NEW ORLEANS, January 10, 2024 (Newswire.com)
– Last month, multiple cities in 5 states across the country including the states of Kentucky, Louisiana, New York, New Jersey, and Maryland filed suits in the PFAS national litigation. The suits allege significant damages including to the water systems, airports, and other critical areas of these cities and towns from PFAS chemicals, also known as ‘forever chemicals.’ Mike Stag of the national environmental firm Stag Liuzza represents the cities and towns and has stated that “These PFAS and PFOS chemicals are one of the greatest threats to our environment. Our clients need significant money to remediate their water systems and other public areas from these chemicals. We will continue to file suits on behalf of additional municipalities we represent across the country. This issue is too important for our clients not to have aggressive, experienced counsel helping them obtain all money possible.” Stag and his firm also represent municipalities in California, Alabama, Colorado, Massachusetts, West Virginia, and Ohio, and Stag sits on the Executive Committee of the national suit filed in Federal Court in South Carolina.
In June, national class action settlements totaling over $12 Billion were proposed. These settlements only deal with public water systems and do not include payments for airports, fire training centers or other likely PFAS contaminated public areas. It is expected that public water systems and municipalities which file a proper and valid claim could receive payments as early Summer 2024. “We want our clients to be in the front of the line to receive any payments possible from the national settlement the minute it is approved,” said Stag. The amount a municipality may receive is based on complex formulas and include what is known as ‘baseline’ testing. “During data collection, we are finding that this is a process that takes multiple steps to gather the proper and best evidence for the claims process.”
More information about the national PFAS Public water system settlement, or filing suit to recover money for PFAS contamination, can be obtained by contacting Mike Stag or Ashley Liuzza at Stag Liuzza or by visiting https://www.cleangroundwater.com
Drought conditions brought the Mississippi River to unusually low levels. As a result, New Orleans’ drinking water could become contaminated by saltwater from the Gulf of Mexico. Omar Villafranca has the story.
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Almost half of U.S. tap water contains forever chemicals that are hazardous to our health.
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“Nearly half of U.S. tap water has PFAs: Here’s Why ‘Forever Chemicals’ Are Dangerous,” read the July 6, 2023 Forbes.com headline from breaking news staff writer Molly Bohannon’s article. If headlines could shout, this one would surely assault eardrums around the country.
Bohannon covers the many known serious health risks in her article and the fact that concerns about these chemicals, found in a wide range of everyday products as well as in soil and water, are decades old. The fact that they’ve so extensively penetrated our water supply is seriously worrisome.
“The scope of the contamination is shocking,” declared Eric Yeggy, technical affairs director for the Water Quality Association, a trade organization representing the water treatment industry. “Having been broadly used and unregulated for decades, PFAS have found their way into every corner of the world, including very remote places like the North Pole, the Tibetan Plateau, Antarctica, and base camp at Mount Everest. Virtually every human that has been tested has been found to have a cocktail of various PFAS in their blood,” he added.
How do you know if the water coming into your home is safe, and what can you do about it if it’s not? I sent questions to experts in this area, including Yeggy, and am passing along their written responses, edited only for length and clarity, where needed.
Background
Tina Donda, vice president of water systems with the International Association of Plumbing & Mechanical Officials R&T product testing service, noted that these compounds are known as “forever chemicals” because they can last for thousands of years and are impossible to breakdown with currently available technology. “When products containing PFAS are disposed of or spilled into lakes and rivers, they have the potential to contaminate the water. Since these chemicals cannot be decomposed, they live there forever,” hence the moniker. (Note, some experts use PFAS, others PFAs.)
Originally invented in the 1930s, these compounds show up in hundreds of consumer products today, and in firefighting foams and industrial processes. “In March 2023, the US EPA proposed legally enforceable levels for six PFAS in drinking water that would require monitoring of public water supplies,” Donda commented. She further noted, “The USGS report [citing 45% presence] found more risk of PFAS in the drinking water in urban regions, but it comes with a big caveat that data is lacking for private wells. It is likely that far more people are impacted by PFAS in their drinking water.”
Health concerns with these compounds were recognized in the late 1990s to early 2000s, added David Purkiss, vice president of the water division of NSF (founded in 1944 as the National Sanitation Foundation). “These compounds are bio accumulative (concentrations build up in the body with continued exposure), mobile (spread easily) and persistent (do not degrade or are “forever”) in the environment.” Their widespread use was increasing the environmental burden and exceeding threshold levels for health concern, he added. This drove recent research and focus.
Testing
“Home water treatment systems designed to remove PFAS are widely available,” Yeggy commented. These include pitcher filters, refrigerator filters, under-counter filters, point-of-use reverse osmosis systems, all the way up to whole house systems. “Consumers should be aware that not all drinking water treatment systems are designed to remove PFAS, and many do not. The best practice is to ensure that a system has been independently certified to remove PFAS before making a purchasing decision,” he advised.
