With the Village of Yellow Springs’ new $7.2 million water plant now online, residents should adjust their water softeners to a new setting — 15 grains per gallon.
Because the new plant partially softens the water, which is naturally high in dissolved minerals or “hardness,” residents and businesses no longer have to soften their water as much, according to Village Water and Wastewater Superintendent Brad Ault this week. Before the new plant, the Village recommended a water softener setting of 30 grains per gallon.
High levels of dissolved calcium and magnesium from the underground limestone and dolomite formations that are the groundwater source of municipal wells are the culprits behind local water hardness. There is some evidence drinking hard water may be healthier, according to a 2014 News article.
According to the U.S. Geological Survey, 85 percent of the country has hard water at its taps. But Yellow Springs water may be among the hardest water in the country. Locally, water hardness is measured at 471 milligrams per liter, twice as high as the U.S. average and more than twice what the USGS considers “very hard” (180 mg/l), according to a 2012 News series on water.
From the USGS: Hardness is a property of water that is not a health concern, but it can be a nuisance. Hard water can cause mineral buildup in plumbing, fixtures, and water heaters, and poor performance of soaps and detergents. Hard water was prevalent in the east-central and western United States, reflecting the distribution of carbonate aquifers and aquifers with relatively high concentrations of dissolved solids. (Photo from https://water.usgs.gov/edu/hardness.html)
In a 2011 News survey on local water, two-thirds of respondents said they fight local hard water with a water softener, which they must maintain by constantly adding salt. When not treated with a home softener, local water can clog pipes, cake in hot water heaters, dishwashers, washing machines, cloud dishes and form scum on bathtubs and showers. Adjusted to the new setting, locals will not have to add as much salt to their water softeners as they used to.
Water contains many dissolved substances we can’t see, so we’ve developed simple terminology to describe its specific condition. Hard water is one: Hard water can smell and taste bad. It also can lead to mineral deposits on your appliances and within their workings, which can make them less effective and less efficient over time.
What Is Hard Water?
Hard water is so named due to its high content of dissolved minerals. You can’t usually see that content, but you can taste or sometimes smell it. While water can contain any number of minerals and other substances, the primary offenders are calcium and magnesium.
The minerals in hard water cause us problems when they bind to other substances. Soap, for instance, won’t foam up as well, which makes washing our bodies and clothes less effective in removing dirt or bacteria — you may have noticed clothing ending up with odd stains or dishes come out of the dishwater spotty.
How Does Hard Water Affect Appliances?
Appliances which use water, such as our dishwashers and hot water tanks suffer the most from hard water. Minerals in the water (think dissolved rocks) build up on the heating elements and slowly bring down the efficiency of the appliance.
A hot water tank has to work much harder to heat water to the desired temperature when it is coated with minerals. It draws in more energy and raises your utility bills in the process. It can cost almost 30% more to heat the same amount of water when it is untreated, hard water.
Mineral deposits from hard water can coat our pipes with an unsightly substance called scale. Over time, it often restricts water flow and clogs pipes and appliances. Even a tiny layer of scale, 1/16th of an inch, can increase the energy consumption of an appliance by 10% or more.
And guess what happens when the appliances have to work hard? They break down more frequently and require more maintenance to remove the mineral buildup and maintain efficiency cause, costing you to repair them.
Industries which use hard water in their processes require an increased amount of detergent to clean their equipment. Detergent isn’t as effective against hard water, so it takes more of it to produce the needed suds. For every increase in water hardness, detergent use goes up 2% to 4%.
That means a waste of detergent and increased costs. And all that detergent-polluted water goes into our sewers and water treatment plants. They have to work harder to clean it up before it can be reintroduced into our water supply.
What’s the Solution to Hard Water?
You can avoid this waste and expense by investing in a water softener. Water is “softened” by removing the mineral content. Softening is done in a variety of ways, usually through a process called ion exchange using a special salt. Water is passed through tiny beads called ion exchange resins. In a chemical process, two sodium ions are exchanged for each calcium or magnesium ion. The result is better-tasting water which is “softer” on your skin, clothes and appliances.
Softened water won’t produce scale or cause buildup in your pipes or on your appliances’ heating elements to the extent hard water will. Since they won’t be compromised by mineral buildup, appliances won’t require as much maintenance and they won’t break down as often.
