We are complaining about the quality of tap water in cities. It is tasteless, but at least meticulously tested and disinfected. Half of Poles draw water from their own intakes, which, although it does not smell like chlorine, can be contaminated.
Waterin over a third of Polish wells is bad. We disregard safety rules. We build leaky septic tanks from the savings in the villages in order to empty them less often (the content leaks into the ground and poisons the aquifers). In the 1980s, there was an epidemic of leukemia in the former Płock voivodeship, says Bogusława Dąbrowska, head of the laboratory at the Warsaw Poviat Sanitary and Epidemiological Station. The inhabitants did not follow the regulations stipulating that the wells should be kept at an appropriate distance from the septic tanks and farm buildings and for years they unwittingly drank something that was sewage.
Pesticides poison the water
The terrain determines what can get into the water. In the countryside, especially in the vicinity of farmlands, the greatest threat is the ingredients of plant protection products (pesticides) and fertilizers containing ammonium s alts or nitrogen compounds. The most dangerous are nitrites formed from nitrates. They block hemoglobin, and then the blood does not deliver oxygen to the cells. This causes cyanosis in infants and the elderly and can even be fatal.
In turn, in the vicinity of large agglomerations, the soil penetrates, among others, by industrial waste, and with them heavy metals lead, arsenic, cadmium, mercury. After many years, drinking contaminated water leads to serious diseases, because harmful substances accumulate in our body. Even if the concentration of lead in water is lower than allowed in Poland and amounts to 0.01 mg / l, drinking a liter of such water daily, for 20 years we introduce 73 mg of this metal into the body, and after 65 years … 230 mg!
ImportantFor the physicochemical test of water, a 1.5-liter plastic bottle of mineral water is enough (not for juice or drink, because the material retains odors). For the bacteriological examination, we will receive an instruction and a specially prepared, sterilized and tightly packed 250 ml bottle, which has a shelf life of about 2 weeks. It is opened before filling up water. The deposit for this bottle in Warsaw is about PLN 20. The full examination costs about PLN 295. From the moment the sample is delivered to the laboratory, it takes 7-10 days for the results.
Water treatment at home
To find out, it's best to take the sample to the sanitary station. In the laboratory, the turbidity, color, smell, taste and the content of heavy metals, nitrogen compounds (ammonia, nitrites, nitrates), iron and manganese, as well as the so-called overall hardness (the amount of calcium and magnesium that indicates whether a softener is useful for washing). An analysis is also performed for the presence of particularly dangerous bacteria. Such a test is enough for many years, but it should be repeated whenever something changes nearby, e.g. an industrial plant is built.
Treatment depends on the scale of the contamination. If the amount of iron and manganese compounds is exceeded by two or three times, a filter with an activated carbon cartridge is enough, which absorbs both unpleasant odors and excess iron and manganese (but the filter quickly clogs). Even when the norms are exceeded, such a filter will be enough in a house on a plot. In a year-round house - but not. Install an iron remover and manganese with coarse to finest layers of broken brick, gravel and sand. All unfavorable relationships are deposited on them, just like in nature.
Water contaminated with bacteria or containing an excess of heavy metals, nitrates or nitrosamines, we must stop drinking immediately. It is best to try to connect to the local water supply. Or buy a good filter, showing the results of the Department of He althcare and the scale of exceedances of harmful substances in the store.
They clean most thoroughly devices operating on the principle of reverse osmosis. They remove everything. Unfortunately, after passing through such a filter, the water is completely ion-free. It also lowers its pH from a neutral pH of 7 to an acidic pH of 6 and below six, which is unfavorable for people prone to hyperacidity. Therefore, let's buy filters that work in two stages, i.e. first purifying and then mineralizing the water.
Own water, but what?
If we want to be he althy, we must take care of high-quality water. It is worth realizing that the contamination of the environment is so great that you cannot count on good water if the well is only a few meters deep. Blackwater from the 6-10 m layer is not suitable for drinking. And if we have no other option and we have to use them, they require treatment.
Groundwater accumulating in successive aquifers seeps through the layers of sand, loam and clay, and thus cleans itself. Therefore, the wells should be drilled at least 12-15 m.
Regardless of the depth, the water may turn out to be irony. It's nothing serious. Iron is part of the heme in hemoglobin andthanks to him, the blood supplies oxygen to the tissues. Manganese, present with iron, is found in enzymes that take part in biochemical processes in the human body. In acceptable amounts (iron 0.2 mg / l, manganese 0.05 mg / l) they are imperceptible, but excessively they change the color and taste of the water.
A well should be drilled by a well who knows how and where to do it and who is able to secure the intake. According to the regulations, the distance from the nearest septic tank or slurry dump must be at least 15 m. A new well requires disinfection. Chlorine preparation is poured into it and after 48 hours water is pumped out. It is worth checking if the disinfection was effective and if there are no bacteria.