“Check with your water utility company to see if they conduct regular testing for PFAS or other contaminants,” suggested San Francisco-based plumbing contractor Phil Hotarek. “Some utilities test their water supplies for PFAS and may share the results with customers upon request.” Not all forever chemicals are the same, he cautioned. “Therefore, it’s advisable to consult local authorities, health departments, or [your state water board] for specific information about contamination in your area. They can provide guidance on water testing, mitigation efforts, and any associated health risks.”
If you don’t want to check yourself, you can hire an expert. Consumers can find a certified water treatment professional through a search tool on the WQA site, Yeggy said.
Private Wells
Since wells were not part of the testing sample used by USGS in reaching its 45% figure, (and are not routinely monitored by government agencies, as public water suppliers are), it’s unknown how many more households are affected. “For people on private wells – 15 million U.S. households, according to the CDC – they are responsible for their own testing,” Donda pointed out.
“Several states have requirements for well water quality,” she noted, and added that some might start requiring forever chemicals become part of their testing program. “People may have to contact their water supplier to see if they have any information on completed PFAS testing. If not, they will need to send their water to a laboratory.” Your county or state health department can direct you to local labs for kits and testing, Purkiss offered.
Filtration Solutions
One piece of good news, Donda shared, is that the technologies that can reduce or remove forever chemicals can also remove other contaminants, like lead. “To know for sure,” she cautioned, “verify that the product is certified to reduce the specific chemical of concern.” IAPMO provides a listing on its site of products that it has tested and certified, searchable by chemical acronym, (e.g., PFOA, PFAS).
“Water treatment devices that use activated carbon, reverse osmosis or ion exchange technology can be used to reduce the levels of PFAS compounds in treated water,” Purkiss noted, and they’re going to be equally effective for homes on private wells and municipal systems. “However,” he cautioned, “it is important to verify that the treatment units have been tested and certified by an accredited organization like NSF for the removal of PFAS compounds to ensure they meet the standard requirements.” Product packaging will show those certification marks, and organizations like IAPMO and NSF have online listings to verify those branding claims. (NSF’s can be found here). Look for perfluoroalkyl substances reduction on its page, he said.
Purkiss estimated that certified point of use filtration devices to treat the water coming out of your faucets will cost from $100 to several hundred dollars. “If you want to treat all the water in your house, you will need a point-of-entry device. However currently there are not many point-of-entry devices certified.” The important thing with all of these treatment devices is to replace them according to the manufacturer’s instructions, he advised.
Hotarek recommends whole house filtration systems as the best option to his Northern California clients, but cost sometimes limits them to point-of-use products, he noted. “Most whole house filters last between eight and 10 years (pending usage) and require no maintenance until the filter expires.”
When choosing a resource, the plumber suggested that you understand the installation process and requirements. “Consider factors such as available space, location of the filter, size of the pipe, and plumbing configuration. Ensure that the system can be properly installed in the home without significant modifications.”
Household Impacts
What if yours is one of the 45% of homes that has been impacted by forever chemicals? While your family’s health is the primary concern, there are other potential effects on your household, Hotarek cautioned.
“Significant damage can be caused to appliances. Internal parts will fail sooner, systems will have a shorter lifespan and performance is decreased.” The same is true for water heaters, the plumber warned. If you’re not concerned about those possibilities, point of use filters at your kitchen and bathroom sinks and refrigerator can work. (Don’t forget the faucets in your bathrooms where you take medicines, vitamins, brush and floss your teeth!) WQA’s Yeggy observed that only a tiny percent of a home’s water use is for cooking and drinking. More than 98% is for irrigation, toilets, laundry, dishwashing and other applications, he commented.
Wellness Disruptor
Many Americans are adding wellness features to their homes in the form of steam showers and bidet-style toilets. These too are impacted by the presence of forever chemicals, Hotarek observed. Steam showers’ heating elements fail faster and the steam quality is poor, the plumber pointed out. “Not to mention, it is simply not healthy to inhale those chemicals while sitting in a steam room. Better water quality not only enhances the quality of the steam experience, but prolongs the life of the system and reduces the frequency of service calls.”
When it comes to bidet functionality, their components are also affected by poor water quality and impacted valves can start leaking. On a hygienic level, introducing those chemicals to your intimate cleansing ritual isn’t ideal either.
Smart Home Technology
When it comes to whole house filtration, tying into a wellness-focused smart home technology system is a viable option, and forever chemical filtration is an increasing client priority, one of the category’s leaders observed. “As early as 2018, we started tracking PFAS,” recalled Kelly Eager, an architect and wellness design team leader for Delos. “We became more focused on evaluating and curating our offering of water filtration technologies that can address forever chemicals in mid-2022.”