Disadvantages of Softened Water
You wouldn’t put so much effort into getting rid of the minerals in your water and making it soft if there weren’t benefits to doing so. But while soft water is often better for your plumbing, appliances, some drawbacks exist.
Because water softeners use salt to change the water, they can increase the sodium content of your drinking water. Not by much, but it’s worth considering. If you’re someone who has to monitor salt intake for health reasons, you may want to take that into consideration before adding a water softener.
It’s up to you to decide if treating your water is worth the expense. It’s a matter of how high the mineral content of your water is and how it is affecting your appliances. Softer water may mean less energy use and longer-lasting appliances.
Many options available for improving the quality of the water that we wash with, cook with and consume on a daily basis
Are your water glasses spotty and is your laundry looking gray and faded? Do you have mineral buildup on your fixtures, faucets or sinks?
If the answer to any of these questions is yes, then you likely have a need for a water treatment system in your home. Even more importantly, your water may harbor contaminants that could endanger your family’s health and should be tested.
“Arsenic and lead are tasteless and odorless and prevalent in Genesee County,” said Greg Cornell, general manager of the Flint office of Culligan Water, one of the nation’s oldest and largest water treatment companies. “You should have your water tested periodically. You can either bring a water sample to our office or we will come out to your home.”
Even though the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) regulates and sets standards for public drinking water, homeowners often use a home water treatment system to improve water quality. These systems can reduce the hardness of the water, eliminate certain contaminants like arsenic or lead, or get rid of strong odors.
“The biggest thing right now is arsenic issues,” said Scott Breckenridge of Beauchamp Water Treatment & Supply, on Old U.S. 23 in Brighton. “It’s a naturally occurring contaminant and cancer-causing but people don’t have to be scared by it because it (arsenic issue) is treatable. We remove it by reverse osmosis or with a whole house softener with an arsenic removal system added.”
Residential water treatment options include filtration systems, using a water filter to remove impurities from the water; water softeners that reduce the hardness of the water; distillation systems that boil impure water and reverse osmosis, which uses a semipermeable membrane to remove ions, molecules and larger particles from drinking water.
The most common water treatment system in most homes is a water softener. Water softeners soften the water by removing minerals such as calcium and magnesium and replacing them with a softer mineral — sodium or potassium.
You’ll notice cleaner laundry, smoother and softer skin, more efficient use of soaps and detergents and increased efficiency and longevity of water-using appliances like dish washers, water heaters and washing machines.
“Water softeners are the basis of what we do,” said Jason Tiefenback, co-owner of Douglas Water Conditioning in Fenton. “It’s the first step in your home’s water treatment plan. The second step in purifying your water would be reverse osmosis, if you want a specific system for drinking water. The two work hand-in-hand.”
Jim McIntyre, who founded McIntyre Soft Water in his hometown of Linden 58 years ago, specializes in solving water problems for people, whether it’s bacteria, iron removal, taste and odor removal, plus all different contaminants found in the water. His company trucks can be found locally, in the Thumb area and on the campus of Michigan State University, where technicians have been servicing and replacing huge dormitory water softeners for the past 18 years,
Most local companies that specialize in water treatment also offer salt and bottled water residential delivery and pick-up, free water testing and other services.
You can also purchase a water softener at local retailers, including Sears Hometown Store in Fenton.
“Kenmore has three different models, from $399 to $599,” said Tim Stone, store co-owner. “When selecting a unit, we’ll ask you how many people are in the household, to determine water usage. Our top model is also ergonomically designed to make it easier for the homeowner to insert the salt.”
Sears Hometown Store will also test your water for hardness and iron content, if you bring it in, Stone said.
Original Source: https://www.tctimes.com/living/the-hard-facts-about-your-water/article_48aa9f2e-02c1-11e8-9e2d-8f79f13548a8.html
A company called Elemental Core Outreach was doing bottle drops in Hutchinson this past week. That’s when salespeople leave a small bag with a water bottle and a flyer, asking people if they want to participate in a free water analysis. Those who participated reported having a salesperson visit them for what was described as a high-pressure sales presentation.
