Water Butt Replacement Tap

Product Information

So how much nitrate in our drinking water is too much? The UK standard is based on WHO's guidance for safe nitrate levels, which is up to 50 mg per litre 7. Drinking levels below 50mg/L do not appear to cause common health problems associated with ingesting toxins, including thyroid problems and infant methemoglobinemia - a very rare condition where toxins lower blood oxygen levels in babies. Critics, however, argue that these guidelines don't take long-term cancer risk into account 6. It’s usually advised to avoid drinking from the warm tap. Although not particularly harmful this water may not be as fresh as the cold tap as it could come from a water heater or storage tank. What if my tap water is cloudy? Some products simply comprise tap water that’s been bottled while others use fresh spring water or another source.

An environmental advocate weighs in on inequality and safe drinking water.) What can you do if you’re concerned about your tap? Before it reaches your house, water is stored in a treatment facility in which it undergoes several processes to remove potential contaminants. During disinfection, chemicals may be added to kill off any remaining microbes and protect against germs ( 3).Nonetheless, drinking water contamination can still occur. For example, certain regions may have greater exposure to toxins, such as industrial pollutants or bacteria from agricultural runoff ( 7). Many public health organizations also claim that the EPA’s current limits on certain toxins aren’t stringent enough. Added fluoride - Many UK water suppliers add fluoride to tap water to improve dental health and reduce tooth decay. While the practice is considered safe and effective, some regional areas may naturally have higher water fluoride levels. In rare cases, long-term excessive fluoride intake can lead to skeletal fluorosis - a serious condition of the bones. All the same, there may be times when bottled water is better, especially if your drinking water supply is contaminated. Yet, in blind taste tests, most people can’t tell the difference between tap and bottled water ( 9, 10).

Pharmaceutical compounds including anti-depressants and cocaine by-products have been found in UK tap water but only at very tiny concentrations. A risk assessment by Public Health England in 2013 also found caffeine, carbamazepine (an ingredient in epilepsy medication) and the painkillers ibuprofen and naproxen in treated drinking water but these were at levels hundreds of thousands of times below therapeutic doses and thus were “unlikely to present a risk to health”. In Summary While tap water across the UK is safe to drink, quality may differ by region. For example, a 2020 taste test from a survey by Tapp Water. Its findings revealed that the top 5 UK regions for water, based on participant's opinions, were:

Hard water vs. soft water

There is a significant challenge,” Eric Burneson, a director at the EPA’s Office of Ground Water and Drinking Water, says of proposing new regulations. “We need robust scientific information, and we need peer review of that information. We need to know about our ability to manage it. Can we measure it? Can we treat it?” Water butt taps are essential accessories for any eco-conscious gardener or homeowner who has invested in a water butt. By installing a tap on your water butt or rainwater barrel, you can easily access to the collected rainwater, making them practical, as well as helping you to reduce your carbon footprint. Animal studies and other research suggests that microplastics act as endocrine-disrupting chemicals, promote inflammation, result in negative health effects, and accumulate over time in organs like the liver, kidneys, and intestines ( 14, 15, 16, 17). In 1974, Congress passed the Safe Drinking Water Act, which gave the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) the authority to regulate public tap water. The choice between hard and soft water largely depends on personal preference and regional water quality," says Gabi. "Both types are generally safe for consumption, and for most people any potential health effects are relatively minor."

There’s a gap between what is legal and what is safe,” says Sydney Evans, a science analyst at the Environmental Working Group (EWG). She adds that many regulations are based on decades-old science, which the EWG has argued makes regulations outdated and insufficient. In soft water areas where there is a high risk of lead being absorbed from pipework, water companies treat the water with orthophosphate (phosphoric acid) which reduces any lead content. Microplastics There’s often a lot of confusion when it comes to dos and don’ts with tap water. To help shed some light here are some common questions answered. Can you drink from the bathroom tap?When something like lead, for example, is shown to be harmful to human health, the EPA can set a limit for how much is allowed in water supplies. Limits are based on what amount is safe for human consumption and what is technologically feasible for water treatment facilities to accomplish.

Most water supplies naturally contain fluoride at varying levels depending on the source while lead can also find its way into your water though this depends on the presence of old lead water mains in the supply network. Fluoride Use collected water in a watering can or a coarse spray setting on a hose;a fine spray setting will generate fine aerosol particles which can be carried on the wind and breathed into the gardener's lungs and cause infection.Using a pump to transfer water encourages aerosols which are best avoided U.S. public tap water is regulated by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). The EPA is responsible for identifying and setting legal limits for potential contaminants in drinking water under the Safe Drinking Water Act (SDWA) ( 4, 5). The EPA requires water utilities to publish annual reports identifying any potential health hazards in the community about their water supply. (You can find yours here.) Additionally, old plumbing may introduce contaminants like lead, and natural disasters like floods can temporarily pollute public water systems ( 7).Mineral water is bottled at its source and can be high in several essential minerals. This article explains everything you need to know about mineral… READ MORE