The wellness technology firm’s products are NSF-certified, Eager reported. “Depending on the requirements of the home, the residents, and the plumbing design, these water solutions can treat 100% of the water in the home (e.g., hot and cold water for all fixtures),” she added. The company also offers point of use filtration products.
Last Words
“Water is life,” Hotarek summarized. “Think about all the essentials in life that require water: cooking, cleaning, appliances, drinking, bathing, etc.” Keeping your water supply safer and healthier can reap health and household dividends.
Phoenix, Arizona — The population of Arizona’s Maricopa County — which includes the Phoenix metropolitan area — skyrocketed by 15% in the last decade. But now, the county could see a troubling flatline.
New construction that relies on groundwater will stop in some parts of the state after a report from the Arizona Department of Water Resources released earlier this month revealed Arizona’s booming population will outgrow its drought-stricken water supply if action isn’t taken.
Specifically, Arizona Gov. Katie Hobbs announced earlier this month that the state will put the brakes on new home construction in the area surrounding Phoenix, but not within the city of Phoenix itself.
“This pause will not affect growth within any of our major cities,” Hobbs said in a news conference following the report’s release.
The new state plan will immediately impact the surrounding suburbs of Phoenix, which includes towns like Queen Creek. While projects permitted before the announcement will not be impacted, 9,000 undeveloped properties without a secure water supply will remain vacant.
“It’s been an issue that we’ve been dealing with in Arizona from the very beginning,” carpenter Rick Collins told CBS News of the water supply. “It’s how it works here. If we don’t have water, we can’t build these communities.”
In Maricopa County alone, an estimated two billion gallons of water are used daily, according to numbers from the U.S. Geological Survey. That’s nearly twice as much use as New York City, which has about double Maricopa County’s population of approximately 4.5 million people.
“Of course we have concern, our council has been looking forward into the future knowing that this day was going to come,” said Paul Gardner, wastewater director for Queen Creek.
Gardner doesn’t see the region as in decline, but instead as “a community that is evolving.”
That evolution means relying more on reclaimed wastewater projects and spending tens of millions of dollars to buy water from the Colorado River.
However, climate change and growing demand across the West are also shrinking the Colorado River, which means the river as a water source could be cut off down the road. Last month, California, Arizona and Nevada reached a tentative agreement that would significantly cut their water use from the river over the next three years.
Meanwhile, Kathryn Sorensen, director of research at the Kyle Center for Water Policy, said Arizona’s own plan to limit construction ensures there is enough water for all, as Arizona adapts to a world with less of it.
“It is a proactive plan,” Sorensen said. “It is not reactive.”
Oahu, the Hawaiian island known for having some of the best surfing in the world, has a new site on its shoreline — a freshwater pool dubbed the “world’s largest deep-water standing surf wave.” But the wave pool, filled with water from the fragile aquifer, opened amid an ongoing water crisis, riling up many who say the tourist attraction arrives as locals are suffering.
Wai Kai Commerical Development announced the pool in January 2021 as part of a $40 million recreation hub called The LineUp at WaiKai. The group said it’s the “world’s largest deep-water standing surf wave” called Wai Kai Wave – measuring 100 feet wide – and that hub also features a 52-acre recreational lagoon that will each be “first-of-its-kind attractions.”
— Layton Construction (@LaytonConstruct) March 3, 2023
The Ewa Beach wave pool holds 1.7 million gallons of fresh water – the amount equivalent to about 2.5 Olympic-sized swimming pools. And the water for it was taken from the aquifer, a resource that’s become increasingly fragile on the island as recent and wide-scale water contamination events and environmental issues have strained locals’ ability to access fresh water for their basic day-to-day needs.
Shane Beschen Surfing The Wai Kai Wave
Handout
“Forever chemicals” in wave pool water source
Larry Caster, director of retail development at Wai Kai, told CBS News that the water in the pool comes is provided by the city and county of Honolulu via the Makakilo Well, which is also used to provide water to residents and businesses in the area. The decision to use this water source, he said, was made “after consulting with scientists and others.”
And its use of that well only highlights a major problem that has been plaguing the island’s freshwater system: PFAS.
Also known as “forever chemicals,” per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are human-made chemicals that take a significantly long period of time to break down and are found in many areas of daily life, allowing them to easily build up in the body and the environment.
These contaminants have been making headlines in Hawaii after it was discovered that about 1,100 gallons of aqueous film forming foam (AFFF) were released from Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam’s Red Hill Bulk Storage Facility in November 2022, releasing excessive levels of PFAS into the surrounding area. That same storage facility, situated less than 20 miles away, is also the site of a massive jet fuel leak in 2021.
In February, the state’s Department of Health announced that the Makakilo Well was found to have at least one of the thousands of types of these chemicals in its water – Perfluoropentanoic acid (PFPeA). This substance, the DOH said, is “not a regulated drinking water contaminant” and is one of several “PFAS of concern” that’s been found widespread in the environment and requires further study.