Staff photo by Stephen Wiblemo
Did you recently receive a small bag with a bottle and flyer on your door offering you a free water analysis from a company called Elemental Core Outreach? If so, beware, these salespeople may use questionable, high-pressure techniques to try to sell you expensive water softener equipment you may not need.
This past week there were several reports on social media from people in Hutchinson who said they received these bottles and flyers. This technique is called a bottle drop, according to Jon Hantge of Tri County Water in Hutchinson. The bottles and flyers are left on residents’ doors, asking them to fill out a short questionnaire and leave it with the water sample to be picked up the next day.
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This flyer, accompanied by a small plastic bottle, showed up on people’s doors in Hutchinson this past week. It’s from a company called Elemental Core Outreach and is not affiliated with the city.
This flyer, accompanied by a small plastic bottle, showed up on people’s doors in Hutchinson this past week. It’s from a company called Elemental Core Outreach and is not affiliated with the city.
Hantge said the bottle drops and flyers are not the questionable part. His company used to do them, too. It’s what’s not included on the flyers, he said, that should raise suspicion.
“When we do a bottle drop, we put our names, phone number and who we are so people can see we are legitimate,” he said.
The flyers left by Elemental Core Outreach do not include names or phone numbers. They give instructions to fill the bottle with water, complete the questions on the flyer, and put it back where it was found for pickup the next day.
Hantge said he’s seen this type of sales tactic before, especially in the Twin Cities, and that they typically try to target elderly and vulnerable people.
He said some people participated in this recent bottle drop and were later contacted by a company representative who told them their water had problems. When those people brought samples to Tri County Water for testing, however, Hantge said their water tested just fine.
Others were told that with their current water softener they would need to replace the resin bed annually, but in actuality resin beds are typically good for 10 to 15 years.
One couple reported they had a sales representative visit their house for what ended up being about a 3 1/2-hour sales pitch, during which they felt pressured to purchase a range of products for monthly payments around $200. Afterward, they were not given contact information for the sales representative.
Hutchinson officials confirmed the company has a permit to solicit in town.
The Hutchinson Water Department said it was not related to the bottle drops. It also said that when it does water testing, it always notifies residents before dropping bottles off.
An internet search of Elemental Core Outreach showed the company is based in Appleton, Wisconsin. On the company’s Facebook page, the first post was made in June 2017. According to the Better Business Bureau’s website, the company started in May 2017.
Other Facebook postings about Elemental Core Outreach revealed the company was in more towns this past year. A Lester Prairie resident named Jeanine Lore reported receiving one of the bottles and flyers in October, and the city of Howard Lake reported the bottle drops in December.
In Kimberly, Wisconsin, the company was denied a solicitor’s permit because it was soliciting before receiving approval.
Elemental Core Outreach’s website does not list a price for its Eagle 5600 SXT model water softener, or any of the other products it offers. The company also touts a lifetime warranty for its products, but upon closer inspection there appear to be some catches.
For instance, it says “if the equipment does not perform properly you should request service from the dealer that sold you the equipment.” This could be a problem if no other contact information is given other than the phone number and email address for the company’s headquarters in Wisconsin.
The warranty also states “If we are not able to arrange local servicing, you should send the defective part(s) (or, if you prefer, send the entire unit) directly to us, freight prepaid, with proof of purchase and a copy of this warranty.”
A phone call to the company’s headquarters was made to find out more information and how much its products cost. The woman who responded said she could not answer questions, but promised to have a representative call back. As of Tuesday morning, the call had not been returned.
Water treatment systems are designed to solve differing issues with domestic water supplies. As hydrology and water quality vary widely across countries consumers need to determine their specific treatment needs before shopping for a suitable system. Issues can range from water hardness, chemical filtration, biological filtration, UV treatment, well water quality and other water contaminants or pollutants.
Professional and trustworthy water treatment system specialists are also an important consideration for consumers to consider. Due diligence on the consumer’s part is the best way to assure the success of any trade person’s installation or product.
In most cases, installation companies will offer the consumer a free water quality test to determine their specific needs. They will then usually guide the customer through the system selection process. You can, of course, employ an independent firm to carry out the test who have no ties to water treatment supplies.
