Pure Water Occasional, July, 2023
 
Greetings from Pure Water Products, the Pure Water Gazette, and the Pure Water Occasional.
 
 
In this Occasional you'll hear about  treating water contaminants with hydrogen peroxide, how to get rid of methane, saying good-bye to siliphos,  water pollution from hog farms, PFAS toxicity, pipe sizes, Great Britain's gigantic water bill, anti-golf protests in Spain, water cremation, America's lead pipe dilemma, radioactive water release in Japan, hot-tub-level ocean water temperatures in Florida, and, as always, there is much, much more.
 
Thank you for reading, and sincere thanks from Pure Water Products for your continuing support.  
 
Thanks for reading!

Please visit the Pure Water Gazette, where you will find hundreds of articles about water and water treatment, and the Pure Water Products website, where there is much information about water treatment and specific information about the  products we offer. On both of these information-rich sites, pop-up ads and other distractions are strictly against the law.
 
 




Introductory Note:  We've recently added Scott Crawford's excellent overview of everything you need to know to treat well water with hydrogen peroxide to the Pure Water Gazette's website. Below is an excerpt of this outstanding reference, but you can read the full article here.  The article answers all the basic questions about peroxide's potency, the grades available, the delivery system you'll need, and what type of filtration is required. The article is directed toward dealers, but the information is valuable for anyone planning to use hydrogen peroxide. 
 

Residential Use of Hydrogen Peroxide for Treating Iron and Hydrogen Sulfide

by Scott Crawford

Two common problems found in well water are iron and sulfur. Iron (Fe+2) can discolor the water, spot laundry and stain plumbing fixtures. In addition, the growth of iron-related bacteria sometimes present with iron can result in abnormal taste and odor and contributes to biofouling in plumbing systems.
 
Hydrogen sulfide (H2S) is characterized by a rotten-egg odor and metallic taste. There is never any doubt as to when it is present due to its offensive odor. It promotes corrosion due to its activity as a weak acid; further, its presence in air causes silver to tarnish in a matter of seconds.

High concentrations of hydrogen sulfide gas are both flammable and poisonous. High concentrations of either iron or sulfide can foul the bed of an ion exchange softener.

There are many methods that dealers incorporate today to treat iron and hydrogen sulfide. Some of these include ozone, air injection, catalytic media and chlorine. Hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) is another method that can be used and has gained a lot of popularity because it is easier to handle, is a more powerful oxidizer and, in most cases, doesn’t require a contact tank. This translates to lower operating cost compared other types of chemical feed applications.
 
 
Hydrogen peroxide particulars

Hydrogen peroxide is a ”weak acidic, clear, colorless fluid, easily mixed with water in all proportions.” It is a clean oxidant that decomposes to H2O and O2, or more simply put, water with extra dissolved oxygen.

Hydrogen peroxide also occurs naturally. Our own bodies produce it naturally as a first line of defense against every single invading organism. Levels of 210 – 720 ppb have been reported in the breath of a normal healthy individual. It can also be found in coffee we drink and honey we eat.

Hydrogen peroxide is one of the most power oxidizers available. It is stronger than chlorine and potassium permanganate. Through catalysis, H2O2 can be converted into hydroxyl radicals (OH) with reactivity second only to fluorine.
 

Safety measures.

 


 
As with any other oxidant, safety still needs to be considered when handling this product. Hydrogen peroxide of less than eight percent strength is considered non-hazardous. Most dealers today using hydrogen peroxide are using it at a seven percent concentration.

As a result, it can even be shipped through normal processes. This also means it can be safely delivered by a company vehicle without needing special registration or labeling on the truck.
There are many chemical supply companies that can provide it already mixed to a seven-percent solution. If you are delivering higher concentrations, check local and state regulations to determine what is required for proper registration and labeling.

Many dealers, however, have chosen to mix it themselves. While it is readily available at concentrations up to 35 percent, it should never be purchased at concentrations above this level.

Peroxide is very reactive above this level and requires extra care to handle it and, due to Homeland Security regulations and the quantity that might be kept at a facility, it can be purchased only at concentrations under 35 percent. (We purchase and store 34 percent concentrations at our facility and properly mix it to a seven-percent solution.)

Go here for the full version on the Pure Water Gazette website to continue reading. 
 
7% hydrogen peroxide is available on our website. See product FM300.
 
We currently sell most of the equipment needed to set up hydrogen peroxide treatment systems on residential wells but we usually advise residential well owners to find a local supplier/installer if possible. Planning, setting up, and maintaining a hydrogen peroxide treatment system can be time consuming and expensive.