PFAS detections in drinking water reported to the Hawaii Department of Health as of February 24, 2023.
Hawaii Department of Health
They did say that the amount of the contaminant found in the well was “well below” environmental action level standards, but those standards are set by the state and the chemical was not included in the EPA’s recent proposal for a first-ever national limit on PFAS in drinking water.
“Although long-term consumption of drinking water with PFAS could be a health risk, the low levels of PFAS in the Ewa-Waianae water system are not an acute health threat,” the Department of Health said in February. “No immediate action is necessary for the system’s users. However, those concerned may use a home filtration option to reduce PFAS.”
A spokesperson for The LineUp told CBS News that the wave pool operates under the same rules as swimming pools in Hawaii and as such, is “regularly tested and treated as required by the Hawaii State Department of Health.”
They have not yet responded to CBS News’ request about the last testing date and the PFAS levels recorded.
“A sore spot for our community”
The Honolulu Board of Water Supply, which has voiced significant concern about the island’s water issues, approved the opening of Wai Kai Wave – but not without pause.
Ernest Lau, manager and chief engineer of the Board of Water Supply, told CBS News that the wave pool’s opening is “unfortunate,” but those in charge of the site had a long-standing water meter and the board doesn’t have policies that say pools such as this are not allowed.
“The wave pool, that’s a sore spot for our community,” he said. “And we’re learning from that.”
With nearly 1 million people who reside on the island of Oahu and millions more who visit every year, conserving fresh water is crucial.
“As an island state, Hawaii has limited access to natural fresh water supplies,” the state’s Commission on Water Resource Management says on its website. “Competition for fresh water, increasing population and development pressures, the rising awareness of environmental water needs, and the impacts of global climate change require that Hawaii become as efficient as possible in its uses of limited fresh water supplies.”
The island has long struggled with droughts, and in recent years has seen “severe” circumstances, according to the U.S. Geological Survey. Although not currently in such conditions, 47% of the state’s streamflow sites are below normal, according to the USGS.
Lau told CBS News the wave pool is no exception to water conservation efforts.
“It is going to use a lot of fresh water to fill the pool. And every five years, they’re going to have to change that water in the pool, so it is a large use of fresh water periodically,” Lau said, adding that developers told him using seawater or recycled wastewater instead “was not an option they really could handle.”
The Board of Water Supply has urged the developers to “practice good water conservation,” Lau said, but ultimately the decision to do so is “up to them.”
But should there be a shortage and the board imposes water restrictions, wave pool operators “would also have to cut back on their usage like everybody else,” Lau said.
The LineUp developers do have a number of sustainability efforts they have or plan to implement, including plans to become a Sustainable Tourism and Outdoors Kit for Evaluation (STOKE)-certified surf park. Caster said they will also donate money to water and marine life restoration programs and will not allow single-use plastics on the property.
But for local resident and water rights activist Healani Sonoda-Pale, the opening of the wave pool is “insanity.”
“They’re opening the largest wave pool on the island of Oahu in a water crisis,” she told CBS News. “…They’re 100 feet away from families who don’t have access to clean drinking water. And there you see the dichotomy of the haves and the have-nots of how industry will continue, despite the fact that their neighbors are suffering.”
In the nearby residential area Kapilina Beach Homes, residents there have experienced water contamination issues since jet fuel leaked into the water system from Red Hill in 2021. As of November, many people there – which is about 5 miles from The LineUp – were still reporting signs of contamination, according to local reports, and volunteers continue to distribute bottled water at the homes every month.
One year after the Navy leaked 19,000 gallons of fuel from Red Hill, people are still dealing with contaminated water. Puna, a kanaka maoli single mother living with her family of 14 in Kapilina Beach Homes, reports symptoms of jet fuel exposure ever since moving in June of 2022. pic.twitter.com/McxgCuJ9sv
— Victims of Capitalism Memorial Foundation (@karaokecomputer) December 24, 2022
“It’s right next to a surf spot. It’s not needed,” Sonoda-Pale said of The LineUp. “It’s a waste of clean drinking water and it’s all serving the tourist industry.”
Wayne Tanaka, director of the Sierra Club of Hawaii, told CBS News the wave pool is a “bizarre arrangement.”
“Using potable water in the middle of a water crisis to support this profit-seeking enterprise is just yet another example of where Western assumptions and priorities have really overtaken the understanding that water is a precious and finite resource,” Tanaka said, “and that we have to protect it and use it for the benefit of all and not just treat it as a commodity.”
When asked about the criticism the wave pool is facing, Caster said those in charge of the site are aware of the “questions and confusion” about the water usage. He said that the daily demand for water will be limited to what needs to be refilled with evaporation.
“Many of our neighbors are very excited about the opening and look forward to experiencing the outdoor recreation, new restaurants, waterfront promenade and more,” he said, adding that they will seek ways to conserve water and implement “best management practices wherever we can.”