Water Supply Types
The need for treatment will depend on the waters source and associated contamination from local land use or natural contamination. Water supplies most commonly come from the following:
Groundwater remains the most common source for bathing which may or may not need treatment.
Brackish waters, from for example estuaries, after desalination, are usually used for gardening and irrigation.
Surface waters sourced from, for example, lakes, are usually safe to drink but may need some treatment to remove contaminants.
Let’s take a look at common issues and available solutions.
Water Treatment Systems – Contaminant types
A variety of different contaminants can make your water supply less than ideal for consumption or use. Some companies may use the term “purify” on their marketing materials, but this is actually a little misleading. Pure water is H2O and nothing else, which of course is highly unlikely to be found in naturally.
Bacteria
Some systems specialize in UV treatment of water supplies to disinfect it. This treatment method kills the contaminating bacteria that would if consumed, potentially lead to illness.
Minerals
Water softening systems excess mineral content in “hard” water. The minerals in question are excess concentrations of calcium, magnesium and certain other metal cations.
Multi-contaminant removal
Many water treatment companies offer services to remove a wide variety of materials from water. This can include heavy metals (from industrial contamination, damaged pipework, sediment and chlorine from public water disinfection. These contaminants will either effect the waters taste (metallic or chemical) and visual clarity but can potentially affect your health.
Some supplier companies provide systems that perform several different water treatment systems that treat various issues such as water hardness and pollutant filtration. This is often performed by installing ionic exchange devices or Granular Active Carbon (GAC).
Brackish Water Treatment
Desalination is usually performed by reverse osmosis.
Surface Water Treatment
Sources including rainwater or water at the top of natural water bodies may need to bet treated to remove algae, bacteria and other insoluble items prior to being deemed safe to drink. This can be performed by filtration, chemical or non-chemical treatment.
Water Treatment Systems Types
There are essentially only two principal locations for installing water treatment systems. Which of the two systems you need depends upon what you hope to accomplish. These are:
Point of Entry (POE)
As the term suggests, these types of systems treat the water supply before it enters the domestic water distribution system. POE systems are usually installed after water meters or storage tanks.
Point of Use (POU)
POU systems, as the name suggests, are installed at locations like the kitchen sink or a showerhead.
Technology utilized
Water treatment systems are great ways to treat impure or contaminated water supplies for your home or business. They often encompass one or more of the following methods.
Filtration
Water filtration clean water by trapping contaminants in a filter. The filtered materials are often absorbed or broken down after filtration.
UV
This method uses UV-C to fatally interfere with the bacteria’s DNA. UV treatment is actually more effective than chlorination. For Legionella, however, this system’s efficacy may not be reliable alone.
Reverse Osmosis
Reverse osmosis is a process where inorganic solids such as salts are removed from a solution, such as water. This is accomplished by using water pressure to push the water supply through a semipermeable membrane. In effect, this method mechanically forces the impurities out through a filter.
Water Softening
The softened water is more compatible with soap but also extends the lifetime of plumbing and of course your very expensive kettle. Watersoftening is achieved using lime softening or ion-exchange resins.
Eco-friendly considerations
Some systems may claim to be eco-friendly when in fact they are not. Softeners, for instance, may produce waste water that is potentially hazardous to the environment. Water filtration companies will differ greatly on how their systems are potentially damaging to the environment after the treatment process.
Green filtration companies will hold environmental protection foremost in their products. They will only ever use “green” materials and products.
Eco-friendly water treatment systems will offer products that are, for example, salt-free treatment, which uses less water during treatment than traditional salt-based systems.
Traditional water treatment systems companies use traditional technology and products. These companies are not particularly focused on environmental-friendliness.
Customer maintenance requirements
Maintenance remains the hidden cost for any technological solution to a problem such as water purity. Performing proper maintenance on water treatment systems ensures its lifespan and efficiency.
Water treatment systems will vary in the consumers need to maintain it or not.
None required – Some companies will offer “all in” options where they supply and fit the technology and also handle regular checks and maintenance.
Minimal Maintenance – This is a hybrid option where the supplier will only replace or repair devices/clogged filter but will need the customer to check filters.
Customer Maintenance – These types of systems will have complete control over the maintenance of the system after installation. This would usually mean replacing the filters once clogged.