 

 

Removing Methane from Water Means Venting It to the Atmosphere

We hear a lot about methane in well water, especially as a side effect of the gas recovery process known as hydraulic fracturing.  We hear a lot less about how to get rid of it.
 
Atmospheric aeration is essentially the only treatment for methane in well water.  Methane is not filterable or removable chemically.
 
Atmospheric aeration involves allowing the methane gas to escape to the atmosphere. Pressurized aeration tanks, though vented, will not work well for methane, and you run the risk of creating a bomb. (We get calls with some frequency about using our AerMax product for methane removal. It is a closed tank system and will not work for methane.)
 
Exposing the water in an atmospheric tank means that water pressure will be lost and a repressurization system consisting of a pump and usually a pressurized pump tank will be needed to send the water to the home or other point of use.
 
 
Here’s a discussion of the whole issue from the Minnesota Department of Health:
 
Aeration is the process of mixing air into water and venting the gas to the outside atmosphere. Aeration can remove methane, as well as other gasses such as hydrogen sulfide (rotten egg smell).
Treatment devices range from the simple to the complex. The simplest is to use a pressure tank without a bladder or diaphragm, often referred to as a “galvanized” tank. An air release valve, vented to the atmosphere, releases the methane. This system is relatively simple and inexpensive, and does not require a second pump or tank, but is relatively inefficient at treating large volumes of water or removing large quantities of methane.

A more effective, but more complicated, system is to add an aspirator or aerator to the inlet of a water storage tank. An air pump or compressor will speed up the methane removal, but adds expense and maintenance.

Waterfall, diffusion, or mechanical aerators are devices that more effectively mix air with the water, resulting in more rapid and efficient removal, but increased cost and maintenance. Some systems involve a storage/treatment tank system with spray aerators enclosed in the tank. Use of an unpressurized treatment tank will require two pumps and two tanks – a well pump and a re-pressurizing pump, and a treatment tank and a pressure tank.
 
Retention times of several minutes are typically needed to allow release of the methane. Air separators, similar to devices used on hot water heating systems to remove air, have also been used to remove methane.

Vents, air release valves, and other mechanical parts can fail, or freeze if not properly installed and maintained. Systems that use a nonpressurized tank may be subject to airborne contamination of the water supply if not carefully installed and maintained. All systems should be designed to be sanitary, avoid cross connections, and be vented outside.


 Methane is colorless and odorless. Most of what we call “natural gas," the stuff we burn for fuel in our homes, is methane.  If you “smell gas,” it isn’t the methane you’re smelling, but an odor added by the gas supplier to warn you that gas is present.  With well water, where you can’t see or smell the gas, you may first be aware of its presence through fizzing faucets, cloudy water, and “water hammer” in plumbing.
 
For more about methane, see Pure Water Products’  Water Treatment Issues page.

 
 
 
 
Hog Farms and Water Quality

 
 

A 2017 Iowa state water assessment released found that 750 out of 1350 of Iowa’s waterways were “impaired.”

Large hog farms are undoubtedly a major contributor to that “impairment.”

Iowa has more than 6,300 hog farms and about 60 percent of them raise more than 1,000 hogs, leaving farmers to deal with with massive amounts of manure. More than 10 billion gallons of liquid manure are applied to Iowa fields annually. State records identified 800 manure spills between 1996 and 2012. The manure is high in fecal coliform, nitrogen and phosphates.

The situation is essentially the same in the country’s second largest hog producing state, North Carolina. The state also deals with an estimated 10 billion gallons of hog feces and urine waste each year, according to an analysis of state data by the non-profit organization, Environmental Working Group. The waste, like the hog farms themselves, is concentrated: North Carolina has the two highest hog producing counties in the nation. Together these counties account for 40 percent of the state’s wet waste.

Across the U.S. nitrogen pollution from livestock manure has increased 46 percent over the past 80 years.

Though a number of pollutants impair Iowa waters, nitrate, which can also get into water from leaky septic tanks, wastewater treatment systems, and certain fertilizers, plagues the state. The pollution, which has been linked to certain cancers, some birth defects, and other diseases, exceeded federal limits in 11 of the state’s public water supplies in 2015, according to a state report.

About 300,000 people in the state are on private wells. A University of Iowa study of 475 wells across the state found that 49 percent tested positive for nitrates and 12 percent of those were above federal safety limits. An additional 43 percent tested positive for coliform bacteria which comes from animal or human waste and can make people sick.