March 15, 2023 — The Environmental Protection Agency is proposing a new rule that would greatly limit the concentration of endocrine-disrupting “forever” chemicals in drinking water.
The EPA on Tuesday announced the proposed National Primary Drinking Water Regulation (NPDWR) for six polyfluoroalkyl substances, more commonly known as PFAS, which are human-made chemicals used as oil and water repellents and coatings for common products including cookware, carpets, and textiles. Such substances are also widely used in cosmetics and food packaging.
The Endocrine Society, which represents more than 18,000 doctors who treat hormone disorders, says it fully supports the new EPA proposal.
It explains that these substances, also known as endocrine-disrupting chemicals, “do not break down when they are released into the environment, and they continue to accumulate over time. They pose health dangers at incredibly low levels and have been linked to endocrine disorders such as cancer, thyroid disruption and reproductive difficulties.”
“This is the first time the government has regulated a new chemical in drinking water in more than 30 years,” the society notes, adding, this “will require major water treatment upgrades at utilities across the country.”
Roberet F. Powelson, president and CEO of the National Association of Water Companies, says addressing the PFAS in the nation’s water supply will cost “billions of dollars.” ys
“It’s a burden that under the current structure will disproportionately fall on water and wastewater customers in small communities and low-income families,” Powelson says in a statement.. He says the onus should instead fall on “the polluters” — those who manufacture and use PFAS chemicals, who “should be held directly responsible for the cleanup costs.”
Although the EPA is proposing a health-based maximum contaminant level goal of zero for these chemicals in drinking water, it acknowledges that this is unenforceable and so has set what it considers an enforceable level, or maximum contaminant level (MCL), of 4 parts per trillion for two of the PFAS, perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) and perfluorooctane sulfonic acid (PFOS).
A different standard has been proposed for the remaining four chemicals: perfluorononanoic acid (PFNA) and hexafluoropropylene oxide dimer acid (HFPO-DA) — known together as as GenX chemicals — perfluorohexane sulfonic acid (PFHxS), and perfluorobutane sulfonic acid (PFBS).
Officials from the EPA told The Washington Post that these proposed limits would be as strong or stronger than limits from about a dozen states that have set their own drinking water standards in recent years.
“The experts here felt this was the level of stringency required to protect public health, and that the law would allow for us,” EPA Administrator Michael Regan told the newspaper. “This is a transformative action that we’re taking.”
The EPA is requesting public comment on the proposed regulation and will hold a public hearing on May 4, which members of the public can register to attend and comment on the rule proposal. The last day to register is April 28.
The EPA wants to finalize regulation by the end of 2023, although delays are common on new rules.
If it is fully implemented, “the rule will prevent thousands of deaths and reduce tens of thousands of serious PFAS-attributable illnesses,” the EPA statement says.
The Environmental Protection Agency Wednesday proposed limits on six “forever chemicals” in drinking water. The compounds are given the term “forever chemicals” because they do not break down.
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Jan. 19, 2023 – Water is the key to human life. It helps cells survive, it lubricates our joints and helps our metabolism, breathing, waste removal, and temperature regulation.
We can’t survive without it for longer than 3 days. And while scientists, doctors, public health authorities, dietitians, and nutritionists can agree on its importance, one critical question remains: How much water should we be drinking?
For years, we’ve heard that it would be best if humans had at least eight 8-ounce glasses of water daily. Recently, two studies, published only months apart, resulted in a barrage of headlines about daily water intake, only furthering confusion.
“8 cups of water a day could be too much” — NPR, Dec. 7
“Drink more water: Staying well-hydrated linked to developing fewer chronic conditions, study says.” – USA Today, Jan. 3
Recommendations to drink eight 8-ounce glasses (or 64 ounces, or 1 liter) have been misinterpreted, says Dale Schoeller, PhD, a professor emeritus of nutritional sciences at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, and co-author of one of the studies fueling the latest questions.
“The scientific recommendation was based on all water intake, water and food, you know – an apple contains so much water; soup, so much water per gram, things like that,” he says. “For the most part, there’s no accurate and precise method of water intake.”
Schoeller is referring to a 1945 study published by the U.S. Food and Nutrition Board that continues to provide fodder for research and arguments. In the decades since, researchers have continued to grapple over useful ways to calculate water needs, which, according to Schoeller’s findings, change regularly, depending on things like age, body size and composition, the amount of energy you put out each day, physical activity, as well as climate and temperature. The total movement of water through the body, or how much water gets into and out of our body daily, is known as water turnover.
“Water turnover is closely related to the concept of water balance,” says Natalia Dmitrieva, PhD, a research scientist in the Laboratory of Cardiovascular Regenerative Medicine at the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute in Bethesda, MD, and co-author of the second study that explores hydration levels and their relationship to healthy aging.