Hard water is water that has a high level of dissolved minerals in it. Minerals found in hard water are usually magnesium and calcium with a few traces of iron and manganese. These minerals present in the water can cause hard water stains and mineral deposits. The stains, lime scale, and deposits can be seen once the water evaporates. Hard water can also clog drains, leave stains on glass and tiled floors or kitchen tiles, leave a grainy residue on hair, completely ruin your water tank and filtration system, create bacterial growth in drinking water pipes, and prevent soap from foaming.
There is less health risk associated with hard water but is found to be highly inconvenient to normal living conditions. Usually, local water treatment companies will have Reverse Osmosis (RO) treatment, water softening processes, or scale-less (no-scale) treatments already installed. These water treatment processes significantly reduce scaling and purify water considerably, but there might still be a buildup of minerals in the water. If you live in New England, there are chances that you will have a supply of hard water.
Effects of Hard Water
There are no damaging effects from hard water on your health and overall condition. It is usually only a nuisance during cleaning the stains and mineral deposits that clog your pipes and drains. Hard water is actually healthy since the minerals present in hard water are the ones recommended for consumption. These recommended minerals actually help prevent diseases and increase the immune system of the body. The only notable effect seen is in dry and dull hair and increased sensitivity of the skin.
While these minerals are helpful for your body, there have devastating effects on electrical appliances, glassware, silver, sinks, and so on in your home. They can also cause rusting of pipes, clogging, and reduce the effectiveness of cleansing agents. Heaters and electrical systems start consuming more energy due to the increase in load, and will eventually reflect on higher electricity bills and maintenance cost. It is better to treat the hard water and rid yourself of the additional burdens that hard water causes.
There are several ways to deal with hard water in your home. Let us look at some of them.
Salt water softener:
A saltwater softener efficiently takes out the excess calcium and magnesium from the water. When hard water enters the salt water softener, it goes through resin beads that attract positively charged ions of magnesium and calcium (hard ions). The softener then adds soft ions of sodium that convert your hard water supply to one of soft water. This process of water softening is done with the help of salts.
These salts have to be cleaned and replenished once the resin beads are full of hardened minerals. This process of cleansing the water and converting it to soft water helps eliminate undesirable minerals and salts from hard water. Invest in a good quality salt water softener for home use and enjoy the benefits with none of the disadvantages of hard water.
Salt-free softener:
As the name suggests, salt-free softeners work similar to saltwater softeners but use potassium chloride instead of salt. Salt-free softeners also differ from saltwater softeners in their functionality. They prevent minerals from creating excess buildup inside tanks, pipes, and drains but do not reduce the mineral content in the water. The absence of buildup and limescale helps in keeping pipes clean and requires less maintenance than saltwater softeners in the long term.
This method is usually not as effective as the saltwater softening method but is an excellent choice for people who prefer low sodium intake. The potassium, however, could be a cause for concern for people with high blood pressure and other health concerns. Always conduct thorough research of softeners and filtrations systems for your home before investing in one.
Reverse Osmosis (RO) purifier:
For clean drinking water, install an RO water purifier system in your house. A Reverse Osmosis water system can be easily installed above or below your kitchen sink with its own water dispenser or one that connects to the drinking water dispenser already present. The RO water filter purifies the water further by removing any additional chemicals present in the treated water. It then converts the treated water to into super clean drinking water that is entirely safe for consumption.
Many companies worldwide use RO systems to manufacture clean drinking water for large masses. With a few minor changes in plumbing, you can convert your hard water to good quality healthy and pure drinking water.
Q: Ever since the news about lead in the drinking water in Flint, Mich., I’ve wondered about the water in my own home. I live in Oklahoma, and our house was built in 1988. Should I be worried?
A: You’ve asked a timely question that, unfortunately, has a complex answer. Let’s start with why the presence of lead in our environment — whether in the water, air or soil, or in the products we use or come into contact with — is of grave concern.
Lead is a highly toxic metal that has a detrimental effect on virtually every system in the human body. Children, with their developing brains and nervous systems, are particularly vulnerable to the effects of lead. The amount of lead that an adult can tolerate with minimum ill effect can cause significant damage to a child. The challenge is that until it becomes acute, lead poisoning virtually has no symptoms.