In 2016, federal researchers tested the South Fork Iowa River basin before and after hog manure was spread on a field nearby. (This is a typical disposal method.) The researchers found multiple harmful bacteria and pathogens in the water after the application, including a surprising amount of hepatitis E. The researchers concluded there exists “…a potential role for swine in the spreading of zoonotic pathogens to the surrounding environment.”

As feces-contaminated water reaches streams, fish kills are common. One group estimates that almost 5 million fish over the past decade in Iowa streams have been killed by animal waste .

Water use is also heavily dependent on livestock population. Across the entire state of Iowa, livestock accounts for only about 4 percent of water use, but in some agricultural counties the figure can be as high as 95%.

The hard-to-treat antibiotic resistant bacterial infection MSRA is also easily found in swine and swine workers. People who live near large hog operations appear to have about triple the risk of getting MSRA. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says MRSA is the most concerning of current antibiotic-resistant threats, resulting in about 11,285 deaths annually.

With mounting evidence of the dangers of hog manure to human health and environmental safety, one would expect Iowa to step up its regulation efforts. The opposite is true. One researcher says that Iowa’s lawmakers are “leaving its people at risk in favor of hogs.”

Environmental Health News reports:

Iowa’s GOP-controlled Legislature has shown little desire to fix this and in fact has moved backwards: This year it forced a $1.2 million budget reduction on the state Department of Natural Resources, the agency charged with overseeing water safety and health. The DNR eliminated the Bureau of Forestry and eight other positions, including the animal feeding operations coordinator.

Source Reference: Environmental Health News.
 
Gazette Commentary: Animal agriculture is one of the leading sources of water pollution worldwide. Areas with feedlots, dairies, and slaughter houses usually have nitrate pollution problems.  The best way to remove nitrates from drinking water is reverse osmosis.  Go here for a lot more about nitrates.

 
 
 
 
 

 

 
 
The Diameter of Pipes and Plastic Tubes

 
The rule of thumb in pipe sizing is twice the diameter equals four times the flow. Two one-inch pipes do not equal a two-inch pipe. It actually takes four one-inch pipes to carry the same load as a single two-inch pipe. Therefore, if you split a two-inch pipe into two one-inch pipes, you are cutting its flow capacity in half.

People who plumb with large pipes are usually aware of this, but with smaller tubing it’s easy to overlook this basic law of nature.

With the small flexible plastic tubing used for undersink filters and reverse osmosis units it is important to know that what is called 1/4" tubing is measured by its outside diameter (OD). With 1/4" tubing, the inside diameter, the path that the water flows through, is actually about 1/8". What we call 3/8" tubing is roughly 1/4" inside diameter, so following the rule of thumb of pipe flow, a 3/8" OD tube will actually carry four times the water flow as compared with the 1/4" OD tube. This is a very important fact to keep in mind if you’re planning to send water from your RO unit across the room to an icemaker or refrigerator. Especially if your run is long, you’ll have a much better result with 3/8" tubing than with 1/4".

We build our Black & White and Q Series RO units with all 1/4" tubing, but if you want increased flow rate to the faucet and a connected refrigerator, we'll build it with that in mind. We call this feature "3/8" tank to faucet" and it means that from the storage tank, through the post filter, and to the point(s) of use, tubing and fittings are all 3/8". Just ask for "3/8" tank to faucet" if you're buying an RO unit. The standard all 1/4" build is great if you're using the water from the faucet mounted on the sink, but if you're sending water to a remote device you'll like the 3/8" option better. 
 

 

 
 
 

3M Knew that PFAS Was Hazardous to Humans in 1950. It Is Still Being Produced.


Should 3M be required to help pay for cleaning up the environmental disaster created by its products? This is a question that you will hear often in months and years to come as the nation's water suppliers try to recover the billions of dollars required to reduce PFAS in order to meet federal standards.  The timeline below should help us decide who should pay for the cleanup.
 
In 1947, 3M began producing perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) by electrochemical fluorination.
 
Here is a timeline of some important events.
 
1950 – 3M mice study reveals that PFAS builds up in blood.
 
1956 – Stanford University study finds that PFAS binds to proteins in human blood.
 
1961 – DuPont toxicologist warns that PFAS chemicals enlarge rat and rabbit livers.
 
1962 – Volunteers who smoke PFAS-laced cigarettes get “polymer fume fever.”
 
 
1963 – 3M technical manual deems PFAS toxic.
 
 
1965 – DuPont rat study shows liver damage and increased spleen size.
 