“To maintain water balance, our body has to change water output depending on water intake,” she says. “When we don’t drink for a long time (or drink less fluid), the volume of our urine decreases, and it becomes much more concentrated because the kidneys conserve water to match water intake.”
Dmitrieva’s study showed that an important sign of a lack of water balance is an increase in sodium in your blood, which, in turn, appears to promote the risk of chronic conditions and advance the aging process, including dying at a younger age.
Calculate Your Daily Water Needs
Depending who you ask, there is no hard and fast rule for determining how much water to drink every day. Nor do people appear to follow any specific guidance; an unofficial Facebook poll on water intake on my personal page generated answers ranging from ”80 to 96 ounces per day” to “about 6 ounces an hour during the more active part of the day.” Several people said that they had no idea how much they drank.
These responses are hardly surprising. In fact, data demonstrates that fluid intake is often the result of habit or total targets rather than daily need. And as noted, daily needs change on a regular basis, depending on your body’s water turnover rate.
So how should you decide when and how much water to drink every day?
“If we drink low amounts of water, we have an increase in secretion of a hormone called arginine vasopressin from the brain that acts on the kidney to reabsorb as much water as possible; that coincides with an increased perception of thirst. People can use the perception of thirst to help guide them to drink more fluids,” says William Adams, PhD, a hydration expert and an adjunct assistant professor of kinesiology at the University of North Carolina-Greensboro.
Being mindful of what our bodies may be telling us is key, albeit somewhat flawed.
“Our thirst tells us a lot, but by the time we’re thirsty, we’re already 1% to 2% dehydrated, says Melissa Majumdar, a bariatric coordinator at Emory University Hospital Midtown in Atlanta and a national spokesperson for the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics.
This is a key reason why Jodi Stookey, a nutrition epidemiologist and water and hydration researcher based in San Francisco, suggests that a good rule of thumb is to “err on the side of a little more water than we feel thirsty for, for the day.”
A more reliable sign is urine color. “The darker the urine color, the more concentrated it is,” says Adams. “So, if you wake up in the morning and your urine is super dark (like apple juice color), you probably did a bad job the day before consuming fluids and should make an effort to address it going forward (that day).”
The urine approach is evidence-based and came from research done on athletes in the mid-1990s. The goal? “Aim for a lemonade color,” says Majumdar.
Pacing is also important.
“To drink, you have to pace yourself throughout the day, or you’re inevitably not going to be getting enough,” says Majumdar. “I always tell my patients to have a water bottle with them (or by them on their desk), like it’s a third arm.”
Finally, what should you be drinking?
Stookey says that the best choice is plain clear water if possible.
“When you drink something else – like orange juice or Coca-Cola or milk – it’s more concentrated in the blood, so your own body water has to go into the gut to dilute it in order to absorb those things. Clean water is very different than the other sources,” she says.
Pairing and practice can also help with daily water consumption. So if you are a coffee drinker, perhaps pair a glass of water with it to help build better habits.
And for people who don’t care for plain water, most experts say that carbonated water is a good choice; adding fruit to it adds flavor, helps quench thirst, properly dilutes urine, and points hydration levels in the right direction.
Public schools in Jackson, Mississippi, were forced to go virtual on Thursday, with much of the state capital under a boil water notice since Christmas.
Businesses in the city are also closing amid the water problems. Barrelhouse, a restaurant, has been serving bottled water, but it’s closing for good this weekend after one water crisis too many.
“We no longer have the capital to weather these storms,” said manager David Moncrief. “It’s very hard to have to close your restaurant basically through no fault of your own.”
A southern deep freeze burst pipes across the city over Christmas weekend, straining Jackson’s main water plant. Many had no water pressure at all.
On Thursday, Jackson Mayor Chokwe Antar Lumumba announced $800 million in government funding to rebuild it — less than half of what some estimates call for.
“We did not get here overnight,” he said. “Our full recovery will take many years.”
Decades of neglect, underfunding, incompetence and indifference have contributed to the issue. Each time, the water line breaks hit poor people the hardest, in a city where more than 80% of residents are Black.
On Jackson’s south side, pastor Greg Divinity uses his water truck to get water to hundreds of families.
“The mayor is Black. The governor is White,” Divinity said. “The mayor is a Democrat. The governor is a Republican. We got some divides here.”
“It feeds on itself,” he said. “So that kind of keeps the communication from not happening.”
TUESDAY, Jan. 3, 2023 (HealthDay News) — Could hydration hold the key to longevity?
Maybe, suggests new research that discovered older adults who are properly hydrated may be healthier and live longer than those who aren’t, having less incidence of conditions like heart and lung disease.
“Staying well-hydrated may slow down aging, prevent or delay development of chronic diseases, and therefore prolong disease-free life,” said lead investigator Natalia Dmitrieva, a researcher from the Laboratory of Cardiovascular Regenerative Medicine at the U.S. National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute.