Lead causes anemia, hypertension and damages the kidneys and the reproductive system. Even low blood levels of lead affect the development of the brain and nervous system. In children it can result in lower IQ, hearing problems and behavioral changes like reduced attention span. The neurological damage caused by lead is believed to be irreversible.
Exposure to lead is bio-accumulative. That means the lead you ingest stays in the body and, as exposure continues, blood levels increase.
As for your situation, there is some good news. In 1986, two years before your home was built, the Safe Drinking Water Act significantly reduced the amount of lead permitted for use in plumbing fixtures, including pipes and solder. However, it wasn’t until 2014 that the most stringent regulations regarding the use of lead in water delivery systems went into effect.
You will also want to find out whether your water supplier is in compliance with federal lead contamination regulations. Federal law requires regular testing for contaminants. The results are published in a document called the Consumer Confidence Report. Ask for a copy. Should you wish to test your own water, the Environmental Protection Agency has a list of certified labs on its website. Most home improvement stores also sell water-testing kits.
If you believe your water supply is contaminated with lead, the EPA suggests the following:
Flush your pipes for 30 seconds to two minutes before using water for drinking or cooking.
Use only cold water for drinking or cooking. Hot water may contain higher levels of lead.
According to the EPA, it is safe to bathe or shower in water that contains lead, as it is not absorbed through the skin.
Kalamazoo wants all lead water pipes gone within two decades
A lead service line is removed in Flint on Thursday, March 3, 2016 at 717 E Alma Ave. in Flint, Mich. (Jake May | MLive.com)(Jake May | MLive.com)
KALAMAZOO, MI – An aggressive strategy to remove all lead pipes in Kalamazoo’s municipal water system within 20 years took a great leap forward in 2017.
Almost three times the number of water service lines containing lead were replaced in 2017 compared to its previous schedule. A total of 472 were disconnected as of Dec. 18, compared to 120 in 2016.
At least 2,835 still remain. Meanwhile, 7,195 lines connecting customers to city water mains are unidentified, meaning the city doesn’t know what they are made out of.
Proposed changes to the lead and copper rule in Michigan would lower the action level for lead in drinking water and require the removal of all lead service lines over the next 20 years. Public Services Director James Baker was one step ahead of the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality, setting the goal regardless of its decision.
Click the map to see lead service lines replaced in 2016 and 2017
The aggressive removal work this year earned Kalamazoo recognition from the Southwest Michigan chapter of the American Public Works Association.
Kalamazoo’s water system is the second-largest in Michigan, providing 17 million gallons each day to 123,000 customers within 10 jurisdictions.
Though there is no detectable lead in the city’s water supply system when it leaves 16 pumping stations, small amounts of lead can dissolve into drinking water if it sits for several hours in plumbing fixtures containing the toxic element.
According to tests of city drinking conducted in 2016, 90 percent of samples contained less than 4 parts per billion of lead. Copper was found to be at 900 ppb.
If the 90th percentile of concentrations are at or exceed 15 ppb, or 1300 ppb for copper, the EPA requires several actions to be taken to control corrosion. Elevated levels of lead can cause serious health problems, especially for pregnant women and young children.
A total of around $10.5 million is expected to be spent on lead service removals in the next five years.
Funds for lead service removals are budgeted within the Water Capital Improvement Program. In 2016, $390,000 was budgeted, which more than doubled the amount spent in 2015.
This year, the city spent $2.6 million on lead service removal.
Half a million dollars from the city’s Foundation for Excellence was allocated to lead service replacements.
Overall, the city plans to spend $2 million next year, and hopes to remove 500 pipes. Another $500,000 allocation from the foundation is anticipated in 2018.
The city has been removing lead services since 1992, but Baker said the effort was increased following the Flint water crisis. Replacements are coordinated with road and infrastructure projects.
An administrative coordinator of the lead program is a new position created last year, but remains unfilled.
It’s difficult to determine how many of unidentified lines are lead with any amount of accuracy, Baker said. The city does know that lead was used from approximately 1890 to 1950 and heavily — almost exclusively, he said — from about 1910 to 1940.