 
1966 – The Food and Drug Administration rejects a DuPont petition to use PFAS chemicals as a food additive, citing liver studies.
 
1966 – 3M study finds that PFAS causes “acute oral toxicity” in rats.
 
 
1970 – 3M warns Fire Journal, the magazine of the National Fire Protection Association, that PFAS is toxic to fish.
 
1970 – DuPont scientists say PFAS is “highly toxic when inhaled.”
 
 
1973 – DuPont finds there is no safe level of exposure to PFAS in food packaging.
 
1975 – 3M is informed that PFAS builds up in human blood samples.
 
1975 – DuPont warns 3M about “toxic effects” of PFAS in food packaging.
 
 
1977 – 3M tests workers and animals to measure PFAS in blood.
 
1977 – 3M finds PFOS, the PFAS chemical in the company’s Scotchgard fabric treatment, “more toxic than anticipated.”
 
 
1978 – 3M animal tests find lesions on spleen, lymph nodes and bone marrow.
 
 
1978 – 3M concludes that PFOS and PFOA, a PFAS chemical used to make DuPont’s Teflon, “should be regarded as toxic.”
 
1979 – DuPont survey of employees in its Parkersburg, W.Va., Teflon plant finds possible evidence of liver damage.
 
1981 – 3M and DuPont reassign female workers after animal studies reveal PFAS damages the eyes of the developing fetus.
 
1983 – 3M identifies PFAS’ potential harm to the immune system as a cause for concern.
 
1984 – 3M documents rising fluorine levels in workers’ blood.
 
1984 – DuPont detects PFAS in the tap water in Little Hocking, Ohio, but does not alert the local water utility.
 
1987 – 3M PFOA animal study finds tumors.
 
1989 – 3M study finds elevated cancer rates among PFAS workers.
 
1990 – 3M study finds risk of testicular cancer from exposure to PFOA, also known as C8.
 
1992 – DuPont study finds elevated cancer rates among workers.
 
1992 – Former 3M scientist finds male PFOA workers more likely to die from prostate cancer.
 
1995 – DuPont scientist expresses concern over long-term PFAS health effects.
 
1997 – DuPont study finds heightened cancer rates among workers at the Parkersburg plant.
 
1998 – 3M scientists report that PFAS moves through the food chain.
 
1998 – 3M provides EPA evidence that PFAS accumulates in blood.
 
1998 – 3M animal study finds liver damage from PFAS exposure.
 
1999 – 3M scientist describes PFOS as “the most insidious pollutant since PCB.”
 
2000 – 3M animal study finds liver damage from PFOS exposure
 
Information Sources

 

 
 

 

Siliphos, Adios. Pure Water Products No Longer Sells Siliphos Spheres

by Gene Franks
 

We hate dropping a product when we have customers depending on it, but we’re no longer selling siliphos spheres. I like the product a lot (I use it in my own home) but it’s one of a few products that we’re setting aside so that we can give better service on our core products.
 
 
This leaves a few customers (including me) looking for a place to buy replacement spheres. Fortunately, there are now lots internet sources. Just search for “siliphos spheres.” Here’s a picture of what you’re looking for.
 
 
What you need to know about the product is that it dissolves into the water very slowly. It doesn’t need to be discarded and replaced; it just needs to be replaced when the container is empty. We estimated once a year replishment on the  three unit sizes that we were offering, but that was a round-number guess and differing conditions require different refill intervals.
 
 
Buying siliphos, you need to know that a pound is about 50 spheres. Here’s a chart showing the standard units that we’ve sold with the approximate number of spheres needed for each.
 
 
Basic Stand-Alone Siliphos Units from Pure Water Products
 

Unit Description Home Size Cartridge Size 
Compact Unit with Clear Housing. Installs on 3/4″ pipe. Cartridge holds 100 siliphos spheres (a couple of pounds). One or two people. 9.75″ X 2.5″
Standard Unit with Blue Housing, for 3/4″ or 1″ Pipe.  Cartridge holds 200 siliphos spheres (about 4 pounds). Two to Six People 9.75″ X 4.5″
Large Unit with Blue Housing for 1″ or 1.5″ Pipe. Cartridge holds 250 siliphos spheres (around 5 pounds).
 
 
 Six people or more 20″ X 4.5″
All units have refillable cartridges. Just screw the bottom off of the cartridge and pour in new spheres.   We have replacements for any part on the unit, including the cartridge shells, and we have complete customer records, so call if  you’re unsure  about how much siliphos you need.  888 382 3814.
 