“The best way for people to keep well-hydrated is to be aware of the amount of fluids they drink without engaging in intensive sports activities or [spending] a long time in a hot environment,” Dmitrieva said.
The current recommendations vary from 2 to 3 liters of fluid daily — for women, that’s 6 to 9 cups of fluids like water each day, while men need around 8 to 12 cups, she said.
“Worldwide population surveys estimate that more than 50% of people drink less fluid than recommended and therefore have an opportunity to decrease their risk of developing chronic diseases by increasing water intake to the recommended levels,” Dmitrieva said.
Samantha Heller, a senior clinical nutritionist at NYU Langone Health in New York City, agreed that being well-hydrated is essential for healthy living.
“Our bodies work hard to maintain a healthy fluid balance, which includes keeping serum sodium levels [blood salt levels]) tightly regulated. Triggering thirst is one way the body signals us that we need to consume more water. Drinking too much or too little water can result in serious physiological disturbances in the body’s fluid balance,” she said.
But drinking water isn’t the only way to maintain good hydration, Heller said.
“Hydration requirements can be met through the consumption of certain foods, such as fruits and vegetables, as well as beverages. It’s best to avoid drinking sugar-sweetened beverages and diet drinks,” she said. Opt for water, seltzer, tea and herbal teas like peppermint, chamomile and ginger.
Drink up, yes, but don’t overdo it. Drinking too much water also has a downside, Dmitrieva said.
“Drinking too much water can be dangerous. If the kidney cannot excrete excess water, the sodium content in the blood becomes diluted. This is called hyponatremia and it can be life-threatening,” she said.
There is no need to drink more than 3 liters per day if there is no excessive water loss due to exercise or prolonged heat exposure, Dmitrieva said. “If you drink more than 3 liters per day and still feel thirsty, it could be an indication of a disease condition that results in pathologically increased water losses and requires clinical evaluation.”
For the study, Dmitrieva and her colleagues tracked data over three decades on more than 11,200 adults who took part in the Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities study. Participants were seen over five visits — two in their 50s, and the last between the ages of 70 and 90.
To judge how well-hydrated they were, the researchers looked at levels of salt in the blood, gleaning information on systolic blood pressure, cholesterol and blood sugar. Those markers, in turn, indicated how well the cardiovascular, respiratory, metabolic, renal and immune systems were functioning.
Adults whose salt level was higher than normal were more likely to suffer from chronic conditions and have signs of advanced biological aging, compared with those whose salt levels were in the medium range. Those with high levels of salt were also more likely to die younger.
Specifically, people with high salt levels had 50% higher odds of being biologically older than their chronological age and 21% higher odds of dying early, compared with those whose salt levels were low. High levels of salt were also linked to a 64% increased risk of developing heart failure, stroke, atrial fibrillation and artery disease, as well as lung disease, diabetes and dementia, the researchers found.
This study, however, can’t prove that staying hydrated has all these benefits, only that they seem to be linked, the researchers noted.
“Proper hydration supports the body’s many functions, and over time, taking in enough fluids may slow down aging and support a long, healthy life,” Dmitrieva said.
Heller said it’s important to listen to one’s body and drink when thirsty. “Aging is a natural process,” she added, “but we can slow certain effects of aging by living a healthy lifestyle that includes a balanced, more plant-forward diet, regular exercise, adequate sleep and maintaining appropriate hydration.”
The report was published online Jan. 2 in the journal eBioMedicine.
More information
For more on good hydration, visit Nutrition.Gov.
SOURCES: Natalia Dmitrieva, PhD, researcher, Laboratory of Cardiovascular Regenerative Medicine, U.S. National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute; Samantha Heller, MS, RD, CDN, senior clinical nutritionist, NYU Langone Health, New York City; eBioMedicine, online, Jan. 2, 2023
Jackson, Miss. — The U.S. Justice Department has won a federal judge’s approval to carry out a rare intervention to improve the precarious water system in Mississippi’s capital city, Attorney General Merrick Garland announced Wednesday, months after the system’s partial failure. The department filed the proposal for intervention on Tuesday and U.S. District Judge Henry Wingate approved it later that day in Mississippi.
At a news conference in Washington, Garland said the proposal is necessary to “stabilize the circumstances” in Jackson as soon as possible while city, state and federal officials negotiate a court-enforced consent decree.
“We have to get something done immediately,” Garland said. “The water is a problem right now, and we can’t wait until a complaint is resolved.”
For days last August, people waited in lines for water to drink, bathe, cook and flush toilets in Mississippi’s capital as some businesses were temporarily forced to close for lack of potable water. The partial failure of the water system that month followed flooding on the nearby Pearl River, which exacerbated longstanding problems in one of Jackson’s two water-treatment plants.
The Justice Department also filed a complaint Tuesday on behalf of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency against the city of Jackson, alleging it has failed to provide drinking water that is reliably compliant with the Safe Drinking Water Act. By approving the proposal, Wingate put that litigation on hold for six months.