It’s possible that nearly 70 percent of the undefined services could be lead pipes. In terms of planning and future replacements, Baker his department is prepared to upgrade 10,000 non-copper services from the water main in the street all the way to the meter.
It costs approximately $2,800 to $3,200 to replace each line including street, sidewalk and yard restoration when the work is completed by city of Kalamazoo crews. Due to the amount of work this year, more costly bids were granted to contractors also performing the work.
Prices for outside contractual work exceeded $9,000 per service. The total program is averaging about $5,500 per lead service replacement.
Contact the city of Kalamazoo at (269) 337-8550 to have your water tested.
Information on lead in drinking water, testing methods, and steps you can take to minimize exposure is available from the Safe Drinking Water Hotline or at epa.gov/safewater/lead.
Hard water damages our protective skin barrier and could contribute to the development of eczema, a new study has shown.
Researchers from the University of Sheffield and King’s College London have discovered that exposing the skin to hard water damages the skin barrier – which is our defense against outside threats such as bacteria or sun burn – and increases the sensitivity of the skin to potential irritants found in everyday wash products such as soap or washing powder.
Hard water contains high levels of calcium and magnesium ions that bind to surfactants such as sodium lauryl sulfate (SLS) and sodium lauryl ether sulfate (SLES) – which act as detergents or wetting agents – making them insoluble, so they precipitate onto the skin.
Skin pH is normally acidic but hard water has high alkalinity which means it can raise the skin surface pH. A shift towards alkaline pH disturbs the skin’s natural function as a physical barrier and leaves it prone to colonization by potentially pathogenic bacteria which can cause infection.
Lead author of the study, Dr Simon Danby from the University of Sheffield’s Department of Infection, Immunity and Cardiovascular Disease, said:
By damaging the skin barrier, washing with hard water may contribute to the development of eczema – a chronic skin condition characterized by an intensely itchy red rash.
Patients with eczema are much more sensitive to the effects of hard water than people with healthy skin. This increase in sensitivity is associated with a genetic predisposition to a skin barrier defect brought about by mutations in the gene encoding filaggrin. Filaggrin is a structural protein important for the formation of our skin’s barrier to the outside environment. Up to half of all people with eczema carry a filaggrin gene.
This new study reveals the mechanism by which calcium and magnesium ions in hard water, surfactants, and filaggrin interact to damage the skin barrier unlocking new information about how exposure to hard water could potentially contribute to the development of eczema.
This week (16-24 September 2017) marks National Eczema Week.
Symptoms of eczema (also called ‘atopic eczema’ or ‘atopic dermatitis’) include inflamed, dry skin and often secondary skin infections, which can affect any part of the body and every aspect of a person’s life – both physically and emotionally.
The new study, which Harvey Water Softeners was asked to fund, was published this week (16 September 2017) in the Journal of Investigative Dermatology. The team of researchers examined whether removing the calcium and magnesium ions using an ion-exchange water softener could mitigate the negative effects of hard water on the skin. They found that using a water softener reduces the harmful effects of surfactants, potentially decreasing the risk of developing eczema.
Managing director of Harvey Water Softeners, Martin Hurworth, said:
The link between hard water and eczema has been reported anecdotally for years – now for the first time there’s academic proof. We were pleased to provide industry support to this study in the form of hard water samples and the twin-cylinder water softeners that provided the softened water that was needed.
Co-senior author of the study, Dr Carsten Flohr from the St John’s Institute of Dermatology at Guy’s and St Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust and King’s College London, said:
One in five children and one in 12 adults in the UK suffer from eczema, costing the NHS well over £500 million annually.
It is during the first few days and months of life that our skin is most susceptible to damage and most at risk of developing eczema.
For that reason we are now embarking on a pilot trial to investigate whether installation of a domestic water softener around the time of birth can prevent skin barrier breakdown and eczema in those living in hard water areas.
The Softened Water for Eczema Prevention (SOFTER) trial will be undertaken by Dr Flohr and his team from King’s College London and the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) Biomedical Research Centre at Guy’s & St Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust in collaboration with the University of Sheffield team and colleagues from the University of Dundee, the Center of Evidence-Based Dermatology at Nottingham University, Imperial College London, the National Institute for Health (Bethesda, USA), and Amsterdam Medical Center.