 
A few of our customers add a few spheres to the center core of carbon block filters. The end plugs for the cartridges are reusable, but if you need replacements we can supply them until our current stock is gone.
 
 

 

Water News — July 2023

 
 
 
 

Bloomberg News reports that Britain Faces a Giant Water Bill  And Nobody Wants to Pay It

The cost to fix the water industry is expected to run to hundreds of billions of pounds and is almost certain to fall on households.

 
The inefficiency of Britain's water delivery system is dire. One fifth of all water supplies is currently being lost to leaks. There were over 800 sewage spills on average every day in 2022. More than £60 billion ($76.4 billion) of debt has been built up by the water utilities.
 

Even partial estimates suggest hundreds of billions of pounds will be needed to fix the system.. And the bill will almost certainly fall at the feet of households in the form of higher prices or additional taxes. The industry has been under pressure for some time. But the threat that Thames Water Ltd. — Britain’s biggest water utility with 15 million customers — may require a government bailout to stop it from collapsing under more than £14 billion of debt, has made everything more urgent.


 

Spanish Activists Target Golf


Climate activists in Spain have filled in holes on 10 golf courses to draw attention to the huge amounts of water the “elitist leisure pursuit” uses as a nationwide drought continues in the first heatwave of the year.

In a statement, XR said it had carried out the action to “denounce the wasting of water by golf in the midst of one of the worst droughts in history”. It said golf courses in Spain used more water than the cities of Madrid and Barcelona combined, with each hole requiring more than 100,000 litres of water a day to maintain the greens.

“We cannot allow this kind of elitist leisure pursuit to continue,” the statement said. “Spain is drying up and the rural world is suffering losses running into millions because of the lack of water for crops – all because of an entertainment enjoyed by scarcely 0.6% of the population. Rich people and their leisure activities that gobble up essential resources are a luxury we cannot afford.”

Full article from The Guardian.
 

 
Water Cremation Is Growing in Popularity in the UK

The practice, known as resomation, involves the corpse being enclosed in a biodegradable pouch then placed in a container filled with pressurised water and a small amount of potassium hydroxide.

This rapidly converts tissue and cells into a watery solution, with one cycle taking approximately four hours.

Soft bones remain and these are dried then reduced to a white powder, which can be returned to relatives in an urn.  Research suggests that resomation is a more sustainable option as it does not release toxic gases, air pollutants or polluting fluids.

Cremating a body leads to the release of carbon dioxide and potentially toxic gases while burials can lead to the risk of groundwater contamination.  Sky News. 
 

 
 
 
A sobering report from  the U. S. Geological Survey shows that almost half of  U. S. tap water systems are contaminated by PFAS, the "forever chemicals."  .E & E News.
 

 
Release of Radioactive Water

The Japanese government could start releasing treated but still radioactive water from the ruined Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power station into the Pacific Ocean as soon as next month after the United Nations nuclear watchdog gave the controversial plan the green light following a two-year review. Full story in Al Jazeera.



Florida Ocean Surface Temperature Reaching Hot Tub Level

The surface ocean temperature around the Florida Keys soared to 101.19F (38.43C) the last week in July, in what could be a global record as ocean heat around the state reaches unprecedented extremes.  The Guardian.
 

July is expected to be the hottest month experienced on earth in 120,000 years – a temperature not felt by human civilization since the end of the ice age.

In a joint report published Thursday by the World Meteorological Organization, the Copernicus Climate Change Service, and Leipzig University, the temperature for the first three weeks of July averaged 62.51 Fahrenheit, breaking the previous record of 61.93 Fahrenheit set in 2019.

In parts of the United States, temperatures have risen above 120 degrees Fahrenheit. In Arizona, people have experienced life-threatening burns from falls on hot pavement, in California, inmates swelter as cooling systems fail, and in the Florida Keys, ocean temperatures rose above 100 Fahrenheit this week, the average temperature of a hot tub. Grist. July has been the hottest month in humanity’s history 
 
 

 
An estimated one in five New Yorkers, or about 21% of the city’s residents, may be drinking water transported through lead service lines. That’s according to a new report titled “No Excuses, NYC: Replace Lead Drinking Water Pipes Now,” from New York City’s Coalition to End Lead Poisoning.



 
 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Places to visit for additional information:

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Thanks for reading. The next Occasional will appear eventually--when you least expect it.
Pure Water Products, LLC, 523A N. Elm St., Denton, TX, www.purewaterproducts.com. Call us at 888 382 3814.
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