Garland said the purpose of the complaint is to allow the Justice Department to negotiate a consent decree, which would empower a federal court to force changes to Jackson’s water system.
Jackson Mayor Chokwe Antar Lumumba said in a news release Wednesday that the proposal, which the city and the state health department signed, was the culmination of months of collaboration.
EPA Administrator Michael S. Regan, right, addresses a round table of Jackson-area businesspeople, community leaders, residents and educators, about the efforts underway to deliver a sustainable water system for residents as Jackson, Miss., Mayor Chokwe Antar Lumumba, left, listens, Nov. 15, 2022, at Jackson State University in Jackson, Miss.
Rogelio V. Solis/AP
“The agreement is another step in a long process and is a collective effort that ensures Jacksonians will not be forgotten, and that our ultimate goal of creating a sustainable water system will be realized,” Lumumba said. “We hope that this collaborative effort to repair, replace and modernize Jackson’s water infrastructure will become a national model for other U.S. cities facing similar issues.”
Lumumba also praised the selection of Ted Henifin as the interim third-party manager of the Jackson water system and Water Sewer Business Administration, the city’s water billing department. Henifin, a former public works director in Virginia, has been “instrumental” in lending his expertise to local officials, Lumumba said.
The Justice Department proposal lists 13 projects that Henifin will be in charge of implementing. The projects are meant to improve the water system’s near-term stability, according to a news release. Among the most pressing priorities is a winterization project to make the system less vulnerable. A cold snap in 2021 left tens of thousands of people in Jackson without running water after pipes froze.
Residents of Jackson, Mississippi, distribute cases of water at Grove Park Community Center on Sept. 2, 2022.
SETH HERALD/AFP/Getty
Garland said the Justice Department’s involvement in the Jackson water crisis is part of the department’s strategy for achieving environmental justice in “overburdened and underserved communities.”
“The department’s founding purpose was to protect the civil rights of American citizens. Part of the reason that I wanted to be the attorney general was to work on those problems,” Garland said Wednesday. “This is an example of our using all the resources of the Justice Department on civil rights issues.”
In May, the Justice Department created an environmental justice division, following up on President Joe Biden’s 2020 campaign promise to elevate environmental justice issues in an all-of-government approach. The Justice Department said in July that it was investigating illegal dumping in Black and Latino neighborhoods in Houston, the nation’s fourth-largest city.
The situation in Jackson required the Justice Department to respond with the “greatest possible urgency,” Garland said.
“We realize how horrible the circumstances are there,” he said. “It’s hard to imagine not being able to turn on a tap and get safe drinking water.”
We see the ripple effect of a locally sourced water company reviving an Idaho mining town. And we learn some small tips to save big at the grocery store amid rising inflation. Watch these stories and more on “Eye on America” with host Michelle Miller.
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Perth, Australia, October 4, 2016 (Newswire.com)
– Global Empowers is a social startup with a powerful vision of helping the people of the world who need it most. Their first product, Vigor Aqua, is an advanced water purification tablet that also acts as a vitamin and food source. Something which, when produced and widely spread, could change the face of certain parts of the world for the better in a very dramatic and lasting way.
There’s no argument that lack of clean water and food is one of the most serious problems faced by large amounts of people in the world today. Few understand this better than the recently launched social startup Global Empowers, founded by passionate entrepreneur Joseph Mwansa born and raised in Zambia, who has personally seen the different standards of living people in the world face, and has positioned Global Empowers to help change it for the better. Global Empowers first product, the advanced water purification tablet Vigor Aqua, is close to being released and is expected to be able to help address the clean water and food problem faced by poor communities across the world in a way that is ethical, affordable and effective. Excitement surrounding the project is high.
“Global Empowers has a mission of offering help to people who are living in very dire circumstances who desperately need the things we often take for granted like clean water and adequate nutrition,” commented Mwansa. “We believe when we all work together we can make the world a better place. We’ve started by tackling the problem of having access to clean water, with our first product Vigor Aqua. This purifies water powerfully, removing germs and viruses and making it safe to drink. What this can do for the health of a community who formerly only had contaminated water to drink is amazing in all the best ways.”
According to Global Empowers, Vigor Aqua will address many important issues in a safe and effective way. Highlights include eliminating germs and viruses that cause water borne diseases. Also, treating and freeing water from Giardia, Cholera, Typhoid, Dysentery and many other waterborne diseases including Hepatitis A & E and Salmonella. As a bonus, Vigor Aqua is also enhanced with vitamins and nutrients, making it a healthy food source as well as way to purify water addressing two very serious problems at the same time.
A crowdfunding campaign for Global Empowers has commenced with a release date for Vigor Aqua expected to be announced soon. Make your mark by helping Global Empowers reach their crowdfunding goal. Visit https://startsomegood.com/globalempowers
