indirect containments in America’s water supply (Olsen). An abundance of the harmful chemicals found in liquefied animals feces, used in large dairy states, have percolated into drinking wells that have caused serious infections (Duhigg). However, more harmful containments are infiltrating water supplies. Such